DAY 15 | States: MT & NE
DAILY TOPIC: A Virtuous America
Prayer for Israel
Prayer for National Government Officials
State Focus: Montana and Nebraska
PRAYER FOR A VIRTUOUS AMERICA
Please awaken Americans to our founders’ belief that happiness and virtue were one in the same. Return us, O God, to the respect and pursuit of virtue in our private and civic lives. Lord, we hunger for a return to virtue in America. We ask You to help us recover virtue in our individual lives and the life of our country. Father, Your Word tells us that a virtuous woman is worth far more than jewels. We appeal to You, Lord, to work in and through parents, educators, teachers, preachers, priests, rabbis, coaches, writers, entertainers and movie makers who will impress the value of virtue upon the hearts of girls and women young and old. We ask for virtue in our boys and men – for parents, mentors and models from all of these disciplines, as well, who will train up Godly men. We depend upon You, Lord, to lead us to a renewed understanding of the worth of virtue in our land.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8).
PRAYER FOR ISRAEL
Lord, we pray for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, the Biblical capital of Israel, and ask for an end to the violence and suffering. We pray for justice, and Your sovereign righteousness over Israel. We pray for mercy and Your Kingdom to rule over the land. Please protect the soldiers and civilians from bloodshed. Give wisdom to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Knesset (The legislature of Israel). May Israel remain strong, not dividing the land You gave as an inheritance to Your chosen people. May the United States continue to fully support Israel, the nation that gave us salvation through Jesus Christ.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper that love thee (Psalm 122:6).
PRAYER FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Lord God, we ask for Your blessing and wisdom on the lives of these leaders in our nation.
EXECUTIVE
President Donald Trump
Vice-President Mike Pence
THE PRESIDENT’S CABINET
Secretary of Transportation: Elaine Chao
Secretary of Energy: Rick Perry
Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Robert Wilkie
Secretary of Homeland Security: Kirstjen Nielsen
ATTORNEY GENERAL
William Barr
SUPREME COURT
Chief Justice John Roberts
JUSTICES
Clarence Thomas
Brett Kavanaugh
Samuel Alito
Neil Gorsuch
Elena Kagan
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer
Sonia Sotomayor
Lord, we pray for three conservative, constitutional Christians on the Supreme Court that would assure a majority; to see the following decisions overturned…
1947: EVERSON V. BOARD OF EDUCATION
"Wall of Separation" Between church and state
(RULING: Ruled as Constitutional allocating taxpayer funds (to bus children) to religious schools because it did not breach the "wall of separation”: between church and state. Decision held that the establishment clause of the First Amendment applied to state, local and federal government. Bottom Line: Distributing public funds to parents to cover the cost of busing their children to religious schools did not breach the wall. And, finally, it was this ruling that established the vernacular ‘wall of separation’ which set the precedent for the next two Supreme Court decisions removing prayer and bible reading from our schools.)
Where did the term Wall of Separation come from?
Establishment Clause Definition
1962: ENGEL V. VITALE
Removed prayer from public education
(RULING: Unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools. PLAINTIFF: Steven Engel, New York parent / DEFENDANT: William Vitale, the school board president)
1963: ABINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT V. SCHEMPP
Removed the Bible from public education
(RULING: Declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional. PLAINTIFF: Edward Lewis Schempp and family / DEFENDANT: Abington School District)
1973: ROE V WADE:
Allowed Unrestricted Access to Abortion
(RULING: Unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional. PLAINTIFF: Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe / DEFENDANT: Henry Wade, district attorney of Dallas County, TX, where Roe resided)
2003: LAWRENCE V. TEXAS:
Struck down the sodomy law, thus legalizing same-sex sexual activity in every U.S. state and territory
(RULING: The “Homosexual Conduct” law [prohibiting sodomy] was unconstitutional and violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause that protects a substantive right to personal liberty in intimate decisions)
2015: OBERGEFELL V. HODGES:
Legalized same-sex marriage nationwide
(RULING: The Constitution guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. State bans on same-sex marriage and on recognizing same-sex marriages duly performed in other jurisdictions are unconstitutional under the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. PLAINTIFF: Jim Obergefell, a same-sex widower / DEFENDANT: Richard Hodges, Ohio’s health director)
TODAY’S STATE FOCUS
We direct our prayers to the states of Montana and Nebraska and their leaders.
WE DECLARE THE 1889 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF MONTANA:
“We the people of Montana grateful to God … to secure the blessings of liberty … do ordain and establish this Constitution.” (41st State admitted to the Union on Nov 8th, 1889)
MONTANA GOVERNOR
Steve Bullock [D]
MONTANA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Tim Fox [R]
MONTANA SENATORS
Steve Daines [R]
Jon Tester [D]
MONTANA REPRESENTATIVES
Greg Gianforte [R]
WE DECLARE THE 1875 PREAMBLE OF THE CONSTITUTION OF NEBRASKA:
“We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom do ordain and establish … the Constitution of the State of Nebraska.” (37th State admitted to the Union on March 1st, 1867)
NEBRASKA GOVERNOR
Pete Ricketts [R]
NEBRASKA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Doug Peterson [R]
NEBRASKA SENATORS
Deb Fischer (R)
Ben Sasse [R]
NEBRASKA REPRESENTATIVES
REPUBLICANS
Jeff Fortenberry
Don Bacon
Adrian Smith
We ask that You turn their hearts towards You, Lord. We ask that You soften their hearts, Lord, to recognize and receive truth. Lord, we ask that You grant them the understanding and knowledge that come from the fear of You. We ask that You grant them wisdom and discernment, Lord, and that You make them bold to do what is right in Your sight. Lord, we ask that You direct their hearts to do Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
