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“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered for ever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”
~ Psalm 112:4-7

Is this not a word from the Lord for today?
It appears there is an endless stream of bad news — one day last week, I read in the paper of nuclear bombs, famine, climate disasters, a church leader being charged by the police, and the seemingly endless doom and gloom of Covid-19. Never underestimate the psychological harm that is caused by this constant drip, drip, drip. Especially when our lives are so disrupted and we are often isolated from normal social, family and church connections. Let our hearts be steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

“O, it is a singular mercy to live under good laws,
which protect the innocent from injury.
Laws are hedges about our lives, liberties, estates,
and all the comforts we enjoy in this world.
Times will be evil enough,
when iniquity is not discountenanced and punished by law;
but how evil are those times like to prove when iniquity is established by law!”
~ John Flavel

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. The World — There have been 202,660,933 cases (up 4,406,968 — up 8% on last week).
There have now been 4,293,530 deaths of people with Covid-19.
The Delta variant has changed things — especially in the US, where numbers have shot up to over 200,000 cases per day. Yet numbers in India, Peru and Brazil have fallen.
Numbers in Indonesia, Iraq, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Mexico continue to be high. Poland’s rate is very low, as are the Czech Republic’s and Sweden’s.
The situation in the UK is the most encouraging — this report from the BBC even dares to ask the question — is the pandemic over?

2. Australia — There have been 36,330 cases in total (up 1,946 in the past week).

The situation in New South Wales continues to be serious, with over 250 new cases each day — usually with 100-plus in the community. This looks as if it will continue for some time.
Victoria has gone back into lockdown — for the sixth time.
There have been 1,351,381 tests in the past week.
There are 433 people in hospital (+138), with 62 in ICU (+4).
There are 4,727 actives cases (+1,583).

3. Vaccine and Cures — There have been 4.4 billion vaccine doses (+270 million): 57 doses for every 100 people. Australia now has 13.5 million vaccinated (52 per 100 people).
The NSW government say that they will not ease restrictions until there have been six million vaccinations in the state — it currently stands at 4.4 million. Only four people in NSW who have had one dose of the vaccine are in ICU (out of 58) and none have died.

4. Church — Pray for the witness of Christian leaders who get an opportunity to speak into the public square. Here is an example of what can we done — leaving aside whether you agree with the particular details, note how Rev. Willie Phillip manages to bring it back to the Gospel. Of course, not many secular broadcasters would give the luxury of a 20-minute interview to a Christian leader — but this one is well worth it!

5. Personal and Family — Remember those who are in single-person households and feel the loneliness of not being able to visit friends and family. Pray that those who are Christians would be sustained by the Lord, and that those who are not would come to know Him.

A Prayer of Repentance:

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom,
Who knows our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking;
We beseech You to have compassion upon our infirmities;
and those things, which for our unworthiness we dare not,
and for our blindness we cannot ask, promise to give us,
for the worthiness of Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
~ Book of Common Prayer

Song: This is a beautiful version of Psalm 37, which fits well with Psalm 112 — from Sons of Korah.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving:

O Lord, we bless You that in the midst of a world
which seems so dominated by bad news,
some of which we may experience personally,
You give us such good news.
Good news that is eternal.
Good news that cannot change.
May our hearts be steadfast and fixed on that.
We trust and praise You.
Bring this plague to an end. For Your glory, Amen.