I get it. You haven’t talked to your cousin for two years. But now you want to borrow their car and you’re making the phone call. And it feels totally wrong.
If you’re feeling like that about praying to God—I get it. Maybe the last time you prayed was in the faded past before a vital high school exam or when a family member fell frighteningly sick in the middle of the night. And you haven’t prayed since. I get it—it feels wrong to pray now.
God loves honesty, especially raw honesty. If these words don’t work for you, change them. but go with honesty.
But you want to pray. Because the Coronavirus and all its effects have pushed you way beyond your resources. You need God, if he’s there, to get involved.
Below is a prayer for you. It’s honest and direct. Because God loves honesty, especially raw honesty. If these words don’t work for you, change them. but go with honesty. (See Psalm 51 or Luke 18v9-14)
One final thing, God loves for people to seek him out and call on him. Especially those who have been far away. He is the good shepherd who brings back the lost sheep, the woman who hunts for the lost coin and the Father who searches with love for the lost son (Luke 15).
So, if you cry out to God he will hear you.
And if you cry out to him for salvation in Jesus he will hear you. For in Jesus, God the Father offers salvation from judgement and entrance into a new life beyond the reach of sin, sickness, evil and death. (See John 5v24)
Here’s the prayer:
Heavenly Father,
I feel overwhelmed by all that is happening.
I’m afraid for my family.
I’m worried about the future.
I fear the Coronavirus virus and its effects on my community, nation and our world.
I fear what selfish people will do if things get worse.
All of these make me fearful, anxious and afraid. And, I doubt your love for the world, my family and for me.
I’m sorry I have not trusted you in the past. Nor lived your way. I’m sorry I’ve lived for myself.
I ask for your help now. Please calm my heart, enable me to trust you, protect me, my family, those I love and those in need.
I don’t know much about the salvation found in Jesus. But I want to know. Please reveal it to me because of your mercy.
Amen.
Next steps
If that’s your prayer or a prayer like it, contact us. We’d love to know how we can help you in your steps toward God. Or, contact the person who shared it with you. I’m sure they’d love to help you with any next steps.
First published at risenchurch.org.au
