Prayer for All Who Worry
from Cameron Bellm’s book, A Consoling Embrace: Prayers for a time of pandemic
When Jesus told us not to worry,
did he know about this?
About our businesses closed,
our rent past due,
our utility bills in a towering unpaid stack?
Did he know about all of us who can’t afford to buy in bulk
and thus are left without basic supplies?
Did he know about our doctors,
our nurses, our hospital staff
tired and terrified,
unable to protect themselves against an insidious disease?
Did he know about our essential workers
afraid to miss a shift in contaminated quarters
for fear of losing their jobs?
Did he know about our working parents
torn between kissing their children and keeping them safe?
Did he know about our elderly ones,
confined in their homes or facilities,
unable to receive a human touch?
Did he know about our children,
cut off from their parks and playgrounds,
from the simple act of hugging their friends?
I think he knew.
I think he knew, too,
that we couldn’t help but worry –
a worry sometimes tinged with anger,
sometimes with grief.
I think he knew we couldn’t help but worry.
And I think he wanted us to know that he can’t help but hold us.
He was right –
we can’t add a single hour to our lives.
But we can choose to spend every hour wrapped in his arms.
Amen.
As the days go by, may you find rest in the loving arms of God. May you continue to find hope in our gatherings each week. Although we are not side-by-side, we are connected – connected in the Spirit of the one who created us and continues to breathe life into us. You are beloved!
Blessings,
