David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything

An ancient pattern of worship is re-emerging on the earth.

In Acts 15, the apostle James quotes the book of Amos, declaring that the “tabernacle of David” will be restored, and the people of the earth will respond to God’s gracious invitation into fellowship with Him.

David’s tabernacle is being restored in our day by the enthronement of God upon the praises of His people through worship!

The Lord is birthing a global day-and-night worship and prayer movement that will lead to a historic harvest of souls entering His Kingdom.

Worship creates encounter with the living God and His presence, bringing heaven to earth: wholeness and transformation to individuals, to cities, and to nations.

You will discover your original purpose and eternal destiny as you step into David’s Tabernacle.

Matthew Lilley (pictured right) is an author, worship leader, intercessor and Bible teacher with a passion for God’s presence, extravagant worship & prayer and a desire to see cities transformed by Jesus. He has helped launch two houses of prayer in North Carolina and has also served in national leadership roles in worship & prayer movements such as Burn 24-7 and Awaken the Dawn.

'God described David as a 'man after his own heart.' David's Tabernacle helps you and me discover what was IN David's heart that moved the heart of God!  This is one of the best books written on the subject!  I highly recommend it!'  Dr Jason Hubbard - Director, International Prayer Council

This book is available paperback and for download. Buy it online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble AND Apple Books

Dear International Prayer Connect Pray for ZERO warriors,

Thank you for fulfilling the Great Commission through prayer so all people can have God’s Word in their language. Your role is critical to getting to ZERO! 

If we are to meet the God-sized goal of starting Bible translation in every language by 2025 in the remaining 1,903 Bibleless people groups, we need the power of the Holy Spirit and a global team who will go the distance together. 

We want to invite you to a new initiative that will create and unite advocates as voices for the Bibleless in communities near and far. Click below to hear about your role in this:

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Visit The Seed Company Advocacy Webpage for further guidance and resources on your journey.

Solomon Lujan - Global Director of Prayer
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David's Tabernacle: How God's Presence Changes Everything

An ancient pattern of worship is re-emerging on the earth.

In Acts 15, the apostle James quotes the book of Amos, declaring that the “tabernacle of David” will be restored, and the people of the earth will respond to God’s gracious invitation into fellowship with Him.

David’s tabernacle is being restored in our day by the enthronement of God upon the praises of His people through worship!

The Lord is birthing a global day-and-night worship and prayer movement that will lead to a historic harvest of souls entering His Kingdom.

Worship creates encounter with the living God and His presence, bringing heaven to earth: wholeness and transformation to individuals, to cities, and to nations.

You will discover your original purpose and eternal destiny as you step into David’s Tabernacle.

Matthew Lilley (pictured right) is an author, worship leader, intercessor and Bible teacher with a passion for God’s presence, extravagant worship & prayer and a desire to see cities transformed by Jesus. He has helped launch two houses of prayer in North Carolina and has also served in national leadership roles in worship & prayer movements such as Burn 24-7 and Awaken the Dawn.

'God described David as a 'man after his own heart.' David's Tabernacle helps you and me discover what was IN David's heart that moved the heart of God!  This is one of the best books written on the subject!  I highly recommend it!'  Dr Jason Hubbard - Director, International Prayer Council

This book is available paperback and for download. Buy it online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble AND Apple Books

It’s our desire to see canopies of 24/7 worship-saturated prayer increasing in every place on the earth, where Gods’ people are praying around the throne, around the clock and around the globe!

One of the clearest commands to continual day and night worship saturated prayer is written to the church at Thessalonica,

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

Paul is asking the church to develop a lifestyle of unceasing, joy-filled thanksgiving and prayer! It is clear that this command is to the gathered church at Thessalonica. As with most commands to pray in the New Testament, Paul is not simply commanding each individual to engage in unceasing prayer, but rather he is exhorting the corporate body to this lifestyle, meaning , ‘You all’ do this for this is God’s will for ‘you all’ in Christ Jesus. He is asking them corporately to ‘pray without ceasing,’ combined with joy-filled thanksgiving always and in everything!

May this continual, unceasing prayer be saturated with God-exalting worship and praise!  As the author of Hebrews reminds us,

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Practically speaking, what if each house church in a city committed to a 24hr day of enjoyable, thankful prayer once a month, or maybe once a week and then passed the baton to the next church in the city? If you had 7 churches commit to this one day a week, you would have a canopy of united, strategic and sustainable 24/7 worship-saturated prayer over your city. Or if you had 30 churches that committed to a 24hr day of prayer once a month every month and people signed up for committed hours of prayer on their day to pray?   People could commit to convenient times and locations of prayer that fit their busy schedules. Families could commit to praying and worshipping together in their homes.  People could also gather together in their churches or in a city-wide house of prayer or prayer tower. Another option would be to pray together with set times over a digital platform like Zoom!  It doesn’t matter how you organize this. It is simply the principle of churches in your area committing to regular times of worship-saturated prayer around the throne, around the clock and praying around the globe! 

What would a canopy of 24/7 worship-saturated prayer look like in your city or region?   

As an example, 12yrs ago, we built a canopy of united, strategic and sustainable worship-saturated prayer in Bellingham, Washington State, with tangible results of answered prayer.  Here is a 14-minute video that details the strategy and shares some testimonies of answered prayer!

Also, this last January 2021, we launched a global canopy of 24/7 prayer on a digital platform called the Global Family Prayer Room! Click the link for more information if you would like to join us for a weekly prayer time or launch one in your city/region! 

Many have asked me over the years if 24/7 worship-saturated prayer is a biblical concept?  Let me share with you some biblical principles that might help answer this question. 

What is Prayer?

Prayer is the conversational part of the most important love relationship in our lives. It is a conversation that leads to Encounter with Jesus! At its core, prayer is developing friendship with God, learning to connect on a regular basis and keep company with him in our daily lives. Prayer is intimacy with God, or the act of relating to God in a personal way. It is growing closer together day by day, being intimately acquainted and yoked with Him in real relationship.  Prayer is not a religious exercise but a beautiful relationship between God as Father and us as his beloved sons and daughters.

Prayer is intimacy with God that leads to the fulfillment of his plans, purposes, and promises. It is accomplished by his power and is for His Glory and our Joy! Flowing from both awe and intimacy with God, we ask for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. God releases his power, his truth, and his love in response to the prayers of his people.

The Bible describes this ministry as an element of the priesthood of all believers! 

The Priesthood of All Believers

Believe it or not, the priesthood didn’t begin with Moses, Aaron and the Levites. It began in the Garden of Eden. We must go back to the garden where we find that the original portrait of man’s function in creation was to walk in intimate friendship with God. This is actually what priesthood is all about: walking and talking with God in His presence (as Adam walked in Eden, which is in Heaven).   God’s desire has always been to dwell in unhindered face-to-face communion with His people in the paradise-like conditions of the Garden of Eden on the earth forever (Rev. 21:3; 22:4)!

The Hebrew word for “till” or “work” is abad. This is the same word used throughout the Old Testament in reference to the priesthood. Moses spoke to Pharaoh, “Let my people go that they may “abad” me.” i.e. serve him as worshippers. It is the same word used over and over again for priests to “do the work of the tabernacle.” Likewise the word for “keep” is shamar, which means to “keep guard”, “watch as a watchman”, or even to “observe, celebrate and keep the covenant or commandment.” Adam was placed as a watchman in the garden to preserve God’s covenant and minister to Him in worship and prayer forever!

Adam was God’s ambassador on earth. He was given dominion to rule over all the earth from the place of intercession. He would normally walk and talk with God in the garden (temple) – this is how priests’ rule. They stand in the gap between God and others to mediate.  In this way, “working the ground” might just as well read, “rule the earth through ministry to the Lord.” As a prototype for all mankind, his priestly ministry implicates the priestly role that all believers have in Christ.

