Prayed by Cathy Thwing on April 5, 2020, Palm Sunday
Gracious God, our Father, our Redeemer & Lord, our Counselor & Comforter, our Good Shepherd & Great Physician,
Our hearts cry out to You on behalf of ourselves, those we love & those around this world, Your world, whom we don’t even know. We ask You, Almighty God, in the powerful name of Jesus, to take away the power of the coronavirus to cause harm & to kill. Viruses mutate, let this one mutate itself into impotence.
Our hearts break, as Yours does, for the suffering of the whole world:
--for those who feel alone & isolated
--for those overwhelmed by too much company with housemates
--for those who are suddenly unemployed
--for those who are suddenly having to work in completely new ways
--for those who are suddenly having to home school children, & in many cases, work at the same time
--for those without resources to get through this new month
--for those detained & incarcerated
--for those who are homeless, who are fleeing violence, who are called “undocumented”
--for those who have lived many, many years
--for those with compromised immune systems, underlying health conditions, and those who are “essential” who look danger in the face every day
--for those who were already in precarious positions before the virus & now have this added calamity
--for those for whom the present circumstances tip the mental health balance
--for those who have lost loved ones
--for all who are afraid
Lord, have mercy upon Your people.
This week, Lord, may we hear Your voice which over & over again throughout history has said to Your people, “Do not be afraid!” Not because the circumstances aren’t fearsome, but because You are present with us, as close as our breath. May we take pauses this week to breathe slowly & deeply & to experience Your presence with us, to hear Your words of assurance that you are with us, that You love us, that You never abandon us, that You know what we need, that You will provide what we need, that You specialize in taking what we are able to offer & multiplying it to be enough, often considerably more than enough. May we remember that You fed 5,000 plus people with 5 loaves & 2 fish, & with 12 baskets of food left over (Matthew 14:13-21). May we remember the poor widow of Zarephath who during a famine in the land was gathering a few sticks for a fire to cook a final meal for her son & herself. The prophet Elijah asked her for a cup of water & a bit of bread, & she replied that she had only a handful of flour & a little cooking oil. Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid! Go ahead & do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself & your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ’There will always be flour in your jar & olive oil in your jug until the time when the Lord sends rain & the crops grow again!’ So, she did as Elijah said, & she & Elijah & her son continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour & olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:8-16) May we live this week not from scarcity, nor hoarding, nor clinging to our resources, but with generosity out of Your abundance & provision for us, offering You & others what we can & trusting in Your multiplication to make it enough.
Give us eyes to notice & hearts to embrace the unique gifts & opportunities of this unexpected season in our lives, even in the midst of its losses, uncertainties & worries.
May we remember this week that we are safe in Your arms, & that those words recorded in the Old Testament book of Lamentations are true today & true for each of us:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness, O Lord, great is your faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:22&23)
Thank you! Amen.
Cathy Thwing, 4-5-2020, Union Prayers of the People