Our vicar Greg writes…
A parishioner pointed out Psalm 91 to me yesterday - a great psalm about God’s protection:
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. (Psalm 91:1-6)
Prayer & The Providence of God
God is sovereign and watching over people – particularly believers. God has always been in control of his world, throughout wars and tsunamis and plagues. Disease and death are in the world because of the fall of humanity and will not be eliminated until the last day. Even Christians are not exempt from disease and death, so Peter writes:
Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good. (1 Peter 4:19)
God works in his world for good, countering some of the effects of the fall. Providentially, God does this sometimes directly, sometimes by the efforts of human beings and sometimes by steering human beings to do the right things. God delights to use our prayers to achieve His ends. Our prayers thus can be for God’s direct intervention, for God to further human achievement, and for God to direct the lives of people for good. No prayer is wasted! So, I encourage you with these prayer suggestions, to get praying. Pray them all or pray them one a day or pray the ones that you’re most passionate about…. but pray!
What We Can Pray
That God would limit the speed and spread of the coronavirus.
That the elderly and frail of our relatives, church and community would be protected.
That God would protect doctors and nurses and medical staff from getting the disease
That God would give medical people the energy for their increased workload
That there would be enough isolation units and ventilators available
For the suppliers and manufacturers of medical equipment and medicines to be able to keep up supply
For the distributors of these supplies to be able to deliver their goods
Pray for those who have already contracted the virus, that they would recover
For those who are in isolation – that God would protect their mental wellbeing
That God would protect people’s livelihoods
For casual workers
For those who run businesses
For school communities as they consider possible closures
For efficient and practical technology
For students sitting SACs and exams remotely
For people in the community to consider others as they buy extra goods
For an adequate supply of all goods for all people – especially for the elderly and frail
For wisdom for supermarket leaders and measurers of rationing
For people to willing comply with self-isolation demands as needed
That God would give our governments wisdom as they seek to announce and apply the best policies to contain and manage the virus
For the police and others who seek to protect our community
For the encouragement of those sad about lost holidays and travel opportunities
For our church community
For wisdom for the staff and council as we decide the best way forward for our services and our programs
That our members would not only be sustained in their faith, but grow in their faith through these unusual times
For those already battling serious illness
Take some time to pray for 3 non-Christian friends/family members of yours that God will use all this to bring them to faith in Jesus
For the finances of the church to be sustained through this period
A Coronavirus Prayer from 24-7 Prayer, by Pete Greig
‘Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to protect us from the spread of the coronavirus. You are powerful and merciful; let this be our prayer – Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.’ (Psalm 79:8)
https://downloads.24-7prayer.com/pdf/Prayers/cv%20prayer%20slides.pdf