Wesley Church

People Blessing People

Daily Devotional April 2

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. -1 Timothy 2:1-2

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” Keith asked.

“I don’t know… what do you want?” I asked in reply.

We’ve been eating dinner together a lot lately. We’ve already made most of our family favorites. We were starting to run out of ideas. So when the Italian restaurant/pizzeria down the road advertised a chicken-parmesan-and-penne special for a family of four (carry-out only, of course), we were sold. We’re always game for some hearty Italian food. We wanted to support local business. But mostly… we just wanted someone else to choose what we’d have for dinner.

See, it’s not just that we were running out of menu ideas. It’s not just that we were having trouble deciding what to have for dinner. It’s that we were just “done” deciding anything at all. For me, these past three weeks of coronavirus shut-downs have been filled with intense decision-making: decisions about worship schedules, church access, finances, communications, contingency-planning, and more. Decisions, decisions.

So when Keith asked what I wanted for dinner, and I replied by saying, “I don’t know… what do you want?”… what I was really saying was, “I don’t know… I can’t decide. Actually, I can’t decide anything right now. I think my brain is done making decisions for today.” Have you been there before, church? Are you there right now?

Decisions, decisions. Today, I found myself thinking about those who are in decision-making positions, positions of authority. The superintendents of our local schools. The administrators of our local hospitals. Our bishop and district superintendent. Our governor, our president, and their advisors. I can’t imagine the pace and intensity of their decision-making in the midst of this time marked by coronavirus.

So friends, I ask you to pray for them. After all, the scriptures call God’s people to pray for “all who are in high positions” (1 Timothy 2:2, NRSV). Pray for those who are in the position of making important decisions, life-or-death decisions, decisions that impact the welfare of us all. Pray for them, regardless of whether you know their names. Pray for them, regardless of whether you agree with their decisions. Pray for them, regardless of whether you voted for them in the past or plan to vote for them in the future. Pray for those who are in high positions, for those whose ‘high positions’ have intensified in this strange and unsettled season.

And while you’re at it, if you have any menu ideas for dinner…
send them my way.

Remember, friends:

Our God is bigger than coronavirus. 
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too. 
We are people blessing people. 
We are Wesley Church.   

Blessings,

Pastor Candy

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