Lord, heal our land!

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

God, we are appalled at what is going on in our world right now. Lives are being claimed, countries are shutting down and I can’t help but think that the powers of hell are laughing thinking that they are winning the battle that has ensued. And, God, it is a battle. It’s a battle against fear. It’s a battle against anxiety. It’s a battle against the leaders of our world.  But, Lord, we know that our fight is not against flesh and blood. Give us the strength to fight it. We want your name to be known to the nations. We are suited up in your armor and we are bowing before you, ready and willing to fight with the most powerful weapon we have: prayer. 

First and foremost, Lord we pray for all the people who are currently sick or are recovering from this illness. God, give them strength to fight. Increase their immune system so that the virus can be eradicated from their body. Give them a renewed sense of hope where there is none. Give them a determination to fight this illness well so that you will be glorified through it.  

Lord, we also lift up all the medical workers and first responders. They are facing a giant with what seems like a small stone, but we know that you know the outcome and that you are the true Healer. Lord, we also lift up all of those who are working tirelessly to make sure that our lives can continue on in a somewhat normal manner: truck drivers, grocery store workers, mail carriers, utility workers and the list goes on. God, they are also in the front lines. They are dealing with increased work demands and irritated customers. Lord, we pray for their physical and mental stamina as well as the patience to deal with extreme working conditions. 

As selfish as it may be, God, we pray for ourselves. For our own health and safety. For our own battles with fear and anxiety. God, sometimes it’s not the virus that scares us, it’s other people. It’s the media. It’s the general public who have escalated this whole situation and have caused us doubts about whether we will be able to feed our families or gain access to household items that we used to take for granted. God we don’t know if our businesses will survive or if we will be able to make ends meet. God, give us a stillness and a peace that no matter what, you are Jehova Jirah. God, let us see your goodness in all things and give us the boldness to declare it. Let us set aside our questions of “why” and trust your heart. Lord, for those who refuse to cooperate with the regulations in place, I pray that you would soften their hearts and help them to realize that regulations are in place for the good of everyone. We have created a world where we think it all revolves around us, and Lord, that’s not the case. You called us to serve each other and if serving my neighbor means staying home, God give me the desire to do that. Lord, as we wonder around in this wilderness, show us the streams. Lead us to them and give us opportunities to bless others while we are here. 

And finally, Lord, we pray for our nation and the rest of the world. The healing that needs to occur is so far beyond the physical. Our world is desperate for spiritual healing. We have lost our way, chased after our own dreams and created idols out of the everyday. God break our hearts. Drive us to a place where we see our sin as you see it and are desperate for change. In ways that only you know, you have already stripped us of many things – schedules, busy lives, work, school, security – and we are in a place where we can listen more closely to you…God, let us listen! Give us the desire to turn off the TV, turn off our phones and open your Word instead. Open our eyes to see how you see. Open our ears to hear what other people are saying. Open our hands and feet so that we learn how to serve. Lord as we are in a place where the church cannot physically be together, help us to shine your light through so that the world sees that the church is a group of people who love you and desire to serve you. Help us to reprioritize our lives and return to our first love – YOU. For those that do not know you, Lord we pray that this situation will turn their hearts towards you in a way that they have never experienced before. Heal us, Lord in the way that only you can! 

As the battle rages on, Lord, we are humble. We are expectant. And we are desperate for You. Show us your glory. Amen.

Have a blessed weekend, friends!
Jennifer
@lifeintherace


Crafty Details

I started this page by stamping the earth image from Send Me and the heart and bandage image from Healer of my Heart onto cardstock, coloring them with colored pencils and cutting them out. I then used the smooshing technique with Salty Ocean and Twisted Citron distress oxides to create the background. I stamped the grid from Texture Tiles 1 with Salty Ocean and the dots with Black Soot. I underlined my verse and aligned the images and words. The words are stamped with a mixture of Messy Stamped Alpha, Mini Grunge type alpha and Typewriter Blocks alpha. I finished off my page with a tab, date stamp and prayer.