Muscles of Faith and Prayer

"God has made everything beautiful in its time." 
              (from the Good Book, Ecclesiastes 3:11)


First it was toilet paper and bread that you couldn't find anywhere. Then it was hair color, baking yeast, spiral hams and Spam that were flying off the shelves. What will it be next? And such daily inconveniences are nothing compared to the true crisis: 649 fatalities in Ohio from the coronavirus, over 52,000 fatalities nationwide (as of April 24, 2020).
         
Pay checks are disappearing, one million Ohio workers have filed for unemployment. There are many whose health is threatened by this virus, and who are cut off from family and friends. It is a time of anxiety, difficulty and worry, a time when hearts are sifted and faith is tested.
          
And yet it is also a time of caring, a time for being mindful of others, a time finding ways to connect and support neighbors and families. It is a time to flex the muscles of faith we have been given, and to do likewise with the muscles of prayer that you have. 
         
          "Lord we do not see the beauty of this time, but we give you our lives and we lift up our prayers to you. In faith we pray that you will make these times beautiful in your time. In faith we trust you've got the whole world in your hands, from the itty bitty babies to the most senior among us. In faith we turn to you we turn and ask that you see us through it all. 
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         “May we depend on you. And may we depend on your word. May your beauty be seen in the ways we care and are mindful of others, and in the times we connect with each other and support the neighbors and families we have. For times such as these, may we put to use the muscles of prayer and faith that you have given us. Amen.” 

—Pastor Tom