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³⁰ I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify Him with thanksgiving.
³¹ This will please the LORD more than an ox,
more than a bull with its horns and hooves.
³² The poor will see and be glad —
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
~ Psalm 69

This is the most frequently quoted psalm in the New Testament – mostly by Jesus Christ. Why?
Because it reflects someone crying out to God in the midst of hostility and trouble.
As such, it is a painful but profound prayer that is so suitable for our times.

“The greatest sins of all are committed within the church,
because they are committed against the greatest light.”
~ Sibbes

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. The World – The number of confirmed cases is 32,967,841 (up 2,055,842 from last week).
There have been 96,084 deaths of people with Covid-19 (up 37,057).
Spain, France, Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands and Scotland are countries that have all seen significant increases in the number of cases — although there are now questions about the number of ‘false positives’ that are being recorded.

2. Australia – now has had 27,040 cases (up 142 compared with 247 in the previous week), with 872 deaths (+23 compared with 39 the previous week).

There are 65 people in hospital (-44), with 12 in intensive care (+2).
7,546,223 tests have been carried out, with 0.4% being positive.
24,504 people have recovered. There are 505 (-404) active cases.
Victoria only had 5 new cases today, and NSW has had five days with no community transmission.

3. Vaccine and Cures – It is becoming increasingly unlikely that a safe, effective vaccine will be unlikely to be available before the middle of next year. It is imperative that politicians do not wreck their economies in the hope that this will all go away soon. It seems likely that we will have learn to live with Covid-19 for some time yet.

4. Church – As expected, there is growing evidence of a significant fall-off in attendance for churches as they return to physical services. Some will not return because of fear, others because they have become comfortable with online services and see no need to change their new habit.
Pray for a renewed repentance and revival amongst the Lord’s people.
More than 750 church leaders in the UK have signed a letter to the government asking them not to close churches again — this has received a lot of publicity this weekend.

5. Personal and Family – Domestic violence is a major factor in society today (as it always has been). There is evidence that the amount of abuse has substantially increased during lockdowns.
Pray for both abused and abusers: that the abused will know protection and healing, and that the abusers will be stopped and convicted of their sin.

A Prayer of Repentance: Psalm 69

⁵ You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from You.
⁶ Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in You not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel, may those who seek You not be put to shame because of me.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving: Psalm 69

³³ The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise His captive people.
³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise Him,
the seas and all that move in them,
³⁵ for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
³⁶ the children of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will dwell there.

___

Twice-weekly devotions by David Robertson via Christians United — COVID19 Call to Prayer.[Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash]