Here is the Power of Prayer to deal with Coronavirus anxiety
When facing the fear of the unknown, turning to an all-knowing God is a good start to responding with clarity and direction. Power Of Prayer To Deal With Coronavirus Anxiety
The 24/7 news coverage of the coronavirus updates spread even more quickly than the virus itself, leading many to wonder if we’re facing a plague of perhaps Biblical proportions. In almost real-time, the world is giving the tally of confirmed cases globally, as well as the casualties. Nations across the globe have closed schools, the United Nations is reporting that some 290 million children are home from school, giving parents a daily reminder of the fears of infection.
The airlines that fly more than thousands of people a day are panicked as people see airplanes as giant Petri dishes and are opting not to fly.
Churches, where hugs and handshakes are frequent, have transitioned to fist and elbow bumps, and worshipers are avoiding the holy water. Pope Francis avoided the crowds by giving his weekly address and blessing over the internet from the Vatican library rather than his usual window where the crowds would gather below.
Prayer reduces anxiety
Paul tells the believers in the book of Philippians not to worry or to be anxious about anything. Instead, Paul instructs them they should pray for God’s blessing and make supplication for his protection and do it all with thanksgiving.
Some reject the instruction of scripture to pray in times of need. This hostility or indifference toward prayer and faith is dangerous in a moment of crisis and dismissive of an important practice for human being.
Studies show that prayer reduces anxiety and depression. A reduction in anxiety allows people to process and react to external events with a more cognitive rather than emotional manner. And a time in which there is worldwide concern over a virus without a treatment, a strategic and peaceful approach to problem solving is a good thing.
The facts make clear the coronavirus is potent and there is not yet a treatment or cure.
A good start
When faced with fear of the unknown, turning to an all-knowing God is a good place to start. And for people of faith, we know that God answers prayers and that, as it says in James 5:16, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
That doesn’t mean we only pray; we act as well, but, calmed by the awareness of the presence of God, we can respond with clarity and direction.
