Seeking His Glory
Many seek glory, but whose glory? People, teams, and nations seek glory through their sporting successes. Nations seek glory by showing off their military might, winning a war or landing a rocket on the moon. People seek glory by their wealth, building impressive buildings, making significant scientific breakthroughs, or by helping the poor or underprivileged and achieve worldwide recognition. Winston Churchill said, “The glory of the British Empire was its service to a cause that transcended Britain, that transcended history, that transcended time itself.” How did colonizing countries, bringing English as a common language, creating great banking systems, establishing Common Law, and notions of freedom and liberty bring them glory? We are told to glory in God’s holy name and let our hearts rejoice as we seek the LORD. (Ps 105:3) But Putin is currently seeking historical significance by invading Ukraine and gambling on his own and Russia’s glory. Muslims are told that by finding their Creator, Allah the Almighty and hanging on to the Almighty is an unending glory and an ever-lasting honour.(A Muslim cleric) Some seek reflected glory by being close to prominent people or nations. But God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ..we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Cor 4:6-7)
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands. (Ps 19:1) When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God told Him, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Ex:33:20) After Moses saw the Lord the Israelites could look steadily at his face because the glory faded. The ministry of the Spirit brings righteousness and a glory which lasts. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:17-18) St. Irenaeus describes “the glory of God is man fully alive.” God’s glory is both revealed by the grandeur of His many creations and the way He communicates His glory through His image-bearers. We then respond by giving Him glory. Through uniting us to Christ, He shares His glory with us.
Let’s pray and seek God’s glory:
* That our nation is filled again with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (Hab 2:14)
* That as God’s people, we, with unveiled faces, will look as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, and be transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor 3:18)
* That, as a nation, we will cease to be misled by vainglory and recognise the true glory which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
World Prayer Assembly
For the next few weeks, we are undergirding in prayer the upcoming World Prayer Assembly in Perth being held from 3rd-6th October.
Please pray:
* For those preparing to present at the Assembly that they would know the mind and heart of God and be able to share with power and conviction to those attending.
* For breakthroughs with the Government approving visas for those wanting to attend from overseas.
* For the finances associated with the Assembly that budgets would be met and that all costs will be paid for.
Proposed Misinformation Laws
The Australian Human Rights Commission has warned against giving any body – be it government, a government taskforce or a social media platform – the power to be “the sole arbiter of truth”. The warning emerges amid mounting criticism of Labor’s proposed “Orwellian” bill that would grant the Australian Communications and Media Authority powers to fine social media giants millions of dollars for misinformation and content it deems “harmful”. The Australian Human Rights Commission is the nation’s top human rights body. It addressed its concerns to a Senate committee convened to inquire into foreign interference through social media.
“There is a real risk that efforts to combat online misinformation and disinformation by foreign actors could be used to legitimise attempts to restrict public debate, censor unpopular opinions and enforce ideological conformity in Australia,” the submission said. The bill has been criticised by senior Coalition figures as well as by some senior lawyers who described it as “inherently wrong” and a “dangerous piece of legislation”, and “very likely to mean suppression of legitimately held views of Australians.”
Please pray:
“Be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
* Pray that the information and disinformation bill does not pass without suitable transparency and scrutiny safeguards in place to protect freedom of expression.
* Pray that God’s love will always give His people the courage and strength to talk about Him and spread His truth.
* Pray for our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government. May they listen to and act on the objections to this proposed bill and grasp the importance of freedom of speech.
Praying for Issues in the News
* Qantas has taken a massive public relations hit in recent weeks resulting in the early departure of its Chief Executive Alan Joyce. Whilst there can be no sympathy for some of the actions Qantas is accused of, its loss of reputation also impacts the image of our nation with Qantas recognised by most as our national carrier. Let us pray that incoming CEO Vanessa Hudson will be able to turn the tide and restore the integrity and reputation of Qantas both within Australia and internationally.
* A youth crime crisis is occurring in many parts of Australia fuelled in part by the number of crimes committed by Indigenous youth rising. In Victoria alone more than 3000 offences were committed by Indigenous youth aged between 10 and 17 for the year to March 2023. Offenders aged 10 to 14 committed 1081 alleged offences this year a jump from 740 incidents recorded last year. Governments are at a loss to know how to deal with the crisis in part because they do not want to clamp down on Indigenous youth for fear of being accused of being racists. Let us pray for Governments to take firm action, irrespective of the background of the alleged offenders, before innocent people are seriously injured or even killed within our ever more violent society.
PRAYING FOR OTHERS
This week let us pray for Sudan. Pray for protection and strength over Christians from a Muslim background to withstand persecution as they follow Jesus, no matter the cost.
Source: Australian Prayer Network
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