Prayer and The Pandemic

Be Strong Be Well — Thursday, September 17

It goes without saying, most of us have been praying daily for an end to this pandemic so we can get back to life as it used to be.

Because we haven’t seen an answer to our specific prayer requests, we may be tempted to think something is wrong with us, and therefore He’s not listening. Or, something is wrong with the way we are praying or the request being made (Matthew 6:5-15; James 4:2, 3).

If our lives do not match up with His requirements of obedience, we cannot expect God to answer our prayers. We may need to do some soul searching, and as much as we can, make sure we’re living acceptably before Him. If need be, repent of our sins and turn back to God and His righteous, holy ways. Remember, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).

Since we haven’t seen any visible results from our requests concerning this virus, we may find ourselves growing tired and perhaps complacent in our prayer efforts. Are we persistent in our prayers, or have we given up?

Faith is needed more than ever in these troublesome times. We need to trust in God to hear our prayers. He promised He would be drawn to the cries of His faithful children. Do we really believe it? How much time do we spend specifically talking to Him about the virus, or those who are sick and dying, or a possible cure?

We need to know God is always working on things for the good of His people (Romans 8:28). Things may not happen the way we think they should, but He knows better than we do how it will all work out. When we don’t see immediate results to our prayers, it doesn’t mean God isn’t listening. It means His purposes have not yet been accomplished.

This is no time to stop praying. We should pray even more diligently. —Chris