Prayer and Action
James 1: 22
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
If you have been missing my blog the last couple of weeks, it has been because Carol and I travelled back to Alberta to visit my mother in her Care Home as family is now allowed to have one hour visits with residents, on the main floor while masked and seated 6 feet apart. On our return we brought our grandson Liam back for a visit with us on the West Coast.
We decided to drive rather than fly because of the inherent risks of traveling in planes and encountering crowds in the terminals, and at the baggage carousels. While away, we had opportunities to observe people’s COVID behaviour in varied situations across Alberta and BC. We’ve also been witnessing images, on the nightly news, of large groups of young people gathering, and hearing accounts of other parties and family get-togethers larger than what the medical authorities are recommending. Probably, most disturbing to me was a news story about 29 new COVID infections that were contracted at a prayer gathering in Deadwood, Alberta.
The question that keeps running through my mind is, “What were they thinking?” Ever since early March, I have been praying about COVID. In addition to leading the Prayers of the People at Comox United Church, I normally begin and end each day with prayer and it seems like I have been praying about COVID for a long time.
I pray for the people infected by the virus. I pray for the families who are affected by having a sick member or worse yet; a COVID death in their midst. I pray for those who have lost their jobs, who have no homes, who are struggling to find enough nutrition because of the impact COVID has on economies. I pray for countries like the U.S., Brazil, Spain and India where the infection is rampant and out of control. But I think mostly, I pray for an end to this pandemic—perhaps by vaccination, perhaps it will run its course, perhaps we can contain it. And everyday I pray that my family, my friends and all those in my faith community will be safe.
I am also a practical person. I believe in the power of prayer and have witnessed its impact on people’s lives. I also know that Christ expects us to play an active role and God wants us to participate in our prayers. It is implied throughout scripture. We are not called to just pray for the hungry – we actually are supposed to take food out of our cupboard and feed them.
The same analogy applies to COVID. Just praying for the people infected and an end to the pandemic is not enough! We are called to participate – we need to keep our social bubbles small, wear masks in public, limit our distance to others to 6 feet, wash our hands and avoid large gatherings. We all know the rules and recommendations, yet many of us choose to ignore them. Carol and I witnessed this across two provinces.
I needed to go to Costco the other day and I was one of the few there wearing a mask. Many people were in close contact in the aisles and many people entered without using hand sanitizer.
Yes, I will continue to pray for you but it would just be so much easier to end this pandemic if each of us would follow the recommendations that our governments and health providers are making. Prayer is good. Prayer and ACTION together are how we will change the world and help bring an end to this pandemic.
Amen