The apostle Paul, to his son in the faith, Timothy, wrote the following in his first letter,
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”
1 Timothy 2:1-2.
Let us meditate on this for some time. Who needs prayers? Everyone, right? There are some times that we just do a generic prayer (what I mean by that is that we pray for all people in the world as an all, just one object), but, taking into consideration the current pandemic, let me suggest us about some people that need our prayers.
Government:
We know not everyone in the government is righteous people. We know some of them might be corrupt, but, as of right now, they are the ones in charge of our safety. The same Paul that wrote to Timothy wrote to the brethren at Rome, and let them know that we are subject unto the high powers because they are ordained of God (Romans 13:1-5). Let us pray for them, let us not resist the power that has been granted to them, and consider that, according to the Scriptures, they are also ministers of God.
Medical Personnel:
They are on the frontline of this battle against this virus. Many of them became ill because of the contact they have with those who come for help with this disease. Some of them might die (as some already did), but they are willing to take that chance to help us in this battle. Please keep the same thought with all military, police, firefighters, and every other group that put their life in front of the battle so we can have a good night’s sleep. Let us never forget to pray for them.
Transportation:
Not everyone is blessed with the opportunity to have a car for themselves. Many required to travel via train, bus, or taxi. These drivers are exposing themselves to get sick by one of the passengers, but they do it because, first, they need to do it to bring food to their homes, and second, because they know there is a need for all those workers who do not have the opportunity to work from home and need to get to their working place to also sustain their families. Let us not forget those drivers, pilots, or captains that also have a huge responsibility in bringing not only passengers to their destination, but also produce, and merchandise that is so needed on these days.
Grocery Store Employees:
Is it their fault that people fall into the paranoia of buying hygiene products for an entire year? No, it is not. They are just doing their work. They can also get frustrated because, let us be honest, who are the ones we blame for that shortage? We do not blame ourselves, but them. Let us think in the ones who are in charge of stock the shelves, the ones who are constantly looking for inventory, the ones who keep the place clean, the ones who are at the cashiers or helping at the self check-out, the ones who are packing what we bought. All of them are in the same level of stress, or higher, than the one that is buying. You might go to the store and get what you need in less than 10 minutes, but they are there all day long, exposed to get that virus from every single customer they get in touch. Now, let us add in this plea those who work at pharmacies, restaurants, and all other store types that you might think about.
Schools:
They are not on vacation. They might have everything planned for the school year but now they are required to do changes to help our children to keep learning. Some of them might not be tech-savvy and somehow now they need to learn how to use Skype, Facetime, or maybe live streaming to keep doing what they love, to teach their students. They might need to travel to the school and sit in an empty classroom to do all of that. Think also how this affects our children, they might be missing playing or talking with their best friends, and even when the technology might keep them in touch, it is not the same as being there.
The Church:
Medical personnel is certainly important to keep us healthy and safe, but what about your soul? They cannot save her for you. And certainly, no one can, just Christ through our submission to do His will and guarding His commandments. But how do you get to know what you must do? That is why the church is important. Church helps you do that, and no one at church wants to see an empty auditorium or classroom, but measures are needed to be handled and keep us safe. Some people might quote the apostles and just say, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). And it is true, but there is a huge reason why there is leadership in the church. In that same book, 15 chapters later, we can read this “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). This is an instruction given to the elders of the church. The writer to the Hebrews reminded us that we must obey them that have the rule over us, to submit ourselves, because they watch for our souls, and they must give an account to God of what they did, do, and will continue doing (Hebrews 13:17). They are doing the best to keep the flock safe. Let us trust in them. And, let us think, for a moment, in those congregations where there is no eldership, and how we are doing our best by seeing what faithful elderships are doing to keep their flock safe, so we can replicate at the best of our abilities, and keep our congregation safe as well. Evangelists and Bible teachers are also important, they dedicate a lot of their time to prepare lessons for us to learn about God, faith, salvation, sin, heaven, hell, and feel free to keep naming more topics. Let us keep praying so we can rejoice in sweet fellowship again on this side of heaven.
Us:
Yes, us, you and I. We need prayers as well. We need God’s guidance, not only through His Word but also through His providence. The inspired James wrote, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). We are currently living a very difficult situation, we need wisdom, and God is the giver of it. Who knows better than God? No one. The same James also wrote, “… pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). Please, please, pray for me, as much as you can, as I am also doing the same for you. We might not be sick with this horrendous virus (yet), but, if we get into that, we will surely love to know that our brethren are praying for us.
I know, it has been a long reading, but, the final point is, we need to get busy in praying, for everyone, because, as Paul kept telling Timothy on his letter,
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”
1 Timothy 2:3-4.
One last thing, before you finish your prayer, do not forget to thank God for all His infinite blessings, or, as the song says, “name them one by one”, after all, if you are reading this is because you are still alive, and this is just one of the many blessings He gave you.
May God bless you richly today and always, and let us keep praying, because, to Him, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). To Him be all glory.