Fast-forward to Exodus 19 (v. 6). The Lord tells Israel, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant (as Adam was commissioned to do), you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine (Genesis 2 allusion); and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:9 that AS BELIEVERS “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

This is what Israel was chosen to be and do, and to demonstrate to the nations. Now all who are in Christ can walk in this priestly ministry of ‘standing before God on behalf of men and standing before men on behalf of God.’ We are reminded of this in Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 which says that He has made us a “kingdom of priests to our God, and [we] shall reign on the earth.” Our eternal destiny is to rule with Christ forever as priests.

Culture of Prayer in the Old Testament

From start to finish the Bible is a prayer book. We find over 250 commands to pray in Scripture. Approximately 10 percent of Scripture is a prayer-direct address to God. The tabernacle and temple functioned practically as ‘houses of prayer.’  The sacrifices were enacted ‘prayers,’ and priests functioned as intercessors, standing before God on behalf of the people of God.

Moses was taken to heaven and shown the heavenly model/protocol for worship and intercession. He was commanded to make a pattern of this on earth. The tabernacle was just that. It was meant to give Israel a picture of what God’s temple in heaven was really like.

One of the great examples we glean from the Levitical priesthood is that of “keeping the fire on the altar.” This is one of the key motivations we have for unceasing worship. The Lord had Moses demonstrate a pattern of the unceasing worship in heaven. The priests were to make sure the fire on the altar never went out to remind them that worship in heaven never stops, just as we see in Revelation 4 & 5. The priests were to burn incense – representative of intercession, and literal bowls of intercessory incense that are offered to God in heaven (Rev. 5).

It is clear that the lives of the OT saints were saturated with prayer from Enoch, to Job, to Abraham, to Jacob, to Moses, to Joshua, to Samuel, to David, to Daniel, to Nehemiah, to Isaiah, to Jeremiah, to Ezekiel and many others.  God is searching for people to stand as intercessors to see his purposes come to fruition. As Ezekiel writes

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30).

As a royal priesthood, we stand before God on behalf of men, in worship, praise, and intercession and then stand before men on behalf of God, sharing and demonstrating the gospel of the kingdom, making disciples, releasing justice and practically serving others with compassion!   

In all this, there is a sense that this priestly ministry ought to continue day and night before God!  We know that right now according Rev 5, unceasing adoration, praise and prayers are being offered to the one on the throne and to the Lamb.  Jesus is worthy of more than 24/7 worship-saturated prayer, yet we are constrained by it. The only appropriate response to seeing Jesus’ infinite worth and glory is unceasing adoration on earth as it is in heaven (Mt. 6:10).

“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8)

“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp (praise and worship), and golden bowls full of incense (prayer), which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, ¹⁰ And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:8-10). 

This movement of worship-saturated prayer is fueled by God’s beauty (Isa. 4:2; 62:3-5, 6-7). When we see him we savor him!  We don’t just sing “Worthy is the Lamb”, we sing why he’s Worthy and then let the nations respond… Hallelujah!

I am convinced that if this is the pattern of worship and prayer in heaven then we should follow this pattern on the earth.  

We see this same pattern with David, a prototype of New Testament priestly ministry. Due to David’s all-consuming desire to dwell in God’s immediate presence (Ps. 27:4), he vowed to establish a dwelling place for God on the earth, as it is in heaven (Ps. 132). David erected a tabernacle/tent and placed within it the the ark of the covenant. He then employed 4000 musicians (1 Chr. 23:5) and 288 singers (1 Chr. 25:7) to worship and pray to God day and night as a full time occupation of work (1 Chr. 16:37).  This continued for 33rys and released unprecedented grace over the people and land of Israel. This “Davidic order” was restored over and over when a righteous king did God’s will in Israel, establishing 24/7 worship-saturated prayer before God and often national revival would follow.

