If you don’t pray, this is a great time to start, and I pray you do! Humanity needs your prayers right now.
“First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone… that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. 3This is good and pleasing to God our savior, 4 who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.”
1 Timothy 2:1-3 | NABRE
So why bother praying? Because God hears and answers each and every single prayer as only He can, and we certainly need all the help we can get! Your prayers and mine are both important, as He hears ALL our prayers—every soul’s pleas for help. We all need to get praying for God’s grace and mercy in fighting this plague, Covid-19, on our behalf. The human condition is filled with imperfections, but Jesus Christ IS perfect, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, He will safely lead us out of any situation—including and especially, this pandemic. Here is a new way to pray that you may find helpful…
As you know, I am a big believer in the power of prayer, and I write about it often here on my blog. For many, many years, I have been praying, sort of randomly, for whoever drops into my heart and mind at any given time during prayer and throughout the day. Family, friends, coworkers, ministries, friends of friends…But about 2 weeks ago, that changed when I went to Holy Hour at my church just as social distancing was just beginning. Initially, I came to pray quietly for people I know in need of fervent prayer—which I have found is everyone I know! While I was there in church that day, there were just two of us praying quietly, but in light of social distancing, I sat alone in the church cry room in the very back with a full view of the altar. That day I made a discovery that I want to share with you here and now.
While sitting in church, I started a ‘prayer journal’ in an attempt to find a way to methodically pray for everyone I know in need of prayer especially during this pandemic, without leaving anyone out. As I was praying, it occurred to me to start writing down the names of all my family members, then extended family, then friends, acquaintances, all who have asked me for prayer, my coworkers in ministry, all of Manna House Outreach, our church, our state, country, and so on… So I did. Before I knew it, I had numerous pages of people to pray for individually and collectively, going forward. A blueprint for prayer. Now I can easily read through the names and pray for each person individually and for their loved ones, without leaving anyone out. I can also pray quickly and collectively for ‘everyone on my list’ throughout the day.
We turn to God boldly in times of trouble, with confidence, because He is all loving, all knowing, all powerful. There isn’t anything He can’t do! He loves us each profoundly like no one else ever could. Every relationship begins with communication of some kind, with dialogue, and prayer is the language that enables us to reverently speak with God, and ‘plead our case’ so to speak.
If you don’t pray, this is a great time to start, and I pray you do! Humanity needs your prayers right now. If you do pray, please know that God hears you, and will answer your prayers in His own special time and way. Besides our actions, how else can we express our needs, desires, and thanks to God but through prayer???
For Ron Hull:
When you walk by faith, not by sight, you experience
the unmatched, unmerited power of Almighty God working
in your life, in practical ways on your behalf, at every turn.
Without that we flounder in our own...
When we allow all cynicism and skepticism to fall away, it enables Jesus,
God’s Only Son to do His finest work in us. Hope is
necessary to live a happy, joy-filled Life. If prayer brings
hope, hope in receiving Gods help, why would anyone
ever have the audacity to deny or fault them for that?
For Christians, Jesus is the Greatest Hope the world has ever
known! We really need Him right now...This is Holy Week—a time
when the faithful turn to God with greater fervor than ever,
because of what Jesus did for us all-you and me—dying on the
cross in expiation for our sins. Beyond logic...Hard to comprehend...
but absolute truth for believers.
Just look at today with the life-threatening challenges we
face right now with Covid-19. For some, the fear has them
believing they will simply get it and die. End of story.
But is it? Faith challenges us all to dig a little deeper, to find
what brings us courage, strength, peace, and comfort, and
leads us out of fear of infirmity,financial strain or ruin,
and even death. For me, that would be Jesus!
I read recently where prayer, for those who believe, increases endorphins in the brain. The same is probably true for those who receive prayers and believe. Endorphins are a "feel-good" response like a drug that releases endorphin. Prayer can be addictive.
But, as far as I know, there is no scientific evidence, despite many personal anecdotes claiming that prayer solved a problem, that prayer changes any outcome except feeling better. And, most Christians seem to think that bad outcomes were already ordained by God (but not by Jesus?).
If we deal with every fearful thing with prayer and helplessness rather than positive action, we are not using our human ability to adapt and solve problems positively. Just like the person addicted to drugs, helpless to do anything but seek more drugs.
Excellent! One more thing I might add. Try the "Hi FIVE" method of praying for each other. Each persons calls another one in the church to say, "Hi" and pray. Each church member should be at least call 5 people, at least five per week. Only three out of the five should be church members, the other two could be a neighbor or a friend, relative, etc. All people receiving a call should know they are on the "Hi Five" list and will be called at least once a week for prayer and productive, positive, uplifting fellowship. Of course, during each call ideas can be exchanged and personal needs can be met if a person is shut-in and needs items at the store, etc. Then each person who is called in the church should reach out to five more people and so forth. This could reach hundreds if not thousands of people and make people aware that there are people in the church who care. Amen!
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