Jesus is calling…

The sobering truth. I will let the statistics speak for themselves. Please read carefully each number and where it is related to. This is the total number for that place that has died. Every single person that has died of this horrible virus that is ravaging through our population. Also consider those that are yet to be accounted for that have not been found yet because they didn’t even make it to the hospital, or are yet to be tested for cause of death.

Since 31 December 2019 and as of 04 April 2020, 1 082 054 cases of COVID-19 (in accordance with the applied case definitions and testing strategies in the affected countries) have been reported, including 58 142 deaths.

The deaths have been reported from Italy (14 681), Spain (10 935), United States (7 157), France (6 507), United Kingdom (3 605), China (3 330), Iran (3 160), Netherlands (1 487), Belgium (1 143), Germany (1 017), Switzerland (607), Turkey (425), Brazil (359), Sweden (333), Portugal (246), Canada (187), Indonesia (181), South Korea (177), Austria (168), Ecuador (145), Denmark (139), Philippines (136), Romania (133), Ireland (120), Algeria (83), Poland (71), Japan (69), Dominican Republic (68), India (68), Peru (61), Mexico (60), Greece (59), Iraq (54), Czech Republic (53), Malaysia (53), Egypt (52), Morocco (44), Norway (44), Panama (41), Israel (39), Serbia (39), Argentina (37), Russia (34), Hungary (32), San Marino (32), Luxembourg (31), Pakistan (31), Australia (30), Colombia (25), Ukraine (23), Chile (22), Saudi Arabia (21), Finland (20), Slovenia (20), Thailand (19), Bosnia and Herzegovina (18), Albania (17), Andorra (16), Burkina Faso (16), Lebanon (16), Honduras (15), Puerto Rico (15), Bulgaria (14), Democratic Republic of the Congo (13), Tunisia (13), Estonia (12), North Macedonia (12), Cyprus (11), Bolivia (10), Lithuania (9), Cameroon (8), Croatia (8), Moldova (8), United Arab Emirates (8), Armenia (7), International conveyance in Japan (7), Mauritius (7), South Africa (7), Bangladesh (6), Cuba (6), Trinidad and Tobago (6), Azerbaijan (5), Ghana (5), Jordan (5), Niger (5), Singapore (5), Taiwan (5), Afghanistan (4), Bahrain (4), Belarus (4), Guam (4), Guyana (4), Iceland (4), Kenya (4), Sri Lanka (4), Uruguay (4), Bahamas (3), Congo (3), El Salvador (3), Jamaica (3), Kazakhstan (3), Mali (3), Paraguay (3), Qatar (3), Syria (3), Togo (3), Venezuela (3), Angola (2), Costa Rica (2), Guernsey (2), Jersey (2), Montenegro (2), Nigeria (2), Sint Maarten (2), Sudan (2), Uzbekistan (2), Botswana (1), Brunei Darussalam (1), Cape Verde (1), Cayman Islands (1), Côte d’Ivoire (1), Curaçao (1), Gabon (1), Gambia (1), Gibraltar (1), Guatemala (1), Isle of Man (1), Kosovo** (1), Kyrgyzstan (1), Latvia (1), Libya (1), Mauritania (1), Myanmar (1), New Zealand (1), Nicaragua (1), Northern Mariana Islands (1), Oman (1), Palestine* (1), Senegal (1), Suriname (1), United Republic of Tanzania (1), Zambia (1) and Zimbabwe (1).

Cases have been reported on the following continents:

Africa: South Africa (1 505), Algeria (986), Egypt (779), Morocco (708), Cameroon (509), Tunisia (455), Burkina Faso (288), Côte d’Ivoire (218), Senegal (207), Ghana (205), Nigeria (190), Democratic Republic of the Congo (134), Kenya (122), Niger (98), Rwanda (89), Madagascar (65), Guinea (52), Uganda (48), Congo (41), Djibouti (41), Togo (40), Mali (39), Zambia (39), Ethiopia (35), Eritrea (22), Gabon (21), United Republic of Tanzania (21), Benin (16), Equatorial Guinea (16), Guinea-Bissau (15), Namibia (14), Libya (11), Mozambique (10), Seychelles (10), Eswatini (9), Zimbabwe (9), Angola (8), Central African Republic (8), Chad (7), Liberia (7), Sudan (7), Cape Verde (6), Mauritania (6), Somalia (5), Botswana (4), Gambia (4), Burundi (3), Malawi (3) and Sierra Leone (2).

Asia: China (82 527), Iran (50 468), Turkey (20 921), South Korea (10 156), Israel (7 428), Malaysia (3 333), Philippines (3 018), Japan (2 935), India (2 902), Pakistan (2 291), Indonesia (1 986), Thailand (1 978), Saudi Arabia (1 885), Singapore (1 114), United Arab Emirates (1 024), Qatar (949), Iraq (772), Bahrain (643), Lebanon (494), Kazakhstan (460), Taiwan (355), Kuwait (342), Jordan (299), Vietnam (239), Afghanistan (235), Oman (231), Uzbekistan (227), Mauritius (186), Palestine* (155), Sri Lanka (151), Kyrgyzstan (144), Brunei Darussalam (133), Cambodia (114), Bangladesh (61), Myanmar (20), Maldives (19), Syria (16), Mongolia (14), Laos (10), Nepal (6), Bhutan (5) and Timor-Leste (1).

