April 8, 2020
First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Timothy 2:1-2
While coming in to write today, I was approached by a young woman who had pulled up into the parking lot near the church office. With flashers blinking, she stopped kind of suddenly near the office canopy, sat there in her car a few moments and then got out. She appeared to be wearing about three of the surgical masks and seemed a little distraught. And, in fact, she was. She kept apologizing for her slight anxiousness promising that she was not crazy but extremely scared about what was going on in the world right now. She was somewhat on the verge of complete hysterics but was doing well to maintain control. She wanted to talk to someone and get help. She talked and I listened and she kept saying that she was trying to “get to the temple’, that she had been reading her Bible, as of late, very faithfully, and just needed someone to listen.
The point of my story is this: according to vocabulary.com, “intercession” is prayer or petition in favor of someone else. You see, right now, people around the world are in a constant state of anxiety over the COVID-19 virus that is gripping the world. The anxiety is over a number of reasons. They are not in the state of leading a tranquil and quiet life like Paul is talking to Timothy about. They are in constant fear over what’s next. We, the followers of Christ, must pray on their behalf each day because, like this girl, right now, they don’t hardly know “which way is up.”
Pray for the anxious and scared that they would turn to God during these days.
Pray for this young woman, that she may find peace in the scriptures and trust God
Pray for a spiritual awakening and revival as a result of the virus that God has allowed to grip the entire world