As I write, we face an unprecedented situation. We may be worrying as we are faced with an uncertain future over the Coronavirus. In these difficult times, prayer connects us to God and energises us to navigate anxiety with God. We may feel unable or even know what or how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer anchors us to Jesus’ own petition for provision and protection. These familiar words will encourage you to prayerfully journey through this troublesome worry with confident hope.
Jesus said “Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9-13).
The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus’ own prayer of hope as well as a prayer of confidence. When the worries of life close in, these well-known words serve as a compass to guide us in truth and teach us to pray with confident expectation.
When we pray we draw near to our Father God, the one who cares, provides, protects, and remains deeply interested in our concerns and his purposes for us and his Church. Our worries prompt us to pray for provision, deliverance, and safety in the middle of it all. It all begins with the hopefulness of drawing near to God in prayer as ‘our Father’ and ends with the confidence of his kingdom, power, and glory forever.
We pray the Lord’s Prayer in faith, knowing that we are not helpless. Real and lasting change is possible by the Holy Spirit’s power. We must declare that the work that Jesus has begun in our lives and in the world will continue, even when things are gloomy or uncertain.
We stand together in this situation and everyone must play their part. Let’s keep praying and communicating with each other. Help in any way we can. Above all follow the guidelines and remain safe. Finally let me finish by declaring that we have a strong and certain hope, faith and assurance from our God who is able to immeasurably more than we can ever ask. May we find rest and renewal today as we draw closer to our Lord and his prayer. Amen
Grace and Peace
 | David Skeet is our church team leader. Taken from the latest edition of our bi-monthly church newsletter. |