⁵ Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts!
We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.
You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Saviour,
the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
⁶ Who formed the mountains by Your power, having armed Yourself with strength,
⁷ Who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
~ Psalm 65

Like so many of the psalms, this is a wonderful prayer for us in our situation today.
Why not read it and meditate on it every day this week?

“Our whole life should speak nothing but thankfulness;
every condition and place we are in should be a witness of our thankfulness.
This will make the times and place we live in better for us.”
~ Sibbes

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. The World – The number of confirmed cases is 25,132,320 (up 1,822,723 from last week).
There have been 845,054 deaths of people with Covid-19 (up 71,405).
One country that has risen significantly is Peru.
Despite having one of the severest and longest lockdowns in the world,
there are now 640,000 cases in Peru, with significant deaths.
Poverty and overcrowding are severe.
The lockdown is severely damaging the economy, and thus the poor are doubly hurt.

2. Australia – now has had 25,670 cases (up 858 compared with 1,524 in the previous week) with 607 deaths (+105 compared with 101 the previous week).

There are 501 people in hospital, with 31 in intensive care.
6,168,229 tests have been carried out, with 0.4% being positive.
21,111 people have recovered. There are 3,038 active cases.
We are thankful that these are all significantly down in the past two weeks.

3. Vaccine and Cures – The coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Queensland remains a promising candidate in the field of treatments being created in labs across the globe. Trials have revealed it works for animals and produces no severe side effects in human studies. Researchers in the Netherlands found the vaccine, nicknamed S-clamp, protected hamsters exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.

4. Church – The Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox archbishops of Sydney have written a joint letter asking about the Oxford vaccine and if it has been developed through aborted fetuses. If you wish to know more about this, have a read of Steve McAlpine’s helpful article.

5. Personal and Family – Remember especially families in Victoria who are facing more weeks of stage 4 lockdown. This creates problems and frustrations, especially for the poor.

A Prayer of Repentance:
Lord, we confess our transgressions, and sins.
We praise You that You hear and answer prayer and forgive.
So, we pray:

Praise awaits You, our God, in Zion;
to You our vows will be fulfilled.
You who answer prayer, to You all people will come.
When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions.
~ Psalm 65:1-2

A Prayer of Thanksgiving:

The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades, You call forth songs of joy.
You care for the land and water it; You enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain,
for so You have ordained it.
~ Psalm 65:8-9