Are you struggling to pray at the moment? I am. You want to bring your fears before God. You want to commit yourself and your loved ones into his keeping. You want to pray for the innumerable people facing unimaginable difficulties and hardship at this time due to the health crisis that has descended so swiftly upon us. But prayer doesn’t come easily. We feel almost numbed, almost lost for words, almost as though our own little concerns (however huge they may feel to us personally) are relatively trivial in relation to the scale of the crisis now facing the world. Yet we need to pray, now more than ever. Not that prayer will guarantee our safety or that of our loved ones, or that it will miraculously put everything right, but we need simply to seek help and strength to face whatever the months ahead may bring.
Over the coming weeks then, so long as I don’t myself succumb to Covid 19 (which is an all too real possibility, as I’m in the very highest ‘at risk’ category), I’m going to post a short and simple prayer each day, alongside other posts, which I hope may help you to articulate some of your own thoughts and fears, and to remind you that in these dark days, however much it may feel like it, we are not alone.
Lord,
what can I pray for?
What should I say?
I’m frightened,
troubled,
confused,
everything in life having been turned inside out
and upside down.
And whatever words I use in prayer seem inadequate,
hollow,
even trite.
Help me,
hold me,
hear me,
and at this troubled time, encircle all –
myself,
my loved ones,
my friends and colleagues,
the wider world –
in the warm embrace of your love.
Amen.
Thank you these words spoke deep into my heart. God bless you
Thank you for this Lynda. So pleased it proved helpful. We really are all in this together, and I just hope that I can offer people some solace and support during these troubled times. Take care, and God bless you too.
That’s exactly how I feel, Nick. I was so sad last night reading about how they’re struggling in Italy. I felt numb last night, so thank you for posting prayers. Look after yourself.
Thanks Lesley. It’s all come on so quickly, hasn’t it, and with such scary implications for so many. Take care of yourself too.
✝