Worldwide Prayer Meeting
Prayer Focus - Australia Territory
Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Australia
My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Chorus
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
-Edward Mote
Prayer
Oh, dear Lord, I find that You are provide the solid ground where I can stand! So much is uncertain. I remember things I thought would never change and people I thought would always be there but then I found it wasn’t so. But You have been there. You remain when everything else is washed away. It’s not that people meant to fail or leave but circumstances change. I have changed. The whole world has changed. I need to know that I am secure in You. If I stand on You, lean on You, trust in You and do not lean on my own understanding, my way is secure. Hold my hand, dear Lord. Keep me steady when everything is shaking. Help me not to get cocky when things are smooth. Let me be like the wise man who built his house on the rock. Because You are that Rock. I love You, Lord. I praise You for keeping me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
The Melbourne Staff Songsters bring to us a newer song entitled, “Never Once.” It has some beautiful lyrics.
Background of the
Australia Territory
Australia was occupied for unknown years by the Aboriginal peoples. It is the only country that is also a continent, historically the driest one on Earth. Its ecology is very fragile and only through vigilance by the government and the citizens can it be protected.
It was colonized by the British and functions as an autonomous federal parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth. Australia has a market economy balanced between services, mining, agricultural exports, industry and tourism. People here enjoy a high standard of living with a very strong middle class, although poverty has been increasing since 2000. Sustained immigration has resulted in 30% of Australians being born overseas.
There is complete freedom of religion. Historically Christian, that has diminished sharply since the Second World War with those claiming no religion being the second highest category of belief. Also, with the many immigrants there has been a sharp rise in those following Islam, Buddhism and other beliefs. Overall, there has been a growing negative view of Christianity by the majority population who would favor a pick-and-choose spirituality that conforms to their personal views of sexuality and morality.
The Salvation Army: Two Christian Mission converts – John Gore and Edward Saunders – pioneered The Salvation Army operations on September 5, 1880, in Adelaide. The first officers sent to Australia were Captain and Mrs. Sutherland, who took up their responsibilities in February 1881. In 1921, the work was divided into two territories – Eastern and Southern – with headquarters in Sydney and Melbourne. On December 1, 2018, the two territories combined to form the Australia Territory with headquarters in Melbourne.
Facts, Stats and Leadership
of the Australia Territory
- Total population to fish and disciple: 26,713,205
- 624 officers, 54 auxiliary-captains, 12 envoys, 9 cadets
- 901 retired officers
- 286 corps, 8 outposts
- 12,072 senior soldiers
- 3,796 adherents
- 1,530 junior soldiers
Leadership
Territorial Commander – Commissioner Miriam Gluyas
Chief Secretary – Colonel Winsome Merrett
Prayer Requests for the
Australia Territory
It is with great confidence and much expectation that we provide our prayer requests for The Salvation Army Australia Territory, asking our sisters and brothers around the world to join with us in prayer.
Led and inspired by our Territorial Commander, Commissioner Miriam Gluyas, we are preparing for a new season of growth and change with the Holy Spirit’s help, supported by a vision of provision in 2 Kings 3. We thank you in advance for your prayerful intercession.
Pray for deep faith and belief in the advancing Kingdom of God, trusting that God is always on the move, whether progress is visible or gradual.
Please pray for the ‘Big 5’ areas we have seen emerging and are committing to as a territory in this new season:
- Discipleship: By following the way of Jesus, being a disciple who invests in another disciple, who, in turn, makes another disciple.
- Evangelism: By being confident in God’s complete Good News story and eager to share His message when the time is right.
- Prayer: By regularly being still, listening, and being renewed by the presence of the living God.
- Spiritual warfare: By being wise and discerning in the spiritual battles we face.
- Mission: By playing our part in advancing God's mission in our local context as we ‘Gather, Grow, and Go.’
Pray for pioneers and pioneering—that we would be seeing, understanding, and empowering those who feel led to step out in a new way, to carve new paths for the advancement of the Kingdom.
Rejoice with those who are experiencing breakthroughs and pray for those in tougher seasons, believing in a future filled with hope.
Pray for perseverance in difficult times, trusting in God’s provision, even when challenges arise, as seen in 2 Kings 3.
Pray for a combination of faith and action for our soldiery, staff, and everyone who encounters our movement, trusting that God will provide as we take the steps Jesus asks of us, even if they seem unclear at first.
Pray for confidence in God's provision, believing that He will send the rain when we do our part. Pray also for patience to wait for God’s timing.
Pray for determination and commitment to do the hard work, trusting that God will honor our efforts. Pray for perseverance for our people, knowing that God’s transformation work in the world at times asks for our combined effort, and ask God for strength to press on with the shared yoke of Christ.
Pray for the courage to stand firm and explain our faith to those who may not understand the work God has called us to, with hope of their salvation at the forefront of our purpose and mind.
Pray for focus on the priorities of God's mission: that Jesus would be at the center of everything, and that we would wisely spend our time, money, and energy.
Pray for a deepening focus on the things God values, especially salvation, holiness, and advancing God’s Kingdom.
Pray for a fresh understanding of God’s mission as revealed by the Word, our own lives and the saints that have gone before - remembering that we are part of God’s ongoing story.
Pray for a shift in our perspective and communication, recognizing that we live in a ‘pre-Christian nation’ and need to share Jesus in ways that people can understand—including with our staff and soldiery, whom we value and thank God for.
Pray for God’s Spirit to lead us as a movement that is Jesus-centered, Spirit-led, and hope revealed throughout 2025 and beyond.
