A Prayer For Mental Health Support As The Pandemic Lingers On and On

 We all know the challenges to mental health of long weeks and months in lockdown and the disappointment of hoping things will improve only to have case numbers get worse – to the point of the worst in the pandemic so far locally - and restrictions getting tighter.

All kinds of reporting in the news tells the story of those who grieve and have to do it in a very strange way because they can’t gather to remember and celebrate the life of a loved one. 

Others in places like long term care have been isolated from loved ones for more than a year. And not just those in long term care but those who live alone in the community and haven’t been able to gather with their families for so long. It takes an increasing mental health toll as the weary months move along.

I have the best medicine for our pandemic doldrums

But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.  Psalm 146:5

I want to live joyful today, don’t you?  Joy is not a consequence of circumstances that are without challenge.  Joy is trusting in God and opening our lives to His help as we face difficulties and find blessing in the middle of them all.

These familiar verses remind us of circumstances that can often drag us down:  falling into sin, being ill, dealing with death, feeling a lack of good things, feeling tired and worn out.  They don’t leave us stuck in the middle of the problems but remind us of our God who is present with us today, ready and willing to do tons of good things for us:

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!  Psalm 103:1-5

Heavenly Father, we want to praise You today with all of our hearts.  Our circumstances and our emotions might not be giving us all that much help in doing this but we are going to praise You anyway.  You haven’t stopped doing good things for us and today is no exception.  Help us to open our eyes and ears and hearts to recognize the many many good things that You are doing for us today.

We’re grateful that every sin we’ve ever committed and brought to You for forgiveness has been washed away and removed so far from us that we can never get near them again.  The guilt and shame and condemnation associated with them no longer belongs to us either.  We will not let the evil one weigh us down with discouragement or accusation over our failures.  You are the God of new beginnings and fresh starts and we find joy in that today.

Lots of disease is around us and people are dying every day from many more causes than just Covid-19.  All our lives have been impacted by grief and loss of those we love who have gotten sick or who have died.  We bring our grieving hearts to You, God, and allow You to draw us out of the depths of despair to a place of comfort and care that You are making available to us today.

Let all that I am praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.  Psalm 146:1b-2

In whatever state we find ourselves in today, God, we will remember, we will praise You as long as we have breath because You are good and You are with us, actively working on our behalf.  Thank you. Amen

No matter what circumstances we see before us today, we can always thank God for His kindness, His faithfulness, His love, His mercy, for filling our lives with all that is good.