If you hadn’t heard, President Trump has declared today to be a National Day of Prayer in light of all that is happening in the country related to the Coronavirus. Usually, when there is a day of prayer, I have to be reminded and start wondering what I should be praying for. Not today.
Today, it is obvious. My prayer list has not stopped growing exponentially since this pandemic has begun. I would guess that you have been taking more time than usual to lift up some prayers during these confusing, and let’s admit, scary times. Here are some things that are on my prayer list right now:
- That this virus can be slowed down and eradicated quickly.
- That my wife and I will not be out of work for any significant amount of time.
- That my youngest daughter’s high school can find a way to function and her graduation won’t be cancelled.
- That my oldest daughter will have a smooth transition off campus and get home safely and that her education will not suffer a major setback.
- That my church can find a way to keep connection if we can’t gather, and especially for those who must be isolated.
And that is just what is related to the virus. My regular prayer list still continues to exist and grow.
But as I was reflecting this morning on all that is going on around us, my mind was drawn to a prayer that Jesus uttered in the final moments before he faced the cross. It is a prayer that I have read often and still amazes me every time I reread it.
It is found in John 17. Jesus begins the prayer by praying for himself. Then he prays for the disciples. He ends the prayer by praying for all the believers that will come in the future because of his sacrifice and the work of the disciples spreading the Good News to the world.
To think that Jesus, facing death, would take the time to pray for us is mind-boggling to me. I know that when I am facing a crisis, the last thing that I am thinking about is praying for others. I am totally focused on myself. This shows the immensity of Jesus’ love for us.
Here is one passage from Jesus’ prayer that I think we can add to our prayers today for this situation we are facing as a nation:
“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” John 17:20-23 (NLT)
Unity is a tool that we must use at this time. Praying that all God’s believers can be one. One in not succumbing to anxiety. One in praising God when there seems to be nothing to praise. One in pointing people to Jesus when there seems to be no hope. One in calming fears and not building on the panic that seems to be growing around us.
When the world sees us in perfect unity, they will know that there is a God and that He loves them and that He is still in control. That is the Good News lived out practically in a time when we so desperately need it.
We attain perfect unity when Jesus lives in us. So perhaps, the true prayer to lift up today on this National Day of Prayer is this:
Jesus, live in me today. Amen.
