9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
– Romans 12:9-12, NRSVNRSV
Persevere in prayer, we read in our Bibles. We need to hear that reminder in this season of coronavirus. No matter what we’re facing, no matter how we’re struggling, especially when we’re struggling, persevere in prayer. As followers of Christ, our scriptures call us to persevere in prayer.
And it’s not only us — not only us Christians, that is. Even as coronavirus prevents gatherings in person, our Jewish neighbors are persevering in prayer, meeting via Zoom for daily communal prayers. Persevere in prayer. Even as coronavirus interrupts daily routines, our Muslim neighbors are persevering in prayer, continuing their faithful habit of praying five times each day. Persevere in prayer. In spite of coronavirus — indeed, in light of coronavirus — we’re all persevering in prayer, and drawing closer to God in the process.
Yet we’re drawing closer to one another, too. Even as I persevere in prayer, I know I’m not persevering alone, and that’s a great comfort to me. This week, the members of the Bethlehem Interfaith Group (“BIG”) will be joining together for a community day of prayer this Thursday at 12:00 PM — and we invite you to join us, too. (Visit the YouTube livestream by visiting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhsX9dq9QXc&feature=youtu.be). We’ll be offering up prayers for the struggles we’ve always faced as a community, as well as those struggles that have been made all the more difficult in the wake of coronavirus.
Pray with us… because it’s good for God’s people to pray together.
Pray with us… because this corona-touched world can use all the prayers in the world.
Pray with us… because we all need a reminder that we don’t “persevere in prayer” alone.
Pray with us… and in the meantime, remember:
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
Want to know more?
- Learn about our church and its ministries: https://wesleychurch.com/
- Make a gift to support our mission: https://wesleychurch.com/giving-2/
- View our recent messages: https://wesleychurch.com/sermon-message-on-video/
- View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/
