Issue # 52

December 27. 2012 January 2, 2013

PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the U.S. debt limit of $16.394 trillion will be met on New Years Eve. He and President Obama are seeking ability to raise debt levels without Congressional approval. With only days to secure a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff, an unidentified White House official said congressional stupidity was damaging the nations economy, placing primary blame on Republican recalcitrance. Pray for President Obama and his financial advisers as they plan their agenda for the new four-year term.

PRAY FOR OUR CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS

Hawaiian Governor Neil Abercrombie has appointed Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz to replace Daniel K. Inouye in the U.S. Senate, opting against Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, whom the late senator had wanted to succeed him. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the government appears headed over the fiscal cliff because of a lack of bipartisanship in negotiations. Major tax hikes and spending cuts will hit most Americans January 1. Pray for more than just a deal, on the fiscal cliff, but a real bipartisan solution to the nations economic woes.

PRAY FOR OUR JUDICIARY

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has denied a request from Hobby Lobby and others to block part of the federal healthcare law requiring employee health plans to provide coverage for contraception and morning-after pills. A federal judge ruled that the courts have no power to rule that Senate filibusters are unconstitutional or deny the rights of a majority, and that it is up to the Senate to make its own rules. Pray for our courts as they rule on issues of constitutionality as well as civil and human rights.

PRAY FOR THESE NATIONAL LEADERS IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK:

Dr. Jill Biden, Wife of Vice President Joe Biden. Tim Scott, United States Representative and Senate Designee from South Carolina. Justice Steven Breyer, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Admiral Robert J. Papp, Commandant, United States Coast Guard.
For more information on these prayer requests and Daily Member Updates please visit presidentialprayerteam.org.

OTHER PRAYER CONCERNS:

WARS AND TERRORISM
Recent pronouncements by the Taliban have raised the possibility that the insurgents may be softening their stance on what a future without U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan might look like. More than 300 aerospace and defense companies and suppliers are urging policy-makers to avoid the across-the-board cuts known as sequestration even if they cant resolve other fiscal cliff issues. Pray for the American military policy-makers and the need to retain a strong defense force.

FOREIGN INTERESTS AND CONFLICTS

Russia and the UN envoy for Syria said Thursday they want to revive a long-shelved peace initiative calling for a transitional government to run Syria until elections can be held. Russian President Putin said he would sign a law banning adoptions of Russian children by American citizens, retaliating an American law that punishes Russians accused of violating human rights and dealing in human trafficking. Pray that a resolution can be found to end the genocide in Syria.

THE ECONOMY
A new report shows U.S. single-family home prices rose in October for the ninth consecutive month, enforcing the view that the retail housing market is improving steadily which should bolster the economy in 2013. The Social Security Administration released new data revealing the number of workers collecting disability benefits hit a record high in December, with a total of beneficiaries at 56,758,185. Pray for American families who are dependent upon disability or unemployment compensation.

ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Naftili Bennett, the 40-year-old son of American immigrants and charismatic new leader of Israels Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the Prime Ministers party ahead of the January 22 elections. At a ceremony for new Air Force pilots, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Syrias Assad that Israel is closely monitoring developments in Syria, and the new cadets were part of Israels long military arm. Pray for the election to be held in Israel next month.

HEALTH CARE
Three pharmaceutical companies are poised to test whether new drugs can work against a range of cancers by targeting a specific cancer gene fundamental to tumor growth, causing it to self-destruct. A new national study found modest declines in obesity among 2- to 4-year-olds coming from poor families, hoping it indicates a change in direction in family diets, fast-food consumption and other program-targeted areas. Pray for the health of Americas children physical, mental, emotional and especially spiritual. Thus says the LORD: Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16

For more information on these prayer requests and Daily Member Updates please visit presidentialprayerteam.org.