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Prayer Request for Day 43 of the Government Shutdown

"Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." I Chronicles 28:20

According to CBS News, "Government shutdown nears possible end as key House panel advances Senate-passed funding bill."

What to know on Day 43 of the government shutdown:

  • The funding bill that would end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is headed to the House for a final vote today. 
  • The House Rules Committee advanced the bill early this morning after turning down Democratic amendments, including one aimed at extending expiring health insurance subsidies.
  • Speaker Mike Johnson extends funding for most agencies until January 30, including three full-year funding bills for some parts of the government.
  • Airlines increased the expected cancellation rate of flights from 4% to 6% as ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Today, my prayer request for day 43 of the government shutdown is as follows: 

  • Pray that the House of Representatives passes the Senate-passed bill and that President Trump signs the bill into law.
  • Pray that the Supreme Court, in terms of their behavior, and pray that the justices untangle the mess they've made by granting the Trump Administration's request for a stay, which now limits SNAP recipients to only receiving 65% of their food assistance.

The behavior of the Supreme Court reminds me of historical warnings made by Thomas Jefferson and others, who frequently warned against the judiciary becoming an unchecked power:

"To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy." Thomas Jefferson also referred to the judiciary as the "subtle corps of sappers and miners constantly working underground to undermine the foundation of our confederate fabric. If the policy of the government, upon vital questions... is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court... the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, have... resigned their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal."

If you did not know the author of the above quotes (Thomas Jefferson), you might think they were made recently rather than hundreds of years ago. As you prepare for what life has in store for you today, remember the words of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who said, "History... is an example and lesson to the present, and warning to the future." 

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