NATIONAL 40 DAYS OF PRAYER & FASTING
Friday 26th January to Tuesday 6th March
Humbling ourselves in surrender and repentance before the Lord
As the 40 days of Prayer & Fasting comes to a close, we would value any feedback and stories which would bring glory to God …. contact us
WEEK 6: Broken Covenants
Friday 2nd March: Ecclesiastes 5 v 1 – 6 Acts 5 v 1 – 11
Saturday 3rd March: Nehemiah 1 v 1 – 11
Sunday 4th March: Proverbs 2 v 1 – 22
Monday 5th March: Jeremiah 31 v 31 – 34 2 Peter 3 v 1 – 18
Tuesday 6th March: Psalm 116 v 1 – 19
31 MEETINGS HELD IN LOCAL CITIES:
31 local cities across Melbourne hosted and brought together Christians and Churches within their communities to pray. It was a time of reflection on what God is saying to us and the Church in the light of the drought and other issues facing our nation. These meetings were listed on the 40 days brochure. The aim of these meetings was to begin or support local networks of united prayer through-out the 31 municipalities.
Daily Readings: WEEk 5: Injustice
Prepared by the APN for your reflection during the 40 days. Each week will have a different theme that corresponds with one of the six major areas of sin, which God identified during the prayer season of late 2006. Scriptures have been prepared that will invite prayerful contemplation on what God revealed during that time. Their purpose is to stimulate your heart to aspire to a closer walk with God and a turning from patterns of past behaviour that have resulted in a less than radically obedient response to His commands. Specific prayer points are not included because this is not a time of praying for the nation, nor even for the Solemn Assembly itself, although both are not excluded should the Lord lead you that way.
SEE THE INTRODUCTION TO THE 40 DAYS AND EXTRA READINGS AND REFLECTIONS FOR EVERY DAY ON THIS WEBSITE See: Daily Readings Intro , DOWNLOAD BROCHURE PDF HERE Page One Page Two
WEEK 4: Shedding of Innocent Blood
Transformation begins with our personal transformation We invite you to let the transformation begin with you. When we let God change us, He will be able to unify His Body in functional relationships and united prayer and serving in local areas. Then we will see God’s impact in our local cities and then across the City of Melbourne and Australia progressively. 92627444Transforming Melbourne's role. The Transforming Melbourne movement is coordinating Melbourne’s local city networks, churches and ministries so that we engage with the national prayer focus in the local areas of Melbourne. We will be able to help you focus on local Melbourne issues that relate to the weekly focus outlined in the national schedule.
FASTING: As a means of entering into a deeper expression of humility before God those participating in the 40 Days of Preparation are encouraged to consider some form of fasting for the period from 26th January until 6th March. Fasting can take many forms. These are some you may wish to consider.A 'Daniel' fast – vegetables only (see Daniel 1:12), Fast one meal a day, Fast one day a week Or simply give up something that would be a personal sacrifice for you. The challenge is that we seek to do something to humble ourselves before God (on behalf of this nation during this period of 40 days as we prepare ourselves)(See: www.ccci.org/howtofast for more on fasting)
INTRODUCTION
– We repent of our responsibility for the innocent death of Christ.
– We repent for the innocent blood that was shed in the formation of our nation and for our lack of formal apology and reconciliation with the indigenous people of this land.
– We repent for the innocent blood that our nation is shedding as one of horrific consequences of being at war in other people’s countries.
– We repent of our own nation’s children who are slain through abortion. We grieve these lost children – the richness their lives would have brought to our families and nation. We mourn the impact of these decisions on the mothers and fathers of these children – so much emptiness! Empty wombs, empty arms, empty hearts filled with counterfeit comforts.
– Forgive us for choosing secret sin over the relief of truthful confession. In hiding from the consequences of our sin we have bred deceit and festering guilt and worthlessness that has alienated us from each other and from you, Lord.
– We repent of the judgments of religious culture that have influenced unmarried mothers to abort children, fearing more the judgment of the church against them as unwed mothers. Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive us for judgments we held in revenge and bitterness against others. Identify to us the times when we have taken and held offense against another and thereby cast our condemnation on them. We lay down our judgments and seek your mercy for us and them.
– We repent of the murderous impact of our anger towards others. (Matthew 5:21-24) We repent of the condemnation poured on our families through anger. We repent of the damage caused in the Body of Christ by our unrighteous pride, indignations and divisions and pray for the unity of the Body. [There is an article on this at the end of the daily readings.]
– We repent of the ways we as the Church have misrepresented the love of the Father in our unholy condemnations of the world that God loves so much.
– We seek the cleansing of the blood of Christ for our sin.
Supporting Article: UNITY by John Alley
TRANSFORMING MELBOURNE JOINED THE NATIONAL 40 DAYS Transforming Melbourne put aside their planned 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for this year (was to begin on Wed 21 Feb.) to join the National "40 Days of Heart Preparation" in Prayer 26th Jan. – 6th March in unity with the Australian Prayer Network
WHY CHANGE THE DATES OF THE 40 DAYS OF PRAYER?We believe Unity, Servanthood and Prayer are essential to enable God to move. So put aside our preparation for the scheduled Transforming Melbourne 40 days of Prayer and Fasting (previously to be from 21st February – 1st April). We unite instead with the national 40 days of prayer recently initiated by The Australian Prayer Network. We do this so we can stand as one across Australia before our God in repentance and preparation for God’s transformation of our nation. We apologise for the short notice of this change in dates (but not for the move to unity!).Please do not let our change, or your starting the 40 Days a bit late deter you from participation!
WHY ANOTHER NATIONAL CALL TO PRAYER? In late 2006 the Australian Prayer Network coordinated 40 days seeking God’s face about the DROUGHT. Responses words and scriptures received from across the nation made it abundantly clear that God is very serious about the state of His Body and the resultant negative impact it is having on our Nation. Unless there is REPENTANCE and a spiritual turning back to Him by those who are called by his Name then the physical conditions currently being experienced across our Nation will only continue to deteriorate. This second national season of 40 days of prayer has been called to prepare our hearts to bring God’s Church in Australia into united repentance.
NATIONAL SOLEMN ASSEMBLY: To Come Before God in RepentanceFriday 9th to Monday 12th March in CanberraThe 40 days of heart preparation from 26th January-6th March, will culminate in the NATIONAL SOLEMN ASSEMBLY in Canberra 9th-11th March. We invite you to be part of this historic event by representing your church and district in Canberra. Information: http://www.ausprayernet.org.au/
If you can’t be in Canberra you can share locally. Meet in small groups during the Solemn Assembly, and Local churches will be asked to include the theme of the repentance and forgiveness in their services on that Sunday (11th March) and to have a focused time of repentance and prayer from 12 to 3pm that day.