Covid-19, the global pandemic seems to be unabated at the moment. Presently it is said to be more infectious and many children are getting sick with the contagion. Whole families are down with its debilitating symptoms. Sickness and the gloom that follows illness, has cast a shadow on the happiness and wellbeing of our yesteryear lives.
In the midst of these challenging times we have gone down on our knees seeking the Almighty’s mercy. Ceaseless prayers are on our lips. Petitions for the end of the pandemic are constantly whispered. “Please bring back the old times,” we plead to a kind God. We seek divine intervention so that the pandemic would magically and miraculously go away. Yet, have we stopped to ponder and pray for the right favors from God during these unusual times?
Instead of imploring for the virus to disappear into thin air, perhaps we should ask for the virtues of strength and fortitude to shoulder the additional responsibilities that this pandemic demands of us. To merely pray for the pandemic to end is not enough. We need to do our bit for this calamity to pass.
Practices such as wearing of masks, maintaining social distancing, abiding by all the safety protocols that the government has put in place, postponing unnecessary travel, curbing superfluous social get-togethers and getting vaccinated are just some of the few life-style changes that are needed to curtail the contagion. Our prayers should then be aimed at seeking God’s grace so that we could rise up to the fresh demands of being responsible citizens and face graciously the burdens brought by Covid-19.
It is therefore high-time that we learnt to pray differently in this situation. Let us pray for wisdom; let us pray for patience; let us pray for resilience; let us pray for submission to obey the laws of the land; let us pray for brotherly kindness; and above all let us pray that we develop a benevolent spirit that will go beyond I-me-myself and consider the millions who will be losing their battle to Covid-19 because of our collective irresponsible behaviour. Certainly in learning to pray differently we will find that our prayers have already been answered and the end to the pandemic could then be sooner than later.
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