1. Praise the Lord that He is the God of times such as this. Pray that for such a time as this, we will have faith in God’s continued sovereignty and know that He is at work between the lines of the events that are unfolding in the world, even though we may not see or understand what is happening. Pray that as we choose to trust in Him no matter what the future holds, our faith will become stronger, our relationship with Him closer and our confidence in His love, greater. Pray that we will be alert to the opportunities the Lord has opened for us at such a time as this, that we will be bold to reach out to people who are anxious and fearful because of the coronavirus, to listen to their fears, and gently point them to Jesus, and invite them into the hope that we have. Pray that we will reach out to people, not just with words of hope and encouragement, but also with acts of love, compassion and kindness. Pray that we will continue to have virtual meetings with one another, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20).
2. Although the Covid-19 pandemic has made it impossible for group meetings in church and homes, praise God that we can hold these meetings via Zoom. Praise God for many of the Cell Groups that are meeting online every week. Pray that the Cell Leaders and cell members will continue to connect well with each other, and be edified and built up spiritually. Pray for several small discipleship groups that are also meeting online that the participants will be committed to meet regularly despite their busy schedules. Praise God for the Adult Bible Classes (one is ongoing every Saturday till July 11, 2020), that has blessed those who participated. Pray that more people will join these online classes. Pray for the Zoom meetings for the Sunday School, Youths, Boys’ Brigade and Dance Ministry, that these online meetings will be as effective and edifying as the face-to-face meetings they used to have, and that the children and youths will continue to grow in their faith and relationship with Jesus. Praise God for the Zoom Prayer Meetings that have been on-going since March 22, 2020, that many people have participated in these prayer meetings. Pray that the Lord will continue to sustain these prayer meetings as we continue to meet.
3. After almost three months of closure of schools due to Covid-19, 2,440 secondary schools in the country reopened on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 to enable 500,444 students sitting for their SPM, STPM and equivalent examinations to catch up with their studies. Praise God that the reopening of schools ran smoothly in compliance with the recovery movement control order standard operating procedure (SOP). Pray that the teachers and students will not be distracted by the new normal of school life, that they will be able to adapt to the new ways of teaching and learning. Pray that they will continue to be vigilant in complying strictly with the SOP in the days and weeks following, and that God will keep them safe and healthy. Pray for the government as it evaluates the effectiveness of the SOP in schools, and have wisdom to know whether the SOP should be changed and made stricter, of if the current one is good enough, and from there to decide when other students should return to school. Pray also for discernment for the Education Ministry to do what is best for the present school system as teachers are urging the ministry to consider a staggered timetable and shorter school hours.
4. Pray for the Orang Asli (OA) that comes under our church Missions Committee, during this time of the pandemic. Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance upon the two OA pastors, Pastor Rezo and Pastor Noraini, as they learn to cope with leading the adult and children’s worship services, without help from the teams from Klang Wesley. Pray that when Pastor Noraini teaches the children (as they are unable to go to school), they will be obedient and attentive. Pray for all the OA – adults, teenagers and children to be diligent in reading God’s Word and connecting with Him in prayer, so that they will continue to grow in their faith. Pray that they will continue to reach out to the pre-believers in their community, especially for such a time as this. Pray also for the OA ministry in Carey island: for good health for Pastor Rizal, and God’s healing upon those who are sick. Pray that the OA believers there will learn to depend on God, rather than on NGOs to provide for their needs. Pray for wisdom for our TRAC leaders regarding the re-opening of the OA students’ hostel in Raub, and that the students will be motivated to study on their own for the time being. Pray that God will bring a spirit of revival to the Orang Asli in Semenanjung Malaysia, and for a mighty harvest of souls among the OA community.
5. Malaysia has gone through a difficult time in 2020. In recent times, a few people charged with corruption have had their cases dismissed by the court. Pray that justice will be served in the future, that God will grant wisdom and courage to the people representing the justice system, and that the courts will thoroughly evaluate all the charges laid forward. Pray that people who have robbed the nation of money for personal gain will eventually be convicted and they will face the consequences of their greed and evil acts. Pray that money robbed will be retrieved by the Malaysian government through men and women who will pursue justice and righteousness at all cost.
6. Praise God that with regards to the daily Covid-19 new infections, Malaysia is now in a recovery phase. As such, the government has allowed several social and economic activities to resume in July, after they were suspended for about 4 months, including public and private swimming pools, kindergartens and preschools, social activities like weddings and other celebrations, cinemas, theatres and live events, meetings that include conferences and seminars. Pray that God will give wisdom and guidance to the authorities to implement detailed and appropriate standard operating procedures (SOP) for every single event. Pray that Malaysians will understand that the pandemic is not over, and will acknowledge our vulnerability by humbly complying strictly to all the SOPs set by the authorities. Pray that God will give wisdom and discernment to the government to know how and when to reopen borders for the business and tourism sectors to boost the economy in the nation. More than 50% of self-employed Malaysians are out of work since the MCO was imposed in March. Praise God that about 40,000 jobs will be created for jobless Malaysians through the Human Resources Development Fund’s National Economic Recovery Plan. Pray that God will grant the jobless creative ways and a willingness to work outside of their comfort zones to earn a living.
7. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to devastate the world, some countries are continuing to see a rapid increase in cases and deaths, some countries that have successfully suppressed transmission are not seeing an upswing in cases as they reopen their societies and economies, while other countries have experienced a spike in Covid-19 cases when they relaxed their lockdowns. All countries are facing a delicate balance, between protecting their people, while minimizing the social and economic damage. Pray for the governments of all countries to make wise and practical decisions between lives and livelihoods, to be careful and creative in finding solutions that will enable people to stay safe while getting on with their lives. Pray that the health authorities in all nations will double down on the fundamental and workable public health measures to contain the coronavirus and reduce the number of daily infections, and to also invest in strong health systems in their respective countries to protect their citizens. Pray that the public will also do their part to comply with the health measures to protect themselves and others, and to prevent the spread of the disease. Pray too that God will grant wisdom to scientists to understand the nature of Covid-19, and be able to quickly develop a vaccine to defeat the coronavirus.