In the last few months we’ve all become more familiar with the word “pandemic” than we ever imagined we would. And I’m sure we’d all be happy if the need for the word would now disappear. We know, however, that it likely will continue to dominate the news and inhabit our conversations for some time to come, as the troubling dangers and consequences of the deadly coronavirus linger on, with no clear ending point in sight.
As menacing as it might sound, if the word “pandemic” is going to be with us for a while, perhaps it can also teach and remind us, as followers of Christ, of how we should pray. You see, the word “pandemic” comes from the Greek word “pandemos,” which means “all the people.” It’s composed of two Greek words: “demos,” meaning “people” or “population,” and “pan,” meaning “all.”
As we appeal to God for his mercy in the midst of this pandemic, let us also plead for the “pan” in the pandemic! In a time of crisis, it is tempting for us to look first, or even only, to our own needs or the needs and concerns of our immediate community. That’s understandable, and I suspect it is what many people are doing. Followers of Jesus, however, knowing that they have been commissioned to “make disciples of all nations,” will want to be mindful of, and be in prayer for, more than those who are closest to us. The pandemic has affected all people everywhere – that’s what the word itself says – and we know that Jesus loves and cares for ALL people! “For God so loved the world,” Jesus said, “that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
God doesn’t love just some people. God loves the world, ALL people, “pandemos!” In the midst of this “pandemic,” we who are part of the World Mission Prayer League have been keeping our eyes – and our prayers – on the “pan.” All people of the world are experiencing challenges, and sometimes great hardships, because of the pandemic. This is especially true in some of the developing and impoverished countries where we serve. Thus, we sense that God has called us especially to commit a portion of our prayers and our resources to the needs and Kingdom efforts of our partnering ministries who are facing and addressing the impacts of COVID-19 in other parts of the world.
In these weeks our Board of Directors has granted assistance from our estate funds to partner organizations that ordinarily are largely self-sustaining, but are now unable to provide for their workers due to the pandemic lockdowns. Others have told us they desire only our prayers at this time. They have shared with us stories of how they, like many ministries in North America, are adapting for these times, finding new ways to care for the communities where God has placed them, and to share the Good News with those who are experiencing so much that is bad. Even as they face their own struggles, God is calling and empowering them to be light to those in darkness.
Who are these dear partners? Christian hospitals in Bangladesh (LAMB), Nepal and Pakistan continue ministering to their communities even with their revenue streams under duress. Congregations in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico connect via social media and strive to care for one another and their neighbors. The Bilingual School in Cuenca, Ecuador, explores new ways to educate and disciple young people online while adapting their financial stewardship. The congregations of the North Western Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in India are seeing house churches multiply and serving meals to desperate uprooted migrant workers. Fellow Lutheran church workers and leaders in Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, whom we’ve been privileged to come alongside, are facing their times of struggle with God-given resilience and integrity, determined to see their people not only survive but also serve. Strategic partners elsewhere in Asia are also facing serious financial challenges, but are trusting the Lord for his provision, seeking his mercy, and communicating his power and grace to their still unreached neighbors.
How can we pray for them? Certainly, let’s pray that God will provide for their needs, but also that he will use these challenging times to mold them more and more to the image of his Son, the suffering servant. Let’s pray that God would give them hope, but also that he would prepare them “to give an answer to everyone who asks [them] to give the reason for the hope that [they] have.” (1 Peter 3:15) Let us pray that the life and witness of believers around the world – the global Church of Jesus Christ – would be such that those who don’t yet know the Savior would wonder, ask – and receive!
Dear friends, in these troubling times, let us seek the Lord and trust in him! (Ps. 46:1,2; 77:2; 50:15) But let us not fail also to remember the “pan” in pandemic, for indeed ALL people are facing unprecedented troubles, and ALL believers are invited to find and share their peace in Jesus, so that ALL people might turn to him as the Savior and Lord of ALL. (John 16:33) All glory to him, Amen.