James declared in Acts 15:16 (quoting Amos 9:11), that the Lord would restore the “fallen tent of David…with the result of Gentile nations coming to the Lord.” In other words, God would restore through the people of God the expression of a worshipping priesthood like in David’s day.  This tells us that a primary expression of the priesthood of all believers today should have at it’s core 24/7 worship-saturated prayer! From the place of encountering God in day and night prayer with worship, fueled by the beauty of God, the people of God would pray together for gospel movements in the nations! May God raise up Davidic prayer watches of men and women, young and old who will worship and pray fervently for the nations!

Even Isaiah prophesied this day would come, when the Lord’s house (people) would be called a “house of prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7). Jesus affirms this naming of the temple, describing the primary role of  prayer for the people of God as he quotes Isaiah 56:7,

“And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Matt. 21:13). 

Malachi also prophesies God’s intentions of worship-saturated prayer,

“For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 1:11).

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets (day and night), the Lord declares that in every place incense (the prayers of the saints) combined with a pure offering (worship and praise) will arise to him.  This activity of worship -saturated prayer was to make the Name of the Lord, his reputation great and glorious in the nations of the earth! It would be for the Spread of his Fame, for the extension of his Reign, for the Increase of his Gain, and for the Honor of his Claim of that which rightfully belongs to him! His name would be treated and treasured as infinitely valuable among the nations as it is in heaven. His character would be put on display to be seen and savored, revealed and revered, prized and praised. In all of our priestly ministry it is his NAME that is at stake! 

God also declares through the prophet Isaiah,

“For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns…. I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, ⁷ And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:1, 6-7).  

God commissioned watchmen (worshipping intercessors) who will pray night and day UNTIL Jerusalem is a praise on the earth, UNTIL her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a lamp that burns!  We know that Jerusalem is NOT the praise on the earth at this point in history so we must continue to cry out day and night as watchman on behalf of Jerusalem! 

New Testament Culture of Prayer

Jesus, above all modeled and taught prayer. We find 18 references to Jesus praying.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” Mark 1:35

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” Luke 5:16

“Jesus went out into hills to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Luke 6:12

“Because Jesus ever lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” Heb. 7:24-25

We find 8 recorded prayers of Jesus at various occasions in his life; in the desert, for little children, feeding the 5000, return of the 72, raising of Lazarus, the last evening with his disciples, at Gethsemane, and on the cross. 

We discover 14 teachings of Jesus on prayer; persistence in prayer, agreement in prayer, faith in prayer, humility in prayer, prayer and obedience, forgiveness a pre-requisite, prayer for harvesters, prayer for enemies, showy prayers condemned, the temple as ‘a house of prayer,’ prayer needed to cast out demons, prayer ‘in his name,’ and promises to ask-ers.” Jesus called his Father’s House(temple) a ‘house of prayer for all nations.’ 

Jesus connected night and day prayer with the release of justice, making wrong things right! In fact Jesus declared emphatically in this parable that  men should always pray and that this activity of unceasing prayer would be evidence of their faith before his return.

“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ⁵ yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” ⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:1-8).

Jesus connected prayer with mission.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:35-39).

The word Jesus used for prayer in this text means to ‘pray desperately, with fervency, and tenacity.’ May this type of desperate prayer continue day and night!

Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Father your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What does God’s Kingdom rule look like in heaven? It is not the only thing, but it certainly involves unceasing adoration and prayer before the One on the throne and the Lamb! (Rev. 4:8, 5:8-9). May it be so on the earth… 

Jesus’ last talks on prayer

In John 14-16 in the upper room, just before the cross, Jesus commands the disciples several times to ask him or his Father, praying ‘in his name.’

In these verses below, we see the challenge to ask, the right way to ask and the assurance when we ask.

