Basque Country Prayer Points for Week of September 25, 2023
Prayer Points and verse for the week:
Prayers points:
- Inflation continues to be a problem, while it’s not as high as it has been people are still feeling the effects. To help, the government has reduced taxes on gas and electricity while reducing public transportation fees, though households are still feeling the effects as wages have not been increasing either.
- Pray for families as they look to figure out how to pay for food, rent and other life items and the government/economists as they look for ways to assist.
- Osakidetza (Basque public healthcare system) is continuing to explore solutions to help with suicide prevention. A new risk system has identified that it has helped close to 400 people over the past 15 months. They are planning to continue to evolve the system and will be sharing training materials with those who work in the health care system to help in identifying those who may be at risk.
- Pray for healthcare workers as they look for those who are contemplating suicide and for those who are in the situation where they believe suicide is the best option.
- Basque Country is seeing the highest level of narcotic drugs in its history. With the prices going down and the purity level increasing it has also required the hospital system to be more prepared, along with recovery clinics. Recently Ertzaintza (Basque Police) and the Spanish military police seized ~600 pounds of drugs, which included hashish, cocaine, marijuana, speed, and ecstasy.
- Pray for the police as they look to understand the problem, and the hospital system and rehabilitation clinics as they look to treat patients. That the population young and old would not see this as the right source to escape life.
- The Basque legislation recently passed The Law for History and Democracy, with an objective to remember the victims of terrorist attacks between 1936 – 1975 and work to ensure that the acts against democracy are not repeated. The voting was 68 of 75 in favor, which is one of the largest margins for passing a law in recent history. Additionally, the leader of the Basque Government, Urkullu is wanting the Spanish Government to explore gaining more autonomy, though some are unsure if the Spanish Constitution as written would support it.
- Pray for those who have been impacted by the terrorist acts and the leadership as they look to explore more autonomy.
- After the July national elections, the newly elected leaders are working to form a new government. Part of the process is selecting a new leader. Feijóo was the first candidate put forward given his party (PP) has the most seats though not an absolute majority, Feijóo was not successful in gaining an absolute majority this week after two different votes were taken. King Philip IV has called for meetings with the political leaders on Monday, October 1 and Tuesday, October 2 to start the voting process for Sánchez. Sánchez has been working to make agreements with other political parties to gain enough support to be elected. Some are not happy with the commitments Sánchez is making with the other political parties to get elected.
- Pray for the newly elected political leaders as they try to elect a new leader and then begin and address the items on the congressional docket.
The verse for the week:
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
James 1:19-21 NIV