Editorial Note: The Canberra Declaration and all those involved and who supported the National Day of Prayer & Fasting on Saturday 22^nd February ‘give heartfelt thanks and praise to Almighty God’ — ‘for all His benefits’ leading up to, and on the day itself.

It was a day where Christians right across this country came together in unity and prayed for the ‘recovery of this nation’s soul’, its families, its children and its Leaders. We gave thanks to God and honoured our ‘Firies’ and countless volunteer workers who laboured to the point of exhaustion in battling our horrendous fires, and we paid tribute to those whose lives were lost, sharing in the grief of their loved ones, and embracing the families of the three men from the United States who died, ‘who came to help us out’.

National Day of Prayer & Fasting 2020 Video Highlights

What made the National Day of Prayer & Fasting so significant this year, was the participation of the Governor-General the Hon. David Hurley, choosing to be part of the gathering in front of Parliament House, Canberra, and also our Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who was in Sydney openly participating in this event and praying for our people and nation.

Currently, we are greatly blessed to have our two foremost leaders courageously declare their faith in God, thereby conveying the need for this country to return to its Judeo-Christian ‘roots’. This they have done, knowing that they will attract scorn and derision from ‘the enemies of the faith’.

For this reason, the Canberra Declaration invites people to write a letter to both our Governor-General and Prime Minister, thanking them and affirming them for their brave stand in what is a politically hostile arena. We need to stand ‘in unity’ with them both, and pray for them constantly. Letters do not have to be long — simply heartfelt.

One of our supporters (from Coffs Harbour) shared a letter that she had written to the Governor-General, on the webinar a few weeks ago. It is reproduced, in part, for those (listening on the webinar) who would have liked a copy and as a ‘prompt’ to others to take the opportunity to tangibly support two men who would see ‘the blessing of God’ poured out on this people, as we continue to pray for the ending of our ‘spiritual drought’.

All Glory to God, for He is doing ‘marvellous things’.

…………….

His Excellency General the Hon David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
Government House
Dunrossil Drive
YARRALUMLA ACT 2600

Your Excellency

National Day of Prayer and Fasting 22^nd February 2020

I want to thank you and your wife for attending the National Day of Prayer in Canberra. I want to thank you, too, for your address to the people of this nation and for the sincerity of its content. I thank you that you are ‘not ashamed’ of the Gospel of Christ and that you can stand for ‘righteousness and truth’, publically.

It is ‘righteousness and truth that exalts a nation’, and when the ‘call’ comes from our ‘appointed and anointed’ Leaders, then, I believe, ‘the Hand of God’ moves in the affairs of a nation (and the ‘schemes’ of the evil one are frustrated).

I don’t know if you are aware of the ‘dedication’ of Their Majesties, the late King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. When England looked like it could have been overrun by the German forces and the plight of England was desperate, privately and without knowledge to their staff, instead of retiring, they would dismiss their staff, except for a driver, and together and unaccompanied, they would go to St Paul’s Cathedral and pray till the early hours of the morning, for their country and its people. Their petitions to God were constant.

I read this account in a biography, mentioned by the writer in possibly two paragraphs. It has stayed with me. I believe, that when they, the ‘anointed King and Queen’ got down on their knees in a cold Cathedral, in the middle of the night, and prayed diligently… by the Hand of God, ‘victory for the nation was won’.

I also think it is ‘simply the purposes of God’ that Elizabeth, the 9^th child of the Strathmore family in Scotland, should emerge as Queen. It was a daily practice of the Strathmores’ that the family gathered every evening for Bible reading and prayers. Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, had been ‘trained’ from childhood; and our present Queen, in turn, learned from her mother. The motto on the Bowes-Lyon Family crest is: “In Thee O Lord have I put my trust”.

The National Day of Prayer & Fasting was such a meaningful day in Australia at the beginning of this year (not forgetting Australia Day). People from right across the country have participated in prayer for this nation. In Coffs Harbour where people gathered, we were able to see and hear your address in Canberra, and responded in kind to the prayers of the other dignitaries.

You, our Governor-General, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and your wives and families have been diligently upheld in prayer, as well as all those in our Parliaments and in Civic leadership in our nation. There is now a ‘groundswell’ of people who would see this nation return to its Judeo-Christian ‘roots’. Prayer changes things as ‘we humbly rely on Almighty God’, as the Preamble in our Constitution declares.

Thank you, again, for being at the forefront of this people, leading with courage and dignity (and for being ‘a protector’ for PM Scott Morrison. So glad he doesn’t have to ‘stand alone’).

Yours sincerely,

Corinne Smith
Boambee East NSW
(Coffs Harbour)

“The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available (dynamic in its working).”
~ James 5:16 [Amp Bible]