1. The Challenge to Ask

• John 14:13, “I will do whatever you ask…”
• John 14:14, “You may ask me for anything…”
• John 15:7, “Ask whatever you wish…”
• John 15:16, “The Father will give you whatever you ask…”
• John 16:23, “My Father will give you whatever you ask…”
• John 16:24, “Ask and you will receive…”
• John 16:26, “In that day you will ask…”

2. The Right Way to Ask, ‘in my name’

• John 14:13, “whatever you ask in my name…”
• John 14:14, “You may ask me for anything in my name…”
• John 15:16, “whatever you ask in my name…”
• John 16:23, “whatever you ask in my name…”
• John 16:24, “you have not asked for anything in my name…”
• John 16:26, “in that day you will ask in my name…”

3. Our Assurance When We Ask

• John 14:12, “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.”
• John 14:13, “I will do whatever you ask”
• John 14:14, “I will do it”
• John 15:7, “it will be given to you”
• John 15:16, “the Father will give you”
• John 16:24, “you will receive, and your joy will be complete”

God’s work and activity is released as we ask Him to do his work! Prayer is not just for the work, it is the work!  Imagine if God’s people were asking for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven around the clock, in the right way, and with the assurance of faith?

What could God do?   

I presume we would see increased God activity in response to the continual prayers of his people!  What God will do in fullness at the end of the age, He will do in part now (if we ask). Therefore, Jesus said pray, “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven” (Mt. 6:10). This is happening right now where the people of God gather together and pray for it.

The Prayer Culture of the New Testament Church

Prayer was a key factor in the explosive growth of the New Testament church.  Personal lives and meetings of the New Testament church were saturated with prayer (Acts 1:13, 1:24-25, 2:42, 3:1, 4:24-31, 6:4, 7:59-60, 8:15, 17, 9:4-6, 9:40, 10:2-4, 9, 31, 12:5, 12, 13:3, 14:23, 16:13, 16, 16:25, 20:36, 27:35, 28:8, 2 Tim 2:1-4). NT believers heard God speak to them through prayer (Acts 10:2-4, 9, 31, Acts 13:2-3). And prayer is linked to miracles in the book of Acts.  Acts 9:36-43, 12; 16, 28:8).

Clearly the New Testament church was Devoted to prayer. 6x the word ‘devoted’ proskartereo/proskarterein is used in relation to prayer; 3 patterns in the book of Acts, and 3 commands in epistles.  The word devoted meant diligently occupied with, to persist in, or ‘constantly.’ These were regular and set times of prayer, like in Acts 3:1, “Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.”

• Upper Room, “these…were all continually devoting themselves to prayer.” Acts 1:14
• Early Church “devoted themselves…to prayer” Acts 2:42 It was one of the four marks of the Jerusalem church(apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers)
• Apostolic Leaders “devoted’ themselves to prayer” Acts 6:4
• Roman Christians commanded to be ‘devoted to prayer” Romans 12:12
• Paul asked the believers in Colossae to “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” Col. 4:2
• Paul commanded the Ephesian believers to ‘pray devotedly for all the saints” Eph. 6:18

Paul called the church to pray FIRST (priority, time, resources) in the gathered assembly at Ephesus and this type of prayer would create the best environment for men and women to come to a knowledge of the truth!

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions of authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:1-6).

The Apostle Paul modeled prayer in his personal life as our example and challenged us, “follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). He was constantly in prayer (12 direct passages) and prayed faithfully for his congregations (11 passages, 30 verses).  Even as a mature apostle, he humbly depended on the prayers of others (6x’s) asking for provision, protection from the evil one and effective gospel proclamation!

In conclusion, James shares an amazing promise with us, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (James 5:16-18).

Let’s raise up canopies of united, strategic and sustainable 24/7 worship-saturated prayer in cities around the world so that the Name of the Lord would be made great in the earth!

An August prayer report looking at the opportunities and challenges of vaccinations, Covid-19 Hot Spots and some suggested Prayer Pointers with links to resources: 

As of 6^th August, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stood at 201 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the recorded number who have died totalled 4,268,853.  Cases have risen steadily since mid-June, although have yet to reach the peak of mid-April. The are early signs that cases may have started to decline since the start of August.