Pray with us in both excitement and faith, anticipating what God will accomplish as we labor together for God’s Kingdom.
Pray for our part in the “People, Mission and Legacy” focus to be outworked in our communities, across our nation, and to impact the world for Jesus’ name.
USA Southern Territory
Prayer Requests
- The family of Helen Carson, aunt of Captain Kellie Cantrell, who was recently Promoted to Glory
- Major Elizabeth Birks, Territorial Social Services Secretary, Social Services
- Investments Department
- Tom Hanton, Territorial Worship Arts Director, Music & Creative Arts Department
- Mitchell Robertson, Event Management Assistant, Trade Department
- Daniel Koscielak, Digital Systems Specialist, Communications
- Major Hae Young Lee, Director of Campus Life/Food Services, Evangeline Booth College
- Cadet Sarresa Thorson
- Captain Andrea Israel, Divisional Candidates’ Secretary, Florida Division
- Lt. Colonel Brian Davis, Assistant National Chief Secretary, NHQ
- Lt. Colonels Allan & Fiona Hofer, officers, soldiers, employees, and volunteers of the Potomac Division
- An anonymous prayer request for Adreen Cosio, a teenager who is struggling with an autoimmune disease that is adversely affecting her kidney function. The family is asking for her healing and strength so that she can flourish and accomplish God’s purpose in her life.
Something to Consider
Jonah and The Whale. Why Not?
Stephen Goodell
“And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17, KJV).
When it comes to the existence of God, there are many skeptics and non-believers. In listening to their reasons for doubting, a common hangup that I hear referenced is with Jonah and the whale. This Bible story illustrates disobedience, repentance, and forgiveness with God, and it can be considered a far-fetched fairy tale to those reading it for the first time. I must admit that I had my doubts about whether this tale could be true as well. It was difficult to imagine a man being swallowed up by a large creature and living to talk about it. However, I learned a remarkable thing as I grew in my Christian faith – the Bible starts making sense the more I read it.
Through my faith, I have come to firmly believe that anything is possible with God. When I look at the story of Jonah and the whale from this perspective, I must ask, “Why wouldn’t it be true?” To sustain my belief (and possibly yours), I want to share some of God’s amazing creations and actions.
God created the whole universe and everything in it out of nothing. The Bible says, “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (Psalm 102:25). From reading this passage, one may wonder what the size of the heavens, aka universe, is. NASA.Gov estimates the “observable universe is 94 billion light years across”, and that there are up to “2 trillion galaxies in the universe.” Our Milky Way galaxy alone is 100,000 light years across and contains about 200 billion stars.
In addition, one of the largest known stars in the universe is called UY Scuti, and it’s written that “You could fill UY Scuti up with 5 billion Suns, 7 trillion Jupiters or 7 quadrillion Earths.” When I think of the awesome size of the universe, its galaxies, and its stars, I can’t help but marvel at God’s creation.
God also maintains the universe, and the Bible says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). His physical laws make up the universe through the existence of electrons, protons, and neutrons. Their internal forces bind them together to form the atomic structure, and they remain constant. In addition, God also created and maintains the world we live in and provides everything we need to survive.
“He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call” (Psalm 147:8-9).
Remarkably, our planet is in the perfect position in relation to our sun. One resource I found notes that “the Earth would become uninhabitable if its average distance from the Sun was reduced by as little as 1.5 million km – which is only about four times the Moon’s distance from Earth!” How fortunate should we feel that God is protecting us like this!
God also created us. Our bodies are perfect organisms where each part works in tandem for us to move and function. He made us in His image, and we are amazing works of miracles. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:13-14).
One of the most amazing parts of the human body is the brain. Its memory capacity is “around 2.5 petabytes (or a million gigabytes). For comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder on a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.” Other amazing parts are the human eyes, which can distinguish millions of different colors, and the skin, which has millions of receptors that respond to touch, pressure, and pain.
God maintains us. He will continue to provide for us throughout our lives. Even as we get older, He will never “leave nor forsake” us. “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4).
God protects us. When facing trials, He can give us peace that “surpasses all understanding.” When facing temptations, He gives us “a way out.” He “guards our hearts and our minds.” He gives us confidence and boldness when we feel inferior. He places His armor of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and spirit onto us. “As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness” (Ezekiel 34:11-12).
God heals us. When facing depression, He provides compassion and love. When battling addictions, He gives recovery. When we face physical and emotional hurts, He restores us. God also provides abundantly and is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” He gives us fulfillment through His love.
With all these things that God has done, is doing now, and will do, why not believe that He could create a whale that would swallow a man, spit him out, and this man would live to talk about it? Why wouldn’t it be possible through God?
Here is the gist of this. God is awesome in power and creation, and He is also loving and compassionate. He works with immense tasks and focuses on miniscule details. You can do all kinds of research and get all the information you want about God, but in the end, it is going to come down to a decision to take that leap of faith and believe in Him. No research or readings are going to matter until you ask Christ to come into your heart first. The questions you need to ask are: Will you seek Christ for a relationship? Or are you going to continue your own paths and ways? Your eternal life depends on these two questions. For me, the choice is easy because following Christ is too great a thing to pass up. The choice is up to each of us with whom we are going to serve. As Joshua said, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
Prayer
Father God, Your works are bold and beautiful. You show off Your wonderful acts of creation to draw us near, and we thank You. Help us to release the fears or doubts about You and to believe that anything is possible through You, Jesus. Open our hearts to a loving relationship and to always follow You. Jesus, it is in Your holy name we pray this. Amen.
Used by permission.
This is a contemporary song that reminds us that God makes “Beautiful Things Out of Dust.”