Delivering a State of the Union address to a Democratic-led Congress for the first time, President Bush pleaded Tuesday night for members of both parties to follow his lead and give his latest plan to end the sectarian violence in Iraq "a chance to work."
• Lord we ask for Your Spirit to bring the strength of unity between the President and both parties of our government, that we would stand as a united front in the Iraq war. • "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him, and a threefold cord is not easily broken." (Eccl 4:12)
2. GOP pushes for stricter ethics reform - Washington Times
The debates on a House bill that would nix federal pensions for convicted lawmakers and a Senate measure to cut pork spending underscored how scandal-scarred Republicans are backing broader ethics reforms than the new Democratic majority is.
• Lord we thank you for restoring honor and integrity to our Congress, and that Your wisdom will prevail over these upcoming bills. • "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Prov 15:29)
3. ADL urges Congress to fight proselytizing in U.S. military - Ha'aretz
The Anti-Defamation League Tuesday called on members of the U.S. Senate and House Armed Services Committees to hold hearings on what the group termed "coercive proselytizing and religious activity in the military."
• Lord, we ask that you protect the Constitutional Right to freedom of religion in our nation. We bind any plan of the enemy to use false witness against our Chaplains and other troops. We ask that You raise up truth as the standard and tear down the accusations. • "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." (Prov 21:2)
4. Sen. Hillary Clinton Announces New Health Insurance Legislation - All Headline News
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is once again focusing on health care for uninsured Americans. She made her first attempt in the 1990s when her husband Pres. Bill Clinton put her in charge of a plan to create a national health insurance program. Despite being unsuccessful then, the effort gave her credibility as a politician, which helped when she ran for the U.S. Senate.
• Lord we ask that You prepare health care legislation that will be beneficial to the uninsured of our nation, but not create unbearable financial burden on the country. Bring wisdom to our leaders, and light to the consequences of all legislation prior to its inception. We ask, too, that any hidden agendas in this plan be revealed quickly. • "Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." (Psalm 41:1)
5. N Korea helping Iran with nuclear testing - London Telegraph
North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year.
• Lord we bind up this plan of nuclear testing in the Name of Jesus. We loose Your Spirit over that region and ask that you tear down this regime of madness. May Your wings overshadow Your people and protect them from all plans of the enemy. • "You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day. . . " (Psalm 91:5)
