How is it Day 23? 23 days inside the four walls of my home. I have left twice to go to school for paperwork things. I’ve left for many walks and today was day 4 (in a row) of leaving to go on a hike. Otherwise, I have not left my house. I have not interacted with anyone in person besides the four members of my family and the people that I pass on the hiking trails. Its been lonely.
But one thing that I was reflecting on today was how good God is. I was remembering how he gave the Israelites manna. He didn’t give them large Costco-sized grocery stores or even refrigerators and deep freezers. No, he gave them manna each morning (and a double portion before the Sabbath). He gave them just enough to get through the day. It must have been such an act of faith to trust that God would bring more manna the following day. I know that I would have tried to hoard extra manna. I would have been disappointed to find it moldy and gross, but I still would have tried. Because if this pandemic has taught me anything? It’s how little faith I have.
But the Lord has given me manna for each day thus far. In fact, I was noticing today that somehow I am MORE patient with my children than I was before this pandemic. I don’t know how that is possible, because…23 days trapped with the same three needy children is A LOT. I can only see this as the Lord being gracious to me and giving me an abundance of patience during this time. Now, if only I could be that good at not worrying. Ha.
Today The Gospel Coalition led a day of fasting and prayer and I joined them. I fasted during lunch and I stayed 100% off social media and even refrained from most texting. I used the spare time and longing for food as a time for prayer. It was a powerful day of prayer and longing for God to hear our cries. I am still struggling, though. If thousands of His people are crying out to Him, why is he still waiting? I KNOW in my head that His plan is bigger than ours. I KNOW He is sovereign. I KNOW he is good and loving and I KNOW that he hears our prayers. But my heart is having a hard time understanding how those facts equate with the world’s current circumstances. I continue to pour my heart out and pray to him.
TGC led me through three prayers today- morning, midday and evening. For the morning prayer, we read Psalm 27 and focused on the following things:
- Remember and Rejoice in the character of God
- Pray about my specific fears
- Sing a song of praise to God
- Pray for my community and world
- Pray for those who don’t know the Lord
- Ask the Lord to teach me and protect me
- Ask the Lord for endurance
The midday prayer also focused on several different prayer points:
- Praise God that he welcomes and hears our prayers
- Share a prayer request with a friend and ask them what they have a prayer request for
- Pray for your church, specifically the leaders. Pray for specific members in the congregation who may be sick, anxious or facing financial insecurity
- Pray that the gospel message would be boldly proclaimed and that many people would come to know Jesus
- Pray for your local governing officials, as well as governing officials all over the world
- Pray for healing for the sick and for an end to this virus
- Thank God that He is our refuge in times of trouble
(All of this with Scripture guidance is a printable PDF found here on TGC website)
The evening prayer was a corporate prayer led by several members of the TGC. You can watch it on FB (here) or YouTube (here). I highly recommend watching through the hour long prayer and worship time.
