Original Post: March 23, 2020
Good morning. I’m a little late on posting this morning but I have been letting my heart be still while praying for all that is going on in the world today. I, like many others have taken to reading Psalm 91 daily and praying for this virus to stay away from my home and my people! I watch the numbers and I have been watching the communities that are shutting down more and more in an effort to shut out this virus. Last week I made lists that many people contributed to and I have made me a schedule of my prayer focus every day. Until this thing is over this will be a focus in my prayers daily. Monday I will pray for our world, our country, our state, and our community. I will pray for the leaders and I will be glad I am not making these decisions affecting so many but will pray for those making the decisions to have wisdom. Tuesday I will pray for those in the health care industry. I have lists of names that I thought about and I have been given names by so many. I will linger over these names and pray for their safety and well being. Their strength and perseverance. Wednesday will be about educators, the administrators, teachers, office staff, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and cleaning staff at our schools. Thursday I will pray for the students, seniors especially but also all students whose lives have been changed by this. Friday’s are for pastors who are preparing for and finding new ways to serve their community and bring messages in this uncertain time. Saturday’s I will focus on small businesses, service people who are now without jobs, travel and hotel industry and I will also include truck drivers who are keeping or country going. And on Sunday’s I will focus on my thanksgiving to God for who He is and that we are seen. This is just my plan. I pray that while we are in this new hopefully temporary normal that you will look in your heart and ask God how you can take some of this extra time given to you and draw nearer to Him your plan may look different than mine but it’s ok. That’s part of the beauty of relationship with Him is he will tailor your plan to what will make your heart grow.
Today:
Well my prayer time evolved quite a bit over the last year, although I do still pray for all of these maybe not in the same structure. Looking back this has not been as temporary as we would have liked for it to be. If someone would have told me last year that we would still be doing this this year, I would have stuck my fingers in my ears and sung lalalalalalala. I don’t think I could have handled it. But handled it we have, and hopefully we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. I went back and read Psalm 91 again. And while I did get the virus back in December, I am grateful that no one else in my family did and that while I was sick I never had to go to the hospital or even back to the doctor for complications and for that I am very grateful. The last verses of Psalm 91 are what I will focus on today.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16
I do love my Savior more and more each day and hold fast to Him. I have countless ways that He has protected me and held me up in troubles over this past year and my whole lifetime. I am so grateful for how He has walked with me. It’s not a year I would want to repeat for lots of reasons but it is one that I can be grateful for having lived it and learned in it. Oh I know that we all have battle scars on our hearts from it. At least I do but those battle scars are what grow us into who He wants us to be. I pray that as you reflect you can find good that has come out of it. With your relationship with Him, with your relationships with your people and that you are holding fast to Him the one who will deliver us.
Restore 