“Therefore, you should pray like this:  Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” 

-Matthew 6:9-13

As we continue to face the immense trial caused by the coronavirus, we need to pray.  I’ve spoken to family members of those battling the virus for their lives.  I’ve prayed with nurses who are absolutely exhausted.  Many have lost their jobs–at the bare minimum for a few months.  I know in our families we’re seeing more conflict as we’re adjusting to new normals.  Our federal and state governments are scrambling to figure out what to do and how to do it.  We need to pray.

Who better to lead us in prayer than Jesus himself?  Using Matthew 6:9-13 as a model, here are some suggested prayer requests for these remarkable times:

“Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy.”  Pray for God’s glory and majesty to be put on display in the midst of this crisis.  Pray that God’s beauty, love, provision, and mercy would be apparent to all.  Pray that people would turn to him for hope. Pray that people would recognize how great God is, even in the midst of suffering.

“Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  Pray for the advancement of God’s kingdom during this time.  Pray that the church would grow, and that the lives of believers would be a shining light as we live out God’s will on earth.  Pray for unbelievers to repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus for salvation.

“Give us today our daily bread.”  Pray for the healing of people suffering with the coronavirus.  Pray for the provision of medical supplies to hospitals.  Pray for the protection of the medical professionals serving on the front lines.  Pray for emotional strength and endurance for nurses and doctors as they deal with so much stress.  Pray for the provision of finances and new jobs for those who have lost jobs.  Pray for wisdom for our governments on all levels.

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”  Pray for an attitude of grace for everyone as we face these difficult times.  Pray for believers to show the love and mercy of God by being quick to forgive when we are wronged.  Pray for families and workplaces to have an environment of grace rather than conflict. Pray that we wouldn’t be self-centered, focusing only on our own needs.

“And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”  Pray for a keen eye towards temptation, especially new kinds of temptation given our extraordinary circumstances.  Pray that we would repent of sin and disobedience wherever we see it, and that we would walk by faith.  Pray that Satan’s attempts to deceive would fail.  Praise God for our ultimate deliverance from Satan through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  

Let’s intercede on behalf of our suffering world during this time.  God is merciful, let’s seek mercy from him.