We are living in an uncertain time. As we try to slow and limit the spread of a pandemic, many things have changed for many of us. People have been talking about adapting to this “new normal.” But I don’t think this is our new normal. This is our current normal. And there’s a difference. This new way of living, of social distancing and the closing down of so much that we take for granted, is temporary. The crisis time of dealing with COVID-19 will pass. Sadly, it will leave us with great losses.
We did not see this coming.
If you read today’s meditation, “A Beautiful Blessing,” you read about my grandparents’ friend who prayed for me all of my life, and for the rest of his. He did not know, and could not know, all the challenges or heartaches I would face in life. He did not need to know all of that to pray for me, and to pray effectively. He knew that God wanted him to pray for me, so he did.
God has not been surprised by any of my trials or successes. And God isn’t surprised by what is going on today. Neither by the virus spreading around the globe, nor by whatever else we are facing. Too often, we discredit the importance and power of prayer. But Jesus found it important enough to pray for us while he was on earth and agonized to the point of sweating blood while he spoke to his Father in Gethsemane the night before he was crucified for us. Looking at Jesus, we should accept prayer’s validity and necessity in our lives, and on behalf of others. I do not fully understand the interplay of our prayers and God’s plans, but I know God wants us to pray—to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and power, and present our needs and the needs of others.
Right now, we are struggling in a world-wide crisis that affects all of us. The fact that we should pray for each other may seem more obvious than ever—in ways that feel big, and ways that may appear small. But there is nothing too large and never anything too small to take to our Father who loves us and calls us to love others.
From those who are sick and dying, to those who cannot visit their loved ones. From exhausted health-care workers, who are bearing the brunt of front-line battle with COVID-19, to second-graders who are missing their classmates.
God cares about everything.
Let's all take some time now to pray. Feel free to share your prayer of this moment in the comments.