National Day of Prayer – May 7, 2020
My morning routine usually follows the same pattern each day. I wake up, brush my teeth, get dressed, get the coffee started, and as the coffee is brewing I pray.
I pray for the start of a new day as the morning sunlight begins to creep through the windows. I pray for God’s creation as I watch the birds and squirrels in our backyard. I pray for people – for my family, for my friends and neighbors, and for our church. These days I pray especially for medical workers, delivery drivers, cashiers, meatpackers – and all those people whose jobs not only put them at risk, but are necessary to keep the rest of us healthy, fed, and supplied. I pray for those who have lost their jobs, and worry where their next meal will come from, or how long they’ll be able to keep a roof over their families’ heads.
In situations like the pandemic our world is in today, our prayers matter more than ever. We trust in God to give wisdom and insight to the scientists working on treatments and vaccines. We trust in God to hasten the recoveries of the sick. We trust in God to bless and comfort the grieving, that those who are taken from us by Covid will be welcomed into His eternal kingdom of love and peace.
At this point, the Reformed Church in America has lost two of our giants of ministry and theology. The Rev. Dr. Allan Janssen, who, among other things, was my professor for Church Polity and also for Credo at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary was taken from us and into God’s glory on April 3.
And the Rev. Dr. Gregg Mast, the former President of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, who served during my entire time as a student there, passed into the nearer presence of our Lord on April 27.
Beyond these two friends and colleagues, I have many friends who have lost loved ones – brothers, mothers, and grandparents. And I know that many people in our congregation know people as well – people who have passed, people who had Covid and recovered, and people who are still fighting it.
And even as the Covid pandemic occupies the forefronts of our minds, we also know that life goes on, and that prayers are needed for the regular course of our lives. So we continue to pray for the aches and pains and illnesses that we still suffer that aren’t Covid-related. We pray for the spiritual, mental, and emotional health of people living in isolation. We pray for all people in financial hardships.
And we continue to pray in thanksgiving as well – for students looking forward to unorthodox graduations. For the new babies born each day. For the opportunities we may have gotten to reconnect with old friends and distant family members.
Most of all we pray in gratitude to our Lord. For the love that is flooding into the world. For the work being done by our God and through us to bring us out of our present circumstances. For the work He has done to create so many generous hearts, as even in these fearful times, we can see so many kindnesses and acts of love.
I hope that each and every one of us will take the time every day, but especially today, to pray to our God for the health and peace of His world, for the safety and prosperity of His people, and for thanksgiving for the loving hearts and resilient spirits He has poured into so many people, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
May God bless our world, bless our country, bless our church, and bless us and all our families, friends, and neighbors.
- Pastor Dave
My morning routine usually follows the same pattern each day. I wake up, brush my teeth, get dressed, get the coffee started, and as the coffee is brewing I pray.
I pray for the start of a new day as the morning sunlight begins to creep through the windows. I pray for God’s creation as I watch the birds and squirrels in our backyard. I pray for people – for my family, for my friends and neighbors, and for our church. These days I pray especially for medical workers, delivery drivers, cashiers, meatpackers – and all those people whose jobs not only put them at risk, but are necessary to keep the rest of us healthy, fed, and supplied. I pray for those who have lost their jobs, and worry where their next meal will come from, or how long they’ll be able to keep a roof over their families’ heads.
In situations like the pandemic our world is in today, our prayers matter more than ever. We trust in God to give wisdom and insight to the scientists working on treatments and vaccines. We trust in God to hasten the recoveries of the sick. We trust in God to bless and comfort the grieving, that those who are taken from us by Covid will be welcomed into His eternal kingdom of love and peace.
At this point, the Reformed Church in America has lost two of our giants of ministry and theology. The Rev. Dr. Allan Janssen, who, among other things, was my professor for Church Polity and also for Credo at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary was taken from us and into God’s glory on April 3.
And the Rev. Dr. Gregg Mast, the former President of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary, who served during my entire time as a student there, passed into the nearer presence of our Lord on April 27.
Beyond these two friends and colleagues, I have many friends who have lost loved ones – brothers, mothers, and grandparents. And I know that many people in our congregation know people as well – people who have passed, people who had Covid and recovered, and people who are still fighting it.
And even as the Covid pandemic occupies the forefronts of our minds, we also know that life goes on, and that prayers are needed for the regular course of our lives. So we continue to pray for the aches and pains and illnesses that we still suffer that aren’t Covid-related. We pray for the spiritual, mental, and emotional health of people living in isolation. We pray for all people in financial hardships.
And we continue to pray in thanksgiving as well – for students looking forward to unorthodox graduations. For the new babies born each day. For the opportunities we may have gotten to reconnect with old friends and distant family members.
Most of all we pray in gratitude to our Lord. For the love that is flooding into the world. For the work being done by our God and through us to bring us out of our present circumstances. For the work He has done to create so many generous hearts, as even in these fearful times, we can see so many kindnesses and acts of love.
I hope that each and every one of us will take the time every day, but especially today, to pray to our God for the health and peace of His world, for the safety and prosperity of His people, and for thanksgiving for the loving hearts and resilient spirits He has poured into so many people, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
May God bless our world, bless our country, bless our church, and bless us and all our families, friends, and neighbors.
- Pastor Dave