Prayer
God of all people and all nations hear us as we pray. We hear the news that more than 2.6 million* people have died from this terrible pandemic, more than 500,000 in our nation alone, and we confess to becoming numb to the sorrow and pain. Help us to remember that these are not mere statistics on a chart or a graph. Remind us that each one was a human being with a family and friends, each is one of your beloved children. Do not allow us to move to quickly from our grief and become reckless in our desire to return to “normal.”
Give wisdom to our political and religious leaders, give strength to our public health officials. Provide comfort and rest for our first responders, nurses, doctors, and caregivers. Give us patience and perseverance for the days and months ahead so that we could continue on the path to healing and help us to unite in the common goal of defeating this awful virus. This we pray in Christ’s holy name.
Jim Winkler
General secretary of the National Council of Churches USA
This prayer was also published as part of the publication Voices of Lament, Hope and Courage.
* At the time the prayer was first published. For current figures, see covid19.who.int
