
COVID19 Call to Prayer – October 19: May His Name Endure Forever
May His name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through Him, and they will call Him blessed.
~ Psalm 72:17
Psalm 72 is about the ultimate Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is about peace, justice, prosperity, deliverance from oppression, helping the weak and needy and all the other things our politicians promise, but cannot deliver. They come through Jesus Christ. The best thing that can happen to our communities is that Christ is glorified. When the earth is filled with His glory, then all the peoples will be blessed.
“Faith makes us kings, because thereby we marry the King of heaven;
the church is the queen of heaven, and Christ is the king of heaven.
Where this grace is in truth, happiness belongs to the soul.’”
~ Sibbes
Petition: Please join with us in praying for:
1. The World – The number of confirmed cases is 39,848,304 (up 2,501,202 from last week).
There have been 1,111,944 deaths of people with Covid-19 (up 37,212).
Although the number of cases continues to increase, it is encouraging that there has been no exponential growth in either the number of cases or the number of deaths.
2. Australia – now has had 27,390 cases (up 126 compared with 128 in the previous week), with 904 deaths (+6 compared with 4 the previous week).
| State | Total Cases | Weekly Change TW/LW | Total Deaths | Change in Deaths TW/LW |
| ACT | 113 | +0 | 3 | 0 |
| NSW | 4,338 | + 51 (43) | 53 | 0 |
| NT | 33 | +0 | 0 | 0 |
| QLD | 1,164 | +3 (1) | 6 | 0 |
| SA | 483 | +8 (4) | 4 | 0 |
| TAS | 230 | + 0 (0) | 13 | 0 |
| VIC | 20,315 | +34 (78) | 816 | +6 (4) |
| WA | 714 | +20 (8) | 9 | 0 |
There are 16 people in hospital (-16) with 1 in intensive care (+0). There are 218 (-21) active cases.
There is considerable disagreement about the way ahead for Victoria — with the Premier Daniel Andrews insisting on a slow reopening and others asking for the State to move quicker.
Pray for wisdom and compassion.
3. Vaccine and Cures – The UK government is planning to start offering a vaccine by the end of this year after stage 3 trials of their preferred vaccine have gone well. China is offering a vaccine which has not yet been fully trialed to citizens who are prepared to pay for it. And the WHO are warning that a vaccine may not be either available or work for all.
4. Church – A number of churches are facing difficult decisions with staff due to a shortage of funding. Pray for those who may lose their jobs.
5. Personal and Family – Many of us have the heartache of family members who are not (yet!) believers. May we be faithful in prayer and live lives worthy of the Lord.
A Prayer of Repentance:
O Lord Jesus, we confess that rather than live with You as our king,
we set ourselves up as the rulers of our own lives.
Help us to glorify You and not ourselves.
May it be that when people see us, they see something of You. Amen.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
Who alone does marvellous deeds.
Praise be to His glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
~ Psalm 72:18-19
___
Twice-weekly devotions by David Robertson via Christians United — COVID19 Call to Prayer.[Photo by Jamie Brown on Unsplash]
Recent Articles:
24 May 2026
3.7 MINS
God is doing a new thing, so we must roll up our sleeves, put our hands to the plough and get involved.
23 May 2026
3.7 MINS
Today is the National Day of Prayer. The theme from Joshua 3:5 is to consecrate ourselves. And contained within the verse is a remarkable promise: “for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”
22 May 2026
3.6 MINS
The environment you grow up in shapes who you become. I grew up in Canada, playing ice hockey — it's what you did. Similarly, be shaped by knowing our Father’s ways.
21 May 2026
3.6 MINS
Greater clarity and conviction about Jesus will lead to greater courage to share him — and for others to know him. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
20 May 2026
3.8 MINS
In our day, people want to make Jesus smaller. But today let us celebrate Jesus who is supreme. He is the greatest above all others. He has no rival or equal. He is the king of creation and reconciliation.
19 May 2026
4.2 MINS
Hearing and receiving the word generate action. Together, by the grace of Christ, they open the way for his presence to break through — and for his word to touch others and produce lasting fruit. Only the received word becomes fruitful.
18 May 2026
3.6 MINS
The responsibility for nurturing new believers does not rest with one or two designated church leaders or in any particular church structure. It rests with all of us.





