The Voice of the Lord
It is hard to hear the Voice of the Lord when so many other voices from Christians, politicians, media, and the general public demand our attention. They are often conflicting voices. We need to hear our Master’s voice, but we can be interrupted by Satan’s’ voice or our own inner voice which could have been affected by good or bad experiences. There is also the political Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and we need to ask the Lord how He wants us to pray about it. We are aware how quickly recriminations and blame have already arisen between all those involved with creating this referendum. There is a fear that if the vote is lost both the Labor and Coalition parties will feel they have reasons to heap responsibility for its loss on to the other. The outcome would then be one which launches our nation into a period of ugly political recrimination and the First nation people will feel even more un-affirmed, ignored, and isolated.
Many First Nations people believe they have been given the responsibility to specially care for Australia and that their voice needs to be heard. St Paul preached “that from one man God made every nation, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though He is not far from each one of us”. (Acts 17:26-27) So what of the past do we need to acknowledge? There have been wars between the nations in Australia for a long time. When Europeans came, they also fought against Aboriginal people but often this became a massacre. Let’s pray for Jesus, who Himself is our peace, to create in Himself one new man in place of the many, thus making peace, and to reconcile us all to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility? (Eph 2:14-16). We do not know what we ought to pray for, the Spirit can help us in our weakness if we let the Spirit Himself intercede for us, through wordless groans. (Rom 8:26-27)
Let’s pray:
* For greater consensus and concessions to grow between the groups who are discussing the content of the referendum. That an experience of a spirit of cooperation will grow between them. Thank the Lord for the hope of this possibility.
* That aspects of the way our First Nations people were accustomed to resolve conflicts will be identified and then possibly incorporated in discussions.
* For a growing desire that many will forgive deep hurts that have occurred in the past between the various nations to minimise recriminations and that blame would be kept to a minimum.
Fulfilling God’s Purposes in our Nation
We can easily become frustrated if we don’t understand that just as there are times and seasons in nature, there are also times and seasons in the process of fulfilling God’s purposes in nations. Each of us has been placed on earth as a caretaker of God’s business. That’s true whatever your calling in life. Each of us is called to play a part in investing in and increasing God’s plan of growing His Kingdom on earth. Fear of failure, worried about being criticised, or not thinking we are worthy of our calling are no excuses for not doing what God has called us to do. God will accept our errors and failures but will not except our excuses for not having tried. So let us keep trying, praying and trusting God that He will fulfil His purposes in our nation and apply ourselves to prayer and trusting God until His purposes are fulfilled.
Please pray:
* that God’s people will not allow the difficulties of the times to deter us from claiming the full promises of God for our nation. He said we are part of the “Great Southlands of the Holy Spirit” so let us never fail to pray from that reality until that promise is manifest before us.
* allowing God to infuse our faith with a vision of what He intends for our nation, diverting our attention from the woes of this world, to see His glory being manifest in all of His people.
* accepting your role as an Intercessor (a conduit of power) between His throne and the affairs of this word. Pray in faith for what He has promised but is yet to be fulfilled and wait with anticipation for Him to fulfil His will on earth as it is in heaven.
The Howard Government and Indigenous Australians
In 2002 the Howard Government refused to issue an apology to Indigenous Australians. The primary reason was because an apology would have implied that present day generations were responsible for atrocities committed to generations of the past. The then-Coalition government also agreed that it would not pursue a treaty between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. In his submission to cabinet Mr Ruddock said “The government’s position on calls for a treaty between Indigenous and other Australians is that to pursue such negotiations would be divisive, contrary to the concept of Australia as a single nation, could create legal uncertainty and that a treaty will not solve the critical issues facing Indigenous Australians.”
The cabinet did endorse an “acknowledgement of the special place of Indigenous people in the life and history of Australia” on certain occasions such as a citizenship ceremony. This marked the first step towards the acknowledgement and welcome to country that would become common place within coming decades. Cabinet documents also revealed the agreement to Mr Ruddock’s recommendation for a review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). It was intended to be a body to give Indigenous people a say in policies affecting their lives, but in following years came under criticism particularly for promoting the concept of self-determination and a ‘rights’ agenda. ATSIC would be dissolved within three years of the review being triggered. No replacement body was formed until the Albanese government declared it would enshrine a voice to Parliament by the end of 2023.
Please pray:
“Be sure of this – that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20
* Pray for our nation – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – whose greatest need is to fall on our face before God and acknowledge that His voice is the only one which can bring resolution and healing and forgiveness to us all.
* Pray with thanks for all groups – Indigenous and non-Indigenous who are genuinely trying to restore dignity and quality of life to people in remote areas who are struggling to survive.
* Pray that any ‘voice to parliament’ in a form which causes division and does not help the cause of disadvantaged Indigenous people, will not succeed.
Praying for Issues in the News
* Anthony Albanese has confirmed he will fly on to the US after his visit to India where he will have a bilateral meeting with Joe Biden, with the Prime Minister expected to unveil the details of Australia’s future fleet of nuclear submarines. Please pray for this meeting with the decision as to which submarines are chosen for Australia a critical defence decision with long term implications for our nation. Pray that the right decision in our national interests will be made.
* Confusion over the recent announcements made by the Treasurer changing aspects of superannuation, together with the possibility of further changes to other aspects including the taxing of capital gains on the family home has unsettled many. The Government does not appear to be able to adequately explain what their long-term plans are thus the confusion. Please pray that rather than people rushing to quick judgments, that the Government will quickly be able to impart their real intentions so that those affected can respond in an ordered and rational way rather than re-acting in a way that may hurt themselves and the economy further.
Praying For Others
This week let us pray for Malaysia. Pray for the 18,000 audio Bibles that have been delivered to Malaysia by Open Doors last year. Pray that every one of those devices will be a blessing.
Source: Australian Prayer Network
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