Ridgell's Originals

I always want to be someone that prays.  I want to thank God, praise God, ask God.  I don't want to be a believer that only prays in crisis.  But there are five groups of people I am praying especially hard for right now.  Generically yes.  But also people in these groups that I know and pray for by name. 

So here are the five special prayers I am praying during this crisis.

Prayer for front line responders.  I have great admiration for Doctors during this time.  Nurses.  Lab techs.  Maintenance staff at hospitals.  They are putting themselves at risk to heal and take care of us.  Many of the ones I know are believers.  They pray over their patients.  They worry about getting sick, they worry about their families, they know more than most of us what they face.  And they show up.  Every day.  Heroes.  And yes I pray extra hard for my family of nurses.  We have a lot of them in our family.  I am in awe of them.  And I admire the police, fire fighters, and those called in to emergency situations where the danger is real.  Not just like it always is... but with the threat of this virus. 

I pray for those in need.  This is hard on the elderly in retirement centers and nursing homes.  Most of them are quarantined.  It is lonely and frustrating.  This is hard for those on the margins of our society.  When you can barely make ends meet, societal disruption is scary.  Small business owners.  When nobody wants to get out, how do you stay in business?  What about your employees?  Doing what is best for your community may not be best for your finances. 

I pray for the spiritual first responders.  Elders, preachers, parents, spiritual leaders.  These are hard times.  And I don't mean deciding what to do about worship services.  Or how to stream online resources.  I mean those who are trying to shepherd their flock.  They wrestle with their own fears and doubts.  And they have to show the way for their flock that watches them.  Faith over fear is easy to say.  Harder to model.  And the questions.  Why?  Why me?  What does the future hold?  Real talks about the possibility of death.  And many of your flock and family have needs.  Not just errands and money.  But sometimes they need physical help.  Who goes in to help?  And of course, marriages still explode, sin addictions seem to ramp up.  Spiritual leadership needed.  And some of you will show up.  Because that is what you do.  And it is scary.  And hard.  And some of you will get sick.  I pray for those that choose to lead and serve in real -- and dangerous -- ways.

I pray for all my Christian brothers and sisters.  Our world is watching.  Do we really live our faith?  Do we really believe what we say in the good times?  I don't mind our world seeing our fear and our doubt.  As long as they see that our love for and our neighbors still compels us. As long as they see that our faith overcomes our worry.  I pray for my Christian family that is struggling with their faith.  And for those that are/will be in crisis over this pandemic.  That faith will triumph.  Even over death.

And finally, I pray for the non-believers in this world.  I am praying this pandemic opens the door to hundreds of conversations about who Jesus is and what it means to be his follower.  Already I am hearing of baptisms and conversations about Jesus. 

So those are the people I pray for.  In groups and by name. 

Because I believe God hears.  And He will answer in what is absolutely the best way for His Kingdom. 

I believe.