Prayer for All Impacted by Covid-19

Photo credit: Alex Brandon/AP

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Pax Pres, and to all people,

So many people and aspects of our daily lives need prayer. I hope to write a prayer once per week on a whole variety of matters - like today, we’ll pray for those grieving the loss of loved ones in 2020, particularly deaths related to Covid-19.

Yesterday (Tuesday, January 19th), a national call was issued for churches in the United States to ring their church bells at 5:30 p.m. EST as a collective remembrance of the 400,000 American lives lost to Covid-19. PaxPres doesn’t have external church bells, so we put a marquee on our electronic sign by the road, and this prayer accompanies that occasion.

Please join me in prayer…

Humbly in Christ,

Pastor Matt

Almighty God, your psalmist declared our days are numbered before we are even born. Your Son, Jesus, declared that even the hairs on our heads are numbered by You. God, our lives are in your hands. As your image-bearers, each and every human life is precious. God, today in particular we grieve, we lament, and we cry out for your mercy as the global death toll of Covid-19 passes two million and the death toll in the United States passes 400,000. Every one of those people was known to you before they were even born. God, we don’t understand. But we ask your Spirit to fill us with a trust and faith in you in the face of death.

God, we pray for every person who has been struck with grief because of Covid-19. We pray for family members, friends, neighbors, and all who are reeling from the death of someone they cared for. We pray that the hope of the resurrection offered in Christ would be a source of strength to all who are mourning. We pray that the comfort of your Holy Spirit would hold us in our tears, grief, and memories.

God, we think too of health care workers who have been on the front lines of this pandemic - many of whom have not only walked alongside someone dying of Covid-19, but who themselves have lost loved ones to Covid-19. They too need your hope, your strength, your comfort, and your perspective to keep them going. Grant them the rest that Christ alone offers to sustain them through the many months still ahead of this terrible pandemic.

God, we who call upon the name of Jesus Christ are first and always citizens of your kingdom. But in your providence, each of us has an earthly nation we call home. So for those of us American disciples of Jesus, we join together with all people in our land in asking for your comfort and mercy. As millions of others join in a collective act of remembrance over the death toll of Covid-19, show us - your disciples - how we can join in lament with others. Direct us to specific neighbors, co-workers, and family members to whom we can offer a word of the hope of Jesus, an act of the grace of Jesus, and a comforting presence. Empower us to be your presence to someone who needs it today.

All this we pray in the name of Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Amen.