Pandemic Survival Kit
Scripture: Romans 15:4-6
(NIV)
4 For
everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that
through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they
provide we might have hope.
5 May
the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of
mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with
one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Devotion:
We have been going through some tough times with this
Covid-19 virus. It has called all of us to be endurance runners in the race of
life. Lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccines, virus passports, have all been a part
of our lives for the last two years in this pandemic. We have either
experienced these situations or watched as others did. What started out as a
sprint, 15 days to slow the spread, has morphed into a marathon of months then
years of suffering and death.
Today’s scripture does speak into our current situation.
First it teaches us that we can look to scripture to find strength to endure
our trials. Scripture has been handed down to us for this very purpose. We as
Christians are taught to be models of endurance to our watching world. We are
to show that we can reach out to our neighbors even in times of illness and loss.
We endure whatever requirements our government puts on us so that we might be a
force for healing and reconciliation in our communities.
We are sent by God out into the world to encourage those
who are discouraged by all the sickness and death we see around us in our
nation and the world. The scriptures speak words of encouragement to us so that
we might spread that encouragement and hope to those we meet each day.
When we feel discouraged and weak, we must ask God to
revive our spirits. This scripture declares that God is a God that longs to
give us the endurance and encouragement we need to be a positive force in this
world. We must not be afraid to ask God for endurance and we must go to the scriptures
for encouragement each day. We are to be of one mind and one voice of hope and
encouragement to our world that is suffering right now. Let us with one voice
now pray that God would strengthen us for the days ahead.
Prayer:
Glory be to our God. We raise our voices in praise of
your wonderous provision for our lives. Help us in this time of world wide
disease and suffering to be beacons of hope for all the world to see. Help us
to rejoice in You despite our circumstances. We thank you for providing us with
the endurance and the encouragement we need to face this hour in world history.
You are a God who saves, save us from despair and discouragement. Let us offer
your salvation to a needy world. In Jesus name we pray this, Amen.
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