A Prayer To Be A Good Witness For God In All Things

There’s been lots of talk about decisions health officials and politicians have made about what should remain open, what should be closed etc.  None has generated more heated discussion than limits of public gathering for worship.  Even in places where people could gather they couldn’t sing, for example, and what a difference that makes in how we offer our praise to God together doesn’t it?  From ancient times singing out God’s praise has been important.  We read in Psalm 96 of this instruction in ancient times to His people:

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name;  proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psalm 96:1-3

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,  ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.  Psalm 96:7-10

I’m longing for the day we can safely be together again as a gathered people of God but I also have to say that my heart has been saddened by the way some individuals and groups have responded to government restrictions for periods of time. 

Around the world and across time there have been people – and there certainly are many in our time – who have not been able to meet together to worship God.  Part of the way God’s glory has been declared among the nations has been their faithfulness to God no matter what.  Their stand for the truth of God’s Word in the middle of challenging times has been part of what has won over the hearts of others. 

I’m longing for the stance people take about public worship and government restrictions will be done in such a way that others are drawn to the heart of God rather than turned away by what seems selfish and arrogant decisions.  I’m not commenting on any particular situation here because I’m not a part of any of them but so it’s not for me to say.  I don’t know the hearts of the individuals involved.  I just pray for grace and wisdom from all of us as we represent the Lord in these times.

I think that what is written in the Bible during hard times for Christians in a secular world has relevance for us today. 

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.  2 Timothy 4:1-5

Loving God, we want to be those who stand on the side of truth.  We want everything about our lives to sing out praise to You and to bring worship that You so rightfully deserve.  There’ probably no one right way to do that and only You know what’s going on in the many situations around the world right now where gathering for worship is still restricted by health concerns. Give us grace so in our actions, our words, and our attitudes we will operate with patience, care and courage. 

We want to be those who preach Good News – in season and out of season.  We don’t want to bring disrepute to Your name by being stubborn people who want to do things our own way but we also don’t want to be those who just “go along to get along.”  We need You to show us Your way for us in each situation. 

Help us to find all the ways that are available to us in these days to do the work of an evangelist, to correct, rebuke, and encourage with the truth, with great patience and careful instruction, as we just read we are to do, and above all else to give to You the glory that is due Your name. 

May our private lives be filled with songs and praise and worship so that our public expressions of our desire for the same with other Christians may come from a place of wholehearted devotion to You. Amen