Where is our hope in COVID times?

During nine months of disruption, anxiety and uncertainty, 41,480 people died as a result of – no, not COVID-19 but German bombing. Eighty years ago, between September 1940 and May 1941, the United Kingdom was suffering at the hands of the German air force in what was known as the Blitz. Before the war’s end, 60,595 civilians had died in this country because of the aerial bombardment. That figure accumulated over a period of five years; who would have predicted that it is an awful possibility that we could see a similar number die in just one year because of a virus. Let us pray to God that this does not come to pass.

When I say ‘let us pray to God’ for a deliverance, I am in earnest. Both those in authority and ordinary people like you and me, seem to be putting their primary hope in a vaccine together with science in general. For those of us who claim to have faith in the Almighty God, ought we not firstly to be calling out to him for the deliverance we need? Then, having our perspective better aligned, we can ask for God’s help on behalf of the scientific community, health workers and all who have a role to play in the current crisis.

In past generations, when scientific understanding was less developed and medical care sparse, looking to God for help was more common. Nowadays, when trouble strikes (be it personal or corporate) there appear to be more options available to us before resorting to God.

Returning to the plight of this country 80 years ago, most readers will have heard of ‘The Miracle of Dunkirk’, when one third of a million men, against all expectation, were successfully evacuated from the French channel coast. When calamity had seemed imminent, King George VI made a stirring broadcast, calling the people of Britain and the Empire, to commit their cause to God with a National Day of Prayer. On Sunday 26 May 1940, together with members of the Cabinet, the King attended Westminster Abbey, whilst millions of his subjects in all parts of the Commonwealth and Empire rallied to the call and attended church to pray in their hour of need. The following morning, the Daily Sketch stated, “Nothing like it has ever happened before.” The amazing deliverance followed during the next week. I would welcome such an initiative now from our Queen, national governments and church.

Interestingly, the Prayer Book used by the Church of England has a number of prayers for use in such times as those we are experiencing at present. They may be found on the Church of England website ("Prayer in any time of plague or sickness").

Here is a prayer I’ve drafted as a suggestion, written in the spirit of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer.

"Almighty God, have pity on us distressed people who have progressively ignored you. We are now suffering great sickness and mortality; please will you withdraw from us this plague and terrible sickness; we ask because we have heard that you are merciful and forgiving; this being told and displayed to us by Jesus in the Bible.

Let it be so. Amen."