"I love the sense of satisfaction that I get when I’ve done a swimming workout or race, and know that I gave my whole being and heart to God in every moment of the swim. It’s the best worship I can offer him."
How to pray
Sovereign Lord…Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 2:23-30Have you wondered why God allowed Covid 19? I certainly have! Now in my head I understand why it happened. I also think it is unhelpful to see Covid 19 as God’s judgement. Illness is part of being human – of course, we can debate humanity’s part in how our world has been spoilt but that is not really helpful either just now. Nor should we interpret God’s promises to expect Christians to be exempt from human tragedies. Christians are dying from Covid 19 and Christians are losing loved ones.
I know that in my head but when I see how my plans for 2020 have been decimated the question does come into my mind!
We can learn a lot from the prayer in Acts 2. The church was growing, amazing things were happening – just as Jesus had promised. Then Bang! Peter and John are arrested.
The prayer begins with an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty – God created and he spoke. When we ask ‘why did God allow it?’ we implicitly question his sovereignty. Were the believers thinking, ‘if God really is all-powerful, why did he not stop the Jews from arresting Peter and John?’
The prayer faces the difficulty head-on “reminding themselves that despite appearance, God was very much in control*”. God was not taken by surprise by the arrest of the apostles or by Covid 19.
Note too that the prayer does not ask God to take away the problem (of Jewish opposition) but asks God to help them to continue to be effective in their ministry.
Rather than being frustrated that I cannot go to the Olympics this year, I should be praying for God to help me to see and use the unique 2020 opportunities.
*Caroline Fletcher, Encounter with God, June 2020