> DAY 1
Jesus healed people frequently throughout his ministry. In so many of those instances, spiritual healing came alongside physical healing. Souls and bodies were healed in conjunction. In the midst of a physical health crisis, our prayers for healing can feel overwhelming or unattainable. As hospitals are flooded, our anxiety becomes a shadow. As the days spent at home march on, our stress can get the best of us. As the news stories continue to break, our fears are heightened. Taking care of ourselves is about so much more than good hand washing and social distancing (which are important!) but includes good soul-tending. We have a God that restores sight to the blind and faith to the weary-hearted.
Reflection: What parts of your body need healing right now? What parts of your spirit need healing?
Pray for: Our medical professionals who show up daily and care for the weak, the sick, and the dying. Those who are suffering from physical or mental health ailments. Those who lack access to adequate healthcare.
> DAY 2
When the Israelites were led out of Egypt, the presence of God was manifest in a pillar of cloud by day or a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 15). Each morning the Israelites were instructed to gather manna, a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground, that tasted like wafers made with honey. Part of gathering the manna for the day was to gather just enough for the day. Those who gathered a little had just enough, those who gathered much had no leftovers. Some people didn’t listen and tried to keep their leftovers for the next day but when they woke up the next morning, it had bred worms and stank. Gathering manna was a daily exercise of trusting God. No need to hoard. Everyone would receive a day’s portion every day. Trust can put us in a vulnerable position but it is ultimately freeing. We no longer have to be the only one looking out for ourselves, but we can lean into a partnership with another who cares for us deeply.
Reflection: How can you extend trust to God to sustain your body and your spirit during this time? How can you make yourself available to receive a day’s portion every day?
Pray for: The essential workers: the meal-makers, the grocery store stockers, the package-deliverers, the prescription-fillers, the bank-tellers, the paycheck-providers. Those who have just enough, those who still lack what they need.
> DAY 3
In John 10, Jesus declares that he is a good shepherd. One of his distinct shepherding qualities is that he knows his sheep and the sheep know his voice. As thieves and robbers visit the pasture trying to steal the sheep, they do not follow because the voice they hear is not the one they know. The sheep only follow the voice they recognize and trust. As we journey throughout our personal versions of uncharted territory, so many voices are vying for our attention that it can prove difficult to know to whom we should pay our attention. In the midst of confusion and disruption, where is the voice of our keeper? During this season when every decision can feel monumental, we lift up those who are called to be good shepherds and be faithful to our Good Shepherd.
Reflection: How do you recognize the voice of Jesus the Shepherd apart from all others? How can you cultivate space in your day to listen to that voice?
Pray for: Our ministry leaders, decision-makers, those with people in their care.
> DAY 4
Psalm 9:9-10 - “For the Eternal will be a shelter for those who know misery, a refuge during troubling times. Those who know Your name will rely on You, for You, O Eternal One, have not abandoned those who search for You.”
The housing unit we live in can impact so many other parts of our lives. Moldy carpet can contribute to asthma, the lack of a safe entry/exit can prohibit accessibility, the stress of a rotting floor can lead to anxiety. Living in a safe and healthy home can free us to spend our time and energy being present with our families and communities, rather than having to worry about the next repair. Unfortunately, not all of us have the privilege of describing our home as a place of refuge. As the psalmist describes, God can be a place of shelter for us who endure suffering. Though our physical dwelling place may be lacking, there is no lack of comfort found in the Lord.
Reflection: How have you experienced God’s presence as a place of refuge? Perhaps as you have been staying at home more recently, how do you relate to God as one who can provide shelter to your soul?
Pray for: Those without safe homes or healthy homes. Those without homes at all.
> DAY 5
Another important aspect of Jesus’ ministry was teaching. Whether he was with his disciples or massive crowds, Jesus spent time providing a redefinition of the scriptures and showing the world a counter-cultural way to live. Teaching is no easy task. A teacher must know and relate to their audience. A teacher must study and prepare extensively. A teacher is required to extend vast amounts of patience and grace. The key to a successful teacher/pupil dynamic is that both are invested in the relationship and the content. With every new season comes a new set of learnings—about ourselves, the people around us, or our relationship with the Divine. Sometimes we receive these learnings graciously, other times we can be resistant to the teachings. Thankfully, we have an endlessly merciful teacher who knows how to relate to us. In order to receive those lessons of new living, we must make ourselves humble and available.
Reflection: What new things have you learned, whether mundane or profound, in the last few weeks? How can you become more receptive to the teachings of Jesus?
Pray for: Our educators who are forced to learn a new method of teaching. Our parents-who-just-became-teachers. Our students who are learning in a new environment.
> DAY 6
There was a little song I learned when I was young: “Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. His banner over me is love.” Motions accompanied all of the words of the song. As we would sing “we are the branches” we would stretch out our arms and legs in funny directions to represent the significant area that could be reached while still staying connected to the vine. As a kid, being asked to consider myself as a branch seemed strange and a little uninviting. Me? A branch? But, yes, we are all branches. If this pandemic has revealed anything it is that our actions affect others. We are connected to each other, in ways that may seem difficult to imagine but are nevertheless unavoidable. We need to be connected to each other. And most importantly, we need to be connected to Divine Vine. May the banner of love cover us all.
Reflection: How are you maintaining a connection with yourself, with others, and with God? In what ways are you feeling disconnected?
Pray for: Our sense of connectedness and for those who have become disconnected. Our sense of global unity.
> DAY 7
In Sandra McCracken’s song “Love Will Bring You Home,” she sings:
“You've come so far, how far you've come
Go the distance
Into the arms where you belong
Love will bring you home.”
We have already traveled weeks through a journey that continues to change day after day. Each morning we move farther and farther away from our old normal towards the horizon of a new normal. Though we are weary, we carry on with hope. As our context continues to shift, it becomes increasingly evident how important it is to set our sights on love. Love heals. Love sustains. Love shepherds. Love protects. Love teaches. Love connects. Love will bring us home.
Reflection: What journey are you on right now? How might Love bring home to where you belong?
Pray for: Love to prevail.