Covid-19 hot spots 

Here are those countries / regions which are currently showing high levels of infection. 

The devastating wave of infections that overwhelmed India has passed. Nonetheless India remains the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States. The overall case count officially now stands at 31,484,605 cases, and 422,022 deaths although many fear it may be 5 or 6 times higher than this. A recent study has estimated that as many as 4 million people may have lost their lives in India.

In Brazil, cases and deaths have thankfully started to decline since June, albeit at a relatively slow rate.  The current daily cases of 41,411 is lower than peak of 115,000 in mid-June, however daily deaths continue to number more than 1000.   Total cases have exceeded 19.7 million with 551,835 deaths.  Whereas many countries have seen sharp declines following a peak, Brazil has been much slower at reducing cases and deaths over time.   

Indonesia continues to see the most daily cases and deaths as it experiences it current devastating wave of infections.  Daily cases have declined slightly since a peak in Mid-July, with daily cases standing at 45203 on 27^th July.  Deaths continue to rise and now total 88659, the majority of which have occurred in the last 5 weeks.

Although there has continues to be improvement, four of the top 10 countries with the most COVID-19 deaths per capita in the past week are from South America: Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay and Suriname; for most of the past month and a half, Brazil and Peru were also in this group.   Antonio Trujillo, PhD., an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, writes that South America has been so ravaged by the pandemic — and its suffering is so invisible — because of poor leadership, high poverty and bad luck. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has denied scientific facts, advocated for worthless remedies and turned down offers to purchase effective vaccines. “I regret the deaths, but we have to live," was the quote from Bolsonaro that people will remember. The failure in leadership extends to all the heads of state who have neglected to come together to produce a regional solution to the world’s biggest challenge of this century.  Even countries with capable national leadership have struggled under the weight of regional poverty and underdeveloped health systems.  To save the most lives today and decrease the global impact of COVID-19, the world must acknowledge the severity of the crisis in South America. Regional planning efforts must generate a response that reaches everyone regardless of race, income and social standing. And wealthy nations and donors must make many millions of vaccines available in the next few months to prevent more catastrophic surges.

Covid Variants

The Delta variant poses a threat to us all – not just those countries with larger numbers of unvaccinated people. This is because unlike the Alpha variant, which first emerged in the UK, the first dose of the vaccine does not offer enough protection against it, meaning people are at risk in the interval period between the two doses.

According to a Public Health England study published on May 22, a single dose of either Oxford-AstraZeneca’s or Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine only reduces a person’s risk of developing COVID-19 symptoms caused by the Delta variant by 33 percent, compared to 50 percent for the Alpha variant. A second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine boosts protection against Delta to 60 percent (compared to 66 percent against Alpha), while two doses of Pfizer’s jab are 88 percent effective (compared to 93 percent against Alpha).

The US is also grappling with a rise in cases attributed to the Delta variant, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting on July 21 that the Delta variant now accounts for 83 percent of new cases of COVID. That makes it more urgent than ever that unvaccinated Americans get their shots as this cohort accounts for the vast majority of new cases, hospitalisations and deaths. And all three of those are increasing again, with new COVID cases on the rise in all 50 states.

It is a situation reflected globally. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) weekly COVID-19 update on Tuesday last week reported cases of the Delta variant in 124 countries, along with 3.4 million new cases of COVID-19 around the world, 12 percent higher than the previous week.

Since first appearing in India in late 2020, the Delta variant has become the predominant strain in much of the world. Researchers might now know why Delta has been so successful: people infected with it produce far more virus than do those infected with the original version of SARS-CoV-2, making it very easy to spread.

According to current estimates, the Delta variant could be more than twice as transmissible as the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.  Researchers report that virus was first detectable in people with the Delta variant four days after exposure, compared with an average of six days among people with the original strain, suggesting that Delta replicates much faster. Individuals infected with Delta also had viral loads up to 1,260 times higher than those in people infected with the original strain.

The combination of a high number of viruses and a short incubation period makes sense as an explanation for Delta’s heightened transmissibility, says epidemiologist Benjamin Cowling at the University of Hong Kong. The sheer amount of virus in the respiratory tract means that superspreading events are likely to infect even more people, and that people might begin spreading the virus earlier after they become infected.

And the short incubation makes contact tracing more difficult in countries such as China, which systematically tracks each infected person’s contacts and require them to quarantine. “Putting it all together, Delta’s really difficult to stop,” Cowling says.

It has also been noted that there is a potential risk as countries begin to emerge from restrictive measures such as lockdown.  In the UK, while infection rates have declined in recent days, the relaxation of lockdown rules will likely lead to an increase in transmission, says Emilia Skirmuntt, an evolutionary virologist at the University of Oxford.  “I think there will be more infections than we have seen in the last days. With more infections, there is a bigger chance that we will see a new variant which might be even more infectious,” Skirmuntt told VOA.

The Lambda variant, which some scientists fear may be resistant to vaccines, has yet to be classed as a variant of concern which is encouraging given early fears.

This New York Times article provides a useful and detailed analysis of the nature and scientific understanding of variants. 

Vaccines

As of 29^th July, 27.6% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 14.1% is fully vaccinated. 3.97 billion doses have been administered globally, and 34.32 million are now administered each day. Only 1.1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

The ongoing worldwide disparity regarding vaccine rollout remains, with richer nations grappling with a slow-down in vaccination rates as some young people appear less willing to accept the vaccine, whilst poorer nations just want a guaranteed and steady supply to vaccines.  Additionally, as vaccines become available, so logistical problems are coming to the fore.

Amid a third wave of the pandemic in Africa, only 1.3% of the population have so far been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, with 1.35 billion people still at risk of contracting the virus. A World Health Organisation survey has revealed the struggle of African countries in the race against the pandemic: some countries still lack the capacity to store and distribute vaccines to residents who need them the most.

The WHO Africa regional office has called for ‘a lot of work’ to be done in Africa if the continent is to catch up in the race against the Covid-19 pandemic, citing a survey which found that many districts in some African countries are still not fully prepared to store vaccine doses.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, told a media briefing on 22 July that African countries need to “ramp up significantly three to five times their capacity to roll out the vaccine”.

"We have carried out a WHO survey of 34 countries to see how ready they are in terms of cold-chain capacity and we found that about 30% of countries have over 50 or half of their districts, with gaps in cold chain, refrigerating capacity,” she said. “That means there is a lot of work to do in the next few weeks.”

What this means is that there are just a handful of African countries that can get vaccine doses to residents who need them the most: rural dwellers, who mostly include the aged and those with little access to equipped medical and isolation centres.

Let’s Pray… Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to prevent or control the emergence of new waves of infection and finally arrest this epidemic.

We pray that individuals, leaders and nations focus on the needs of others rather than themselves, and that cooperation and compassion lie at the heart of the world’s response to the crisis.

We pray for our scientists.  In particular we pray for those assessing and communicating risks associated with vaccines, that they be filled with wisdom and understanding. We pray too for those investigating, sequencing and analysing new variants.

We pray especially for the nation of Indonesia.  We stand with our brothers and sisters who are living amidst this uncertainty.  We pray in particular for those providing medical support in the most difficult of times. 

We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders, particularly as they grapple with the complexities, challenges and many voices that seek to influence them.

We pray that leaders and nations will see their moral duty to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and back this up with action not just words.

We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.

We pray for individuals struggling to decide whether to receive the vaccine.  We ask that their fears be settled and that the information they receive be truthful and honest. 

 We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable and lesser-developed nations.

We pray for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine to be released soonest and the continued development of a range of vaccines to supply the whole world

We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.