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“Save us and help us with Your right hand,
that those You love may be delivered.”
~ Psalm 108:6

This psalm is a ‘mash-up’ of Psalms 57 and 60.
The point of both psalms is reinforced here.
They start with the Lord’s people under stress and in trouble,
and end with a renewed assurance that with God, we are given the victory.
It is good for us to remember this as we pray.
Sometimes our hearts are not ‘steadfast’ —
we are overcome by fear, doubts and trembling.
But let us look away from our own hearts to the Lord,
in Whom we already have the victory!

Though Christ be in the highest glory in heaven,
He does not forget us;
He has graven us upon the palm of His hands;
we are continually before Him.
He thinks on us, when we forget Him.
~ John Favel

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. The World — The number of confirmed cases is 186,684,904 (up 2,988,674 — up 10%).
The number of deaths of people with Covid-19 is 4,028,153 (up 52,408 — a drop of 5%).
It took nine months for the virus to claim one million lives, and the pace has quickened since then.
The second million were lost in three and a half months, the third in three months, and the fourth in about two and a half months. The number of daily reported deaths has declined recently.

2. Australia — There have been 31,103 cases in total (up 654, compared with 308 the week before).

The situation in Sydney is in danger of running out of control,
with the Premier anticipating hundreds of new cases in the coming week.
(Today she announced that there were 112 new cases).
It is especially serious in Southwest Sydney, where household transmission is now the main cause.
In order to control it, the government faces a difficult choice between going for a zero-Covid approach (which means a severe lockdown and all the health, social and financial implications that involves), or living with Covid-19 (with all the health, social and financial implications that involves).
There are 113 people in hospital (+38), with 17 in ICU (+10).
There were 684,715 tests, with 0.1% positive. There are 658 active cases (+235).

3. Vaccine and Cures — There have been 3.39 billion doses administered (+280 million).
Australia now has almost 9 million vaccinated (35 per 100 people).
There is concern in Israel that the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine has dropped from 95% to 66% with the Delta (Indian) variant. Australia is getting one million doses of Pfizer per week from the end of next week.

4. Church — The work of the Gospel goes on. Although Covid-19 is serious, pray that the churches do not forget our main mission, to tell people the Good News of Jesus Christ.
May we be bold and prayerful in this great commission we have been given.

5. Personal and Family — Many households in Sydney will be struggling with the increased lockdown and restrictions. The daily diet of bad news will have a debilitating effect on the mental health of many people. The Federal government’s decision to run with a ‘shock’ ad in order to terrify people into obedience may well work, but it may also have a negative effect.

A Prayer of Repentance:
Lord, we confess our sins, and our arrogance and our self-reliance.
We bow before You and ask You to forgive. We ask You to restore.
We ask You to restrain evil and to heal. Pour out Your Spirit on our thirsty land,
and grant that Your people may praise and glorify You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Song: We praise God even when it hurts — this is a lovely song from Hillsong:

A Prayer of Thanksgiving:

¹ My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
² Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
³ I will praise You, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of You among the peoples.
⁴ For great is Your love, higher than the heavens;
Your faithfulness to the skies.
⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let Your glory be over all the earth.
~ Psalm 108:1-5