The saints need to persevere in prayer (Col 4:2) and make petition for all men (1 Tim 2:1). We as believers desire to live a tranquil life in order to pursue the Lord (1 Tim 2:2), hence everything that encumbers our Christian life and church life must be put away (Heb 12:1). Although we acknowledge that this viral outbreak has been permitted by God in His sovereignty, we are also aware of the spiritual forces of evil (Eph 6:12) using the situation to negatively impact the church and even all men. Therefore, we must exercise our faith to pray and make petition before our God. Then He will surely hear our prayer and execute His will on the earth (Matt 16:19). We ask the saints to specifically pray for the following:
- That the Lord will grant wisdom, strength, and skill to our government officials and to health workers as they face this epidemic. That the spread of the COVID-19 will be contained and halted. That all the saints would remain healthy and be kept from contracting this illness.
- That the saints will pursue the Lord in His word. The goal is to finish the Old Testament with footnotes in 2 years (2021 and 2022).
- That the saints will exercise their spirit all the time whether in the meeting or outside the meetings and that our church life may remain vital and that our meetings, conferences, and trainings may resume as soon as possible.
- That the saints will bear fruit by gaining at least one gospel friend and one dormant saint this year (2021).
First Thessalonians 5:23 and 24 say, “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it.” Our faithful God who has called us will also sanctify us wholly and preserve our entire being complete. Surely this divine faithfulness is a sweet attribute of God.
Finally, let us set our mind on things which are above and not on the things which are on the earth (Col. 3:2). Then we shall see that our trials are for the proving of our faith, resulting in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of the Lord (1 Pet 1:6-7).