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As I face this crisis of COVID-19, I find myself being more drawn to prayer. I mean Who would we turn to for guidance and help, if not God? Isaiah 45:22 says, “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.” God is continuing to speak to me about the importance for revival as a response to Coronavirus. I will be writing about that in the days to come, but for now, I wanted to share with you some thoughts on practical ways you can pray for God to intervene. I met with a group of ladies in my ministry today, and they helped me develop this list. I am sure it is not a complete list, but I thought it might bless some of you who are seeking to turn to God in the midst of our circumstances. These are not eloquent prayers, but merely a suggested list of circumstances you can lift to the Lord. Perhaps take a few each night and pray these with your family.
Pray:
For God to help you cast your anxieties on Him. God has not given us a spirit of fear.
For the good news of Jesus Christ to be more contagious than the Coronavirus.
For unity to be prevalent in relationships as people spend more time together - for marriages to be protected. For peace between siblings.
For protection of children from abuse. I read an article that mentioned that child abuse in on the rise with health and human services not doing visits due to COVID-19 and stress being high, both of which result in more child abuse. Lord, please protect the young from evil influences, physical harm, and emotional abuse.
Please also protect spouses who find themselves in a domestic abuse problem (see above regarding an increase in abuse due to COVID-19).
Please protect all the medical professionals serving our community right now. Give them strength and perseverance and help their immune systems to go into overdrive as they serve long hours. Please provide protective personal equipment for them to use to help protect them from the virus. Help them to know how appreciated and needed they are.
Please pray with those who are out of work or will be soon. Help them to make good decisions with their limited finances and provide financial protection for them.
Please protect our military and national guardsmen and other professionals serving away from home to help protect our community and set-up emergency services or an emergency response center.
Please protect of our First Responders - the Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMTs and others helping protect and guard the cities, towns, and counties in our world. Please protect them from contracting COVID-19. Please provide protective personal equipment for them to use to help protect them from the virus.
Please provide the leaders of our nations, localities, and states with wisdom and discernment. Help them to make the difficult decisions they face. Guide and direct them even if they are not believers, we know you can work through ungodly leaders as you did with King Xerxes and Nebuchadnezzar in Old Testament times.
Please hold-back the influence of pornography on those who find they have more idle time - they don’t need to spend that time in immorality that destroys marriages and never satisfies. Please disrupt their internet connection so that they become so frustrated that they stop trying to look at it. Help them to realize this is worthless content that will only destroy them and others.
Please guard hearts against the darkness of depression - help kids and adults see that there is HOPE. Give hope to those suffering with suicidal thoughts.
Help us to combat feelings of isolation by reaching out virtually to others in need or asking for encouragement from others virtually. My family is setting up Zoom calls with all sorts of folks we normally meet face-to-face with and also family Zoom calls that include parents, grandparents, grandkids, etc.
For revival in our nation - that this crisis would lead more people to come to the knowledge and acceptance of Christ’ sacrificial death on their behalf. For individual revival - that I would seek God with my whole heart.
That God would sweep through the nation and overpower this virus and strengthen those who are infected to heal quickly - God is allowing the virus, but it is not more powerful than Him. He is still sovereign. He is still on His throne. He is still good even when our circumstances are not.
For all those grieving the loss of a loved one to this virus. Pray for God to strengthen and comfort them. Scripture tells us God is near to the broken-hearted.
For God to use this virus and the changes it has caused to our everyday life for GOOD.
For workers in grocery stores to be respected and protected from the virus. For God to provide them energy and patience.
For neighbors to help each other and share and serve those who are elderly or high risk in their community. For people to be emboldened to share all that they have - even their toilet paper.
For all the workers that are considered critical and are having to go to work under dangerous health conditions - Fed Ex Employees, UPS, postal employees, military personnel, airline pilots, and all others who are mission critical.
Special thanks to my new and special friend, Tara Whitmore, who developed many of these for a prayer meeting we had today.
And, why not have some virtual prayer meetings with the extra time you have? I have been doing this several times a week. It really blesses me and builds my faith. Or, have a special night of prayer once a week with your family.
What items of prayer would you add to this list?
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