As I anticipate the opportunity we will again have to pray together, there is a Scripture that has been on my mind. It is the words of Jesus from Matthew 11:28 “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” This is a welcome invitation for all of us and those for whom we will pray. The duration of the Covid health crisis has been and continues to be a burden for everyone. We have tried to manage and to find blessings in the midst of the swirl of day to day life. We have looked to support each other and those around us. It might seem that with “stay home” restrictions there would be more chance to rest, but rest does not come easily with so much to process and the level of uncertainty about how much longer and what trying to return to something more normal will look like. We need rest and we will pray together for the rest that Jesus invites us to receive when we come to Him. Will you respond to this invitation and come with me to Jesus? Together, when we pray, we can leave our burdens with Jesus and find rest in Him.
Here is the prayer:
Jesus, thank you for Your invitation to come to You when we are weary and burdened. You promise to give us rest. Sometimes we don’t even realize how much we are carrying until we pause and set it down for awhile. We are grateful that You are willing to carry these burdens for us and that is what we are asking You to do. We give to You all the reasons we have to worry. We give to You our fears and ongoing concern about keeping safe and well. We give to You our concern for family members and friends and wanting them to keep safe and well too. We continue to pray for all our health care workers and all those in essential services who live with risks every day. We pray for their families who are anxious for them. We ask that you will give rest for each person who needs to find their rest in You. We pray for rest in homes where there is conflict and arguing and tension. We pray for rest for those who are wondering when they will be able to get back to work and for those who don’t know if there will be work for them. We pray for rest for people trying to manage extra responsibilities. We pray for rest for all of us in missing being with family and friends. We pray for comfort and peace for those who have had loved ones pass and need to find their rest and strength in You. We pray for rest for those who have plans for graduations and weddings and anniversaries and birthday parties and other celebrations that are suspended because of this virus. We pray for rest for those who have appointments and medical procedures that are postponed and delayed indefinitely. We pray for rest for our leaders who are trying to navigate through how to best manage all the details that arise in dealing with this life changing crisis. We pray for rest for those tormented by emotional and mental illness and anxiety. We pray for rest for those with hopes and dreams who don’t know how to hope and dream in this current reality. Jesus, we become aware how widespread and far reaching is this need for rest in You. Please remind us daily of this invitation to come and to find rest from You. Weary and burdened we come, with relief, to find rest for our souls and to know that when we depend on You this is what You provide. We cannot imagine what we would do without You. With great relief, we come to You for rest and pray for everyone who will also choose to turn to You for rest for their souls. Thank you Jesus. Amen.