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National Prayer Breakfast 2022

by | Mon, Nov 28 2022

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The 33rd Australian National Prayer Breakfast was held in Canberra on Monday, 28 November. It is an initiative of a parliamentary Christian fellowship organised by City Bible Forum. It is an important day on the national calendar that provides an opportunity to put prayers for our nation before our sovereign God. People from all across Australia were live-streamed with their prayer requests for prayer by parliamentarians during the breakfast. This is a way to reassure the Australian people that their prayers and requests are being heard by the politicians elected to serve them.

Vision Christian Media are one of the supporters of the National Prayer Breakfast. Vision’s  CEO Phil Edwards attended along with speakers, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, and Her Excellency, Mrs Linda Hurley, The Honourable Dr Jim Chalmers MP Treasurer of Australia, The Honourable Peter Dutton MP, Leader of the Opposition.

Selina Walker, Ngunnawal Leader, gave the Welcome to Country, followed by the opening address given by His Excellency the Governor General David Hurley, who mentioned the flood victims.

‘I have visited many of the impacted communities in recent weeks. The physical damage is stark, and emotions are raw. Many residents are unsure of what comes next in their lives, yet they’re not alone,’ said David. ‘These people have been knocked to their knees, but they’re not out. Those affected by the floods don’t have an easy journey ahead. We must pray for good leadership, sound decisions, and continued support for these people. When it comes to faith in public life, our communities consist of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, six Jews and many more. We are stronger because of this, and we should celebrate that diversity and freedom. But we in national leadership positions serve all, regardless of our own or their faith.’

Keynote speaker Peter Gibbs gave an emotional speech about how he was raised in Weilmoringle, a little village in far west New South Wales, at a time when alcohol was introduced to the community. Peter suffered much after losing his mother when she was only 28 years old and then losing his sister, who died while in police custody. His hatred towards the police caused his life to spiral out of control, but his grandmother’s words stayed with him.

‘While there was so much instability in the community, inside our family home, with my grandmother and my mother, as such a young woman, they would pray for us. They would talk to us about the Lord. And I remember my grandmother telling me. “Son, you are going to grow up one day, and you’re going to be a leader in your community. But most of all, son, I want you to serve the Lord.” I didn’t know how much those words meant until a few, few years later,’ said Peter.

The Honourable Peter Dutton MP, Leader of the Opposition, also gave a powerful speech that recapped on the difficult year experienced on a global scale as well as in Australia. He mentioned the volcanic eruption and tsunami in Tonga, tensions around Taiwan, the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the floods in Pakistan, the protests in Iran, a crowd stampede in Seoul, South Korea, a bridge collapse in India, an earthquake in Indonesia, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

‘We’ve fortunately seen off the worst of COVID, but it’s been a tough year for many Australians in other ways, such as finding it difficult to balance their budgets,’ said Peter.

Millions of Australians have had their personal data compromised in cyber hacks, and others are experiencing dark days of floods, damaging and destroying their properties. There is much need for prayer. Let us all uphold our leaders and nation in prayer during these challenging times.

To listen to Peter Gibbs full speech, at the National Prayer Breakfast 2022, click the 20Twenty link below: