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⁵ He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which He commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
⁶ so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
⁷ Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget His deeds,
but would keep his commands.
⁸ They would not be like their ancestors —
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to Him.
~ Psalm 78

Every human society accepts that it is important for us to pass on our values to our children.
The UN even declares that it is a basic human right for parents to have their children educated according to their philosophy. As Christians sometimes we forget about this, or are so scared of being accused of indoctrination, that we forget that we are the ones responsible for teaching our children what we have learned about God. The things revealed belong to us and our children. It is up to them whether they ultimately accept or walk away — but our responsibility is clear. Pray we would be faithful in fulfilling it.

“Get loving hearts. Love is full of invention; how shall I glorify God? How shall I do good to others? How shall I bring to heaven as many as I can? Love is a sweet and boundless affection, full of holy devices?”
~ Sibbes

Petition: Please join with us in praying for:

1. The World — The number of confirmed cases is 62,640,290 (up 4,106,759 from last week).
The number of deaths of people with Covid-19 is 1,458,018 (up 71,814).
It is good that the increase each week is about the same — i.e., there is no exponential growth.
It would of course be better if there was decline. For that we pray.

2. Australia — There have been 27,893 cases in total (up 72 compared with 96 the week before, with 8 being community transmission – 26 last week).

There are 21 people in hospital (- 1) with 0 in intensive care (0).
9,972,019 tests have been carried out, with 0.3% positive.
25,387 people have recovered. There are 60 active cases (-30).
We thank God that the situation in Adelaide did not develop and that all other States are free of community transmission — and have been so for several weeks.

3. Vaccine and Cures – The Astra-Zeneca vaccine has hit some testing problems and some of the tests need to be redone. The vaccination programme in some countries will begin by the end of the year.

4. Church – Give thanks for the many immigrants who have brought new life to so many churches — and the many who have received new life since coming to Australia. Pray that we would care for, love and proclaim the Gospel to those who are new to this country.

5. Personal and Family – Pray for parents as they seek to fulfil the command of Psalm 78 to pass on the ‘faith once delivered to the saints’.

A Prayer of Repentance:
O Lord, like in people in Psalm 78 we confess that though we have seen Your great wonders,
we have far too often wandered away from them, and You.
We are so forgetful of Your goodness and mercy.
Lord, help us to remember, teach and love… In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Song of Praise:
One of the great things about Heaven is that we will praise God in many languages (Revelation 7).
We can get a taste of that on earth. We must not forget so-called ‘minority’ languages — a people’s native tongue is usually the heart language of their worship. Here is a beautiful version of Psalm 23 in the now minority indigenous language of the Scottish Highlands (with some lovely photos). Enjoy.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Our Father, how we thank You that You are the good shepherd, who leads His people out like a flock. We bless You that You give us signs, wonders and that You remind us when we forget. Restore us O Lord, make Your face shine on us, that we may be saved. Amen.