5-2-2020

Good Morning All, 

          1Timothy 2:1; “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people”

    For many people during this pandemic one of the most frustrating things is that there is no model to follow.  What is the right course of action?  Should you hunker down?  Should you proceed with caution?  Should you go about your life like nothing matters?  It is tough enough for individual decisions; it is even harder when they are corporate or public decisions.  Should the city, county or state go into a general lockdown?  Should certain businesses be closed for a while?  When is it safe to re-open?  Many of our leaders have had some exceedingly difficult decisions to make and, probably, more to come.

    What do we do, what is the correct path?  Everyone has an opinion but precious few facts and some decisions, that must be made, are difficult and may not be perfect or easy.  Sometimes, the only decision too make is not popular and it can cause problems.  So, what do we do?  What do we do when a decision is made, and we question it or maybe even challenge it?  Well, I hope you do not storm the Capitol and shout in anger and threaten violence.  I hope you do not sit around and complain about how “stupid” all those guys are.  I hope you do not judge harshly those who make decisions.  I hope you follow Paul’s advice and pray for them.  Especially now, when decisions may or may not be life or death, safety or anarchy, success or failure.

   “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.” When you think of those jobs and tasks that need to be done but that you just do not think you could ever do them; pray for those individuals who do them.  Pray for those people to whom God has given the vocations that you and I would not like to do.  Some are dangerous, some are stressful, some are emotional draining and taxing, but all are jobs that I am thankful that I do not have to perform.  I am thankful that God enables someone to do these tasks and we should all pray for them.  We should pray that God will send his Spirit to help them withstand the stress and the strain that these jobs can exert on someone’s life, relationships, health and general wellbeing. 

   I remember was wag saying that he prays for our elected leaders; twice as hard for those he did not vote for.  Perhaps, when we see a job or task being performed that we are thankful we are not performing; we should say an extra prayer of thanks for the ones who do.

Father, thank you for all those people who do the tasks that I cannot.  Keep them safe, keep them strong under the stress, keep them in your loving arms as they serve as your hands in this world.  Teach me to pray, to pray for our leaders, our doctors and all those who struggle to do good in difficult times.  Teach me patience, that I may wait on your unending grace.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret