Wednesday, April 15, 2020
For this week’s Wednesday PRAYING TOGETHER time, I have been reflecting that this has been a month now that we have been sharing this opportunity to pray together each week and to trust God to help us through this complicated experience of a global pandemic. We do not know how long this will extend. I want to encourage each of us to hold on to the hope of Easter going forward. Our hope in God, through His Son Jesus, can sustain us and give us courage. We will need persistent courage for the road ahead. I sense that it is important and necessary for us to be determined to live this journey one day at a time. If we get caught up in how long this may go on, it can be overwhelming. There is wisdom that comes directly from Jesus for living with that day at a time approach. I recall when I was growing up on our farm and we had a large vegetable garden that needed weeding. If I kept looking down the unbelievably long row ahead, it was discouraging. Instead, I found that I needed to concentrate on the plants right in front of me that needed rescuing. Little by little, I would work my way toward the end of the row and be pleased to discover that there really was an end. This end will come for us in this present challenge, as we keep praying and concentrating on what is directly in front of us. In it all, we can expect that God will make it possible for us to live this, and to come through this, one day at a time. I do welcome any prayer concerns you want to send my way for me to lift up in prayer when I am setting aside this time to pray along with you. Thank you for your faithful prayers!
God’s Grace & Peace, Pastor Lola
Here is this week’s prayer: Our God, we thank You for the ways we found to celebrate the hope of Easter. It was a different Easter than any of us have ever before experienced, but You were there at the center of it all and that was what mattered. We thank You that the unexpected hope of that first Easter Sunday morning continues to impact our lives today. Right now, we want to thank You for the gift of today and to pray that we will live this day to please You. We pray that as we rely on You that we will find ourselves living one day at a time. We pray that we will not get stuck in yesterday or overcome with anxious thoughts for tomorrow, but rather find in You what we need for today. This is our prayer for all who face hard times. We pray together for those who have tested positive for COVID19 and are struggling to recover. We pray for their families, and friends, and coworkers who are so concerned for them. Please help them a day at a time. We pray for all those on the frontlines of healthcare who are wondering how they will be able to keep going. Please help them one day at a time. We pray for the senior care homes where the level of anxiety is high and where family members are so concerned about their loved ones. Please help residents, families, and staff one day at a time. We pray for those who have lost someone to this corona virus and cannot have a regular funeral and may have missed the chance to say goodbye. Please help them a day at a time. We pray for people in essential services who are making daily sacrifices to continue to provide what we need. Please help them one day at a time. We pray for children who have had to miss a number of activities that they really enjoy and to which they look forward. Please help them one day at a time. We pray for those who have had to make changes in wedding plans and graduations and other significant occasions. Please help them one day at a time. We pray for those who have had medical appointments, tests, and procedures delayed because of this crisis. Please help them one day at a time. We pray for those who don’t know how they will make a living with all that has happened. Please help them one day at a time. We pray for those who live in poverty and the homeless who are already finding life nearly impossible. Please help them one day at a time and show us how to help them. We notice that many of our leaders are showing signs of strain from the demands of what they have had to navigate. Please help them one day at a time. We recognize how unable we are to face any of this alone. Whatever we are dealing with, our grace filled God, please help us one day at a time. We do pray for this virus to end. We trust You for one day at a time, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.