America: United States (277 965), Canada (12 519), Brazil (9 056), Chile (3 737), Ecuador (3 368), Mexico (1 688), Panama (1 673), Peru (1 595), Dominican Republic (1 488), Colombia (1 267), Argentina (1 265), Costa Rica (416), Uruguay (386), Puerto Rico (378), Cuba (269), Honduras (264), Venezuela (144), Bolivia (139), Trinidad and Tobago (100), Paraguay (96), Aruba (62), El Salvador (56), Jamaica (53), Guatemala (50), Barbados (45), United States Virgin Islands (40), Bermuda (35), Cayman Islands (29), Bahamas (24), Guyana (23), Sint Maarten (23), Haiti (18), Antigua and Barbuda (15), Dominica (14), Saint Lucia (13), Grenada (12), Curaçao (11), Greenland (10), Suriname (10), Saint Kitts and Nevis (9), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (7), Saint Barthelemy (6), Montserrat (5), Nicaragua (5), Turks and Caicos Islands (5), Belize (4), Anguilla (3), British Virgin Islands (3), Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba (2) and Falkland Islands (1).

Europe: Italy (119 827), Spain (117 710), Germany (79 696), France (64 338), United Kingdom (38 168), Switzerland (19 706), Belgium (16 770), Netherlands (15 723), Austria (11 525), Portugal (9 886), Sweden (6 078), Norway (5 208), Ireland (4 273), Czech Republic (4 190), Russia (4 149), Denmark (3 757), Poland (3 383), Romania (3 183), Luxembourg (2 612), Finland (1 615), Greece (1 613), Serbia (1 476), Iceland (1 364), Croatia (1 079), Ukraine (987), Estonia (961), Slovenia (934), Lithuania (771), Armenia (736), Hungary (678), Moldova (591), Bosnia and Herzegovina (586), Latvia (493), Bulgaria (485), Slovakia (450), Azerbaijan (443), Andorra (439), North Macedonia (430), Cyprus (396), Belarus (351), Albania (304), San Marino (251), Malta (202), Faroe Islands (179), Montenegro (174), Georgia (148), Kosovo** (126), Jersey (118), Guernsey (114), Isle of Man (114), Gibraltar (95), Liechtenstein (75), Monaco (64) and Holy See (7).

Oceania: Australia (5 548), New Zealand (824), Guam (87), French Polynesia (39), New Caledonia (18), Fiji (12), Northern Mariana Islands (8) and Papua New Guinea (1).

Other: International conveyance in Japan (696).

* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.

** This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1244/1999 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

source:
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases?fbclid=IwAR36rL1jpsyAN3yjey-oscLQZEyT1N1BheDTmkyZxVMYTIIv4IODc-UCzkQ

It is times like this when I truly realise how important my decision was to hand my life over to Jesus. I wrote this prayer while worshipping. And shared it as far as I could!

Lord have mercy, praying for us all today. Father I plead with you to open the eyes and hearts of the unbelievers, help them to see the believers and Jesus working through them. Lord I lift up to you my concerns today, through worship and prayer, for protection our families, friends, friends of friends, family of friends of friends, every person with a link to us in life, either physically or spiritually.

Lord help people to understand that they need you, to turn back to you, no matter what they have said to hurt you, or hate you. We all so desperately need your comfort, your presence and guidance during this time of uncertainty, confusion, and just indescribable sadness, pain and loss.

Lord help them to return to you, Lord help us to be strong like anchors in the storm you have reminded us of recently. Feeling like a small boat against 100ft waves, I am strangely calm facing this all, because I trust you! I trust you when you said to me through the bible that you would never leave me, forsake me, or stop loving me and being there for me.

You reminded me this morning in the song Good good Father, of your love for me, despite what I was and what I am, when I get things wrong, upset people because I cannot fix everything and be there for everyone.

I thank you sincerely from the depths of my heart for what you suffered on that cross, not just for me, but for all of us, all our sin, and as I look today, through the social media feeds, all the sin and all the hatred still exists towards you Father, blaming you for all this, people saying what a sick and twisted God you are for killing innocent and vulnerable people.

So here I am, a living example of the one you didn’t leave behind all those years ago when I took 125 paracetamol and just wanted to go to sleep because I didn’t feel that I belonged here. The day you woke me up face down in the hospital bed before I went over the very high cliff into blackness. The day I am certain and sure that you caught me, cradled me in your love and comfort and used people around me to introduce yourself, in simple words. A quiet room, quiet conversations, patience and good humour. That is when you saved my life.

In this time at home I am doing the best I can, standing strong in my faith, a soldier standing proudly for you in my armour of God you have blessed me with. Standing shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. Sharing songs of worship, scripture, words of encouragement, words of comfort and sharing your love Lord in all I am doing today, and for however long you want me to continue to do this.

(** distracted while writing this by 10000 reasons playing on the radio Ali Dewsbury)

I pray today that I am doing what is your will and not mine, and I pray for knowledge and guidance if you think that I’m not. If I have said something out of misunderstanding, please let me know. if there is something that I have not forgiven, please let me know. Bring things to my attention that I need to fix please Lord, I need your help in this.

I lift up prayers every day, at any time, short and long because I love my family, I love my friends, I love the people I used to work with, I love my old work colleagues, I love the people that used to be regulars in the pubs and clubs I worked in, I love the people that have taught me all the things that have provided the skills I need to call on today, I love the people who are working tirelessly to make a difference to someone else, I love the people who have contacted me privately for prayer….

I thank you for choosing me to help them Lord! I thank you for your love and compassion so that I can do this. Your strength and promises make me everything I am today, and your guidance from the Holy Spirit just amazes me. You lift me when I’m tired but someone needs me, you make me feel loved when the house is silent, you wrap your love around me when I’m feeling anxious and scared. Thank you, thank you Lord Jesus, because if it wasn’t for you, I would not be here today.

Lord I plead with you today to out pour your love, and for people to understand, so that we may stand even stronger, louder and proud to worship you, because you deserve all the praise.

I pray today in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.