1. Thanksgiving

In a time such as this, let us remember the goodness and grace of God upon us.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:1-4)

• We thank the Lord for preserving our lives and those of our loved ones. Thank Him for His protection.
• Give thanks to the Lord for all that the government are putting in place, the Movement Control Order, medical treatment, economy stimulus and financial assistance, etc to help and protect the people of this nation.
• Thank God for healing many from this Covid-19 virus infection.
• Thank the Lord for the many creative ways that the Church has come up with to connect with one another and worship online.
• We thank the Lord for families, homes and shelter we can have at this time, and at all times.

2. Repentance

a) Personal repentance

Spend time remaining still before the Lord at a particular time each day. Make it a covenant time with the Lord.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

As we wash our hands to keep ourselves from being infected by virus, let us purify our hearts from the contamination of sins.

• Consider your ways

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. (Haggai 1:7-10)

◦ Ask the Lord to reveal to us our misplaced priorities in life, where we have sought to build our own house (our career, business, studies, hobbies, buildings, etc), more than building God’s House (our worship, seek to glorify Him in all that we do even if it costs us, building up God’s people, evangelism, etc). Let us repent before Him.
◦ Ask the Lord to show us in our relationship with people in our lives, work and Church, if we have treated them in an ungodly way, unloving way or unfairly. Let us repent before Him.

• Turn from your wicked ways

When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

◦ Ask for grace from God, that we will break the cycle of sinful ways we treated God (contempt, dishonouring, etc), others (unkind, judgmental, jealousy, etc) and even ourselves (self-seeking, self-condemnation, unrealistic expectations, etc) . Determine to walk away from them. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with sensitivity towards sins and righteousness, and to help us to turn away from our wicked ways.

And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. (John 16:8)

• Return to God’s way

Examine me, and probe my thoughts! Test me, and know my concerns!
See if there is any idolatrous tendency in me, and lead me in the reliable ancient path! (Psalm 139:23-24 – NET version)

Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16)

◦ Ask the Lord to show you His “ancient paths”, the good ways in all your dealings and relationships. Take time to read the words of God, and ask the Lord to lead you specifically in a godly way, that will eventually lead to restoration and fruitfulness.

b) Praying for the nations

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people… (2 Chronicles 7:13)

I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, We will not pay attention.’ Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it. (Jeremiah 6:17-19)

It was the Lord who shut up heaven, command the locusts, send plague and disaster because the people has rejected God’s way and God’s truth.

• Confess the corporate sins of the Church (God’s people) and the nations that we have rejected His values, distorted Biblical truth, denied His Lordship, departed from His righteous way (justice and righteousness according to God’s standard). Spend time asking the Holy Spirit to reveal the sins of the Church and the nations to us, and plead for God’s mercy and grace.

• Pray for God’s mercy over nations affected by Covid-19 virus and ask God to save the nations. Pray against the destructive work of the enemy against the purposes of God in the nations. (see latest list of nations affected by coronavirus)

◦ Pray against fear (Use Psalm 91, 23, 46 to pray).
◦ Pray for all those who are or will be affected by the ongoing spread of the coronavirus and pray for healing. Pray for those whose livelihood is adversely affected, and students whose schooling is interrupted.
◦ Pray for Christians all over the world to share the word of hope and encouragement effectively in this time of crisis, especially the Church in Malaysia and the province of South East Asia
◦ Pray for national leaders and leadership of God’s Church, for divine wisdom to make godly decisions and provide godly leadership over those under their charge. Remember especially our Archbishop and all Bishops, our Prime Minister and his cabinet.
◦ Pray for protection for medical staff and personnel, and those who are on the frontline including the police, the military, marine, essential service providers, the elderly, those who have underlying health problems, etc.
◦ Pray for God’s wisdom as we are adapting to the new normal in our lives during this time. Pray that the Church will continue to experience a deep sense of God’s presence in an entirely new way of worship on Sundays, throughout the Holy Week and Easter

• Look to the Lord with hope for His mercy and love

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

◦ Pray for healing and restoration to come to the nations, especially Malaysia
◦ Pray that nations will turn their eyes and put their hope on God. Pray that many will humble themselves and turn to God for help and mercy.
◦ Pray that many in the nations will find Jesus as the sure hope in times of trouble.
◦ Speak peace, life, hope and restoration to our nation, the nations of the world.
◦ Pray that there will be a reset in economy, financial system and international relations in the world for a better future.