The Power of Prayer

We are living in very troublesome times these days.  If ever there was a time for solidarity among the people of this planet who take their faith in God seriously, that certainly would be now.

Peace Catalyst International seeks to promote such solidarity among Muslims and Christians, and this crisis underscores the importance of your membership in Peace Catalyst Florida. Thank you for joining with us.

Today I urge you to pray for those on our planet who find, or will find, themselves to be victims of this Coronavirus. We must not underestimate the power of our prayers. This blog is entitled, A Divine Wink. I believe God gives us a Divine wink to assure us that, when we pray, He hears our prayers. Our prayers are important. In the New Testament  epistle of James, we read, “The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.” (James 5:16) And in the Holy Quran we read, "Seek Allah's help with patient perseverance and prayer.” (Quran 2:45)

And it doesn’t matter if the prayer comes from a Muslim or a Christian. It was a devastating day several years ago, when my younger brother, Steve, was hospitalized and diagnosed with advanced cancer.  A nurse in the hospital told us that she was praying for my brother. When I asked her what church she attended, I was surprised when she told me about the mosque that she attended. I gratefully thanked her, and I asked her to continue to pray for my brother.  God gave my brother one additional year of quality life before he passed away. Among the many who prayed for him, I do not, in anyway, discount the effectiveness of that dear Muslim woman’s prayers.

What we need now is planet-wide prayer. Christians and Muslims together make up more than half of this planet’s population. I believe God will hear us, and I believe God will work through us to avert this crisis. Pray that God will intervene to deliver us from this health crisis.  More importantly, we should pray that God will reveal to us what we can do to be part of the solution.

Lyle Milligan, a friend of mine, shared these words from Martin Luther, in 1527 during the bubonic plague: “Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above.”

Martin Luther’s words sound ominously similar to what we are facing now and what we should be doing.

Let me share with you examples of the effectiveness of our prayers regarding this coronavirus pandemic.

People who normally do not put a high priority on their faith in God are now talking about the need for prayer. This alone is an answer to prayer.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, “For years cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians has been in retreat as peace negotiations became a remote prospect, as governments focused on mutual demonization, and as President Donald Trump cut support for the Palestinian Authority. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has forced the sides to put recriminations on hold and instead work together to save lives. Palestinian health care professionals have received training in Israeli hospitals, Israeli labs have analyzed Palestinian COVID-19 diagnostic tests, and doctors on both sides are sharing data.” Alhamdulillah.  Praise the Lord.

This is cause for rejoicing. Please note also:

• China has closed down its last coronavirus hospital. Not enough new cases to support them.
• Doctors in India have been successful in treating Coronavirus. Combination of drugs used: Lopinavir, Retonovir, Oseltamivir along with Chlorphenamine. They are going to suggest same medicine, globally.
• Researchers of the Erasmus Medical Center claim to have found an antibody against coronavirus.
• A 103-year-old Chinese grandmother has made a full recovery from COVID-19 after being treated for 6 days in Wuhan, China.
• Cleveland Clinic developed a COVID-19 test that gives results in hours, not days.
• Good news from South Korea, where the number of new cases is declining.
• Italy is hit hard, experts say, only because they have the oldest population in Europe.
• A network of Canadian scientists are making excellent progress in Covid-19 research.
• All 7 patients who were getting treated for the virus at Safdarjung hospital in New Delhi have recovered.
• Plasma from newly recovered patients from Covid -19 can treat others infected by Covid-19.

Source: https://www.radio.com/blogs/corey-james/ten-good-news-stories-surrounding-the-coronavirus-outbreak

And Amany Shalaby, a faculty member at University of Sufism, posted on Facebook:

“Wow! This coronavirus is doing an amazing job that health ad wellness could not do. It is making enemies help one another. The United Arab Emirates sends help to Iran as they fear the virus would eventually spread to them.”

So it's not all bad news, my friends. Let's care for each other and stay focused on safety for those most vulnerable while continuing to make the best of our days! And keep praying.

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