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Whom have I in heaven but You?
And earth has nothing I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart
And my portion forever.
~ Psalm 73

Psalm 73 is an extraordinary psalm. The psalmist struggles with such doubt and fears that he can’t even speak about it to the Lord’s people — lest he betray them. But then he goes into the temple — and he understands things from an eternal perspective. He comes to realise that ultimately all his hopes are in God. For us to live is Christ and to die is gain.

“God has children and a cause in the world which He dearly loves;
let us own the same, and stand for it to the uttermost of our power,
against all the spite and opposition of Satan and his wicked instruments.”
~ Sibbes

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. The World – The number of confirmed cases is 42,912, 830 (up 3,064,526 from last week).
There have been 1,152,729 deaths of people with Covid-19 (up 40,785).
European countries reported more than 200,000 coronavirus cases for the first time yesterday.
They first reported more than 100,000 on a single day on 12 October.

2. Australia – now has had 27,520 cases (up 130 compared with 126 in the previous week), with 905 deaths (+1 compared with 6 the previous week).

There are 17 people in hospital (+1) with 0 in intensive care (-1).
8,535,842 tests have been carried out, with 0.3% being positive.
25,032 people have recovered. There are 253 (+23 ) active cases.
Victoria had zero cases today, although it is still in lockdown.

3. Vaccine and Cures – The coronavirus vaccine developed at Oxford University works perfectly and builds strong immunity to the virus, according to a study published in the Daily Mail. The University of Bristol report says research using cells found the vaccine effectively delivers the instructions for the Covid-19 protein, which means a person’s immune system recognises the disease and shrugs it off without them falling ill. It is currently undergoing large-scale safety trials.

4. Church – A number of church leaders are in contact with political leaders seeking to get some consistency in application of Covid-19 rules. For example, 40,000 people were allowed into a football stadium this weekend — but churches are only allowed 300 people.

5. Personal and Family – There is growing evidence that domestic violence has increased during this pandemic. Pray for domestic harmony and peace. And for protection for those who are victims of domestic violence.

A Prayer of Repentance:
Lord, like the psalmist we confess that sometimes our feet had almost slipped,
we envy the wicked, we think that we are wasting our time in following You.
Forgive us for giving into that despair — and teach us to number our days,
consider eternity and contemplate Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving:

But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds.
~ Psalm 73:28

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