Connecting with One Another Through Prayer Devotional Wednesday 3/18/20

As the days without seeing family in person may feel like we are separated from one another, praying for loved ones, our community, and the world can connect us in mysterious ways.  I once “heard” that I was to pray for a woman missionary in the Philippines every morning.  I knew her name from a newsletter, and that she was having a very hard time sleeping at night because of an illness.  So every morning (which was nighttime in the Philippines) for 18 months, God reminded me to pray for her.  Much later, in a newsletter she sent out after she returned to the United States, she said that she felt the prayers (not just mine!) and they had helped her to sleep. This time of being physically separated can become for us a time of learning how God connects us in prayer.

Nancy Waldo, St. Mary’s Woods

From St. Teresa of Avila (Spanish, 1515-1582)

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee:
 All thing pass; God never changes.
 Patience attains All that it strives for.
 He who has God Finds he lacks nothing:
 God alone suffices.”

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body.

Prayer suggestion:

When you go to the Lord in prayer today, in addition to praying for protection for your health and that of your loved ones, add a prayer for children home from school and their parents who are trying to keep them well and provide emotional support as the children’s routines are disrupted.