Do you still believe in the power of prayer? Do we as a church still believe in the power of prayer? Where does our hope come from? Medical advances and innovation? Doctors? The vaccine? Following the lockdown rules? Staying in and staying safe? Or is our hope founded on God?

Our whole country, including our health service, our education system, our economy and people’s mental health are in crisis at the moment, taken to its knees by the Covid virus which is spreading fear and a sense of hopelessness amongst many.

“If our hope really is in God then it is vital that we all, every one of us, show our communities, our country and the world that we still believe in the power of prayer.”

If our hope really is in God then it is vital that we all, every one of us, show our communities, our country and the world that we still believe in the power of prayer. We need to humble ourselves before God and be praying constantly for deliverance from this virus. We need to ask for God’s guidance, for the healing of our nation and the world and for wisdom for our leaders in medicine and government. And we need to share our hope with others.

As many of my team know, one of my favourite verses is Acts 2:26 which states clearly where our hope is found.

King David said: I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out.
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.

- The Message

This Christmas I twice had to light the Advent Candles. Week by week we celebrated the Hope, Peace, Love and Joy that Jesus brought into the world and I have been reflecting on these four words ever since.

As I lit the Candle of Hope on the first Sunday of Advent we remembered the following verses from Lamentations 3: 21-24

‘But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
God’s mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in the Lord.”’

And we prayed:

‘Gracious God, as the Advent season begins, we cry out to you. We come to you looking for hope.
When everything else fails us, we hope and trust in you.
When we do not understand what is happening, we hope in you.
We know you and we know you are here with us no matter what we are facing. Please help us to look towards the light and fill us with the hope of the coming of Jesus. Amen.’

The second candle that I lit, at the Christingle Service, was the Candle of Joy.

This Christmas my gift from my daughter in law, Hannah, was two small embroidery frames embroidered beautifully with the words Hope and Joy. I have hung these little frames on the doors of the loft hatch and the linen cupboard that I pass on my way up to my bedroom at night and again on my way down in the morning.

As I climb the stairs, however I am feeling, and whatever has happened during the day, these little words remind me to focus on the things that day that have bought me joy and to have hope for tomorrow. As I lie awake at night, which at the moment I frequently do, they remind me to cling on to the promise that ‘the joy of the Lord is my strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10) and to remember the words of one of my favourite hymns: ‘My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ love and righteousness.’ (Edward Mote).

As I descend the stairs in the morning they remind me to be hopeful and to look for joy as I go through a new day. There are always things, however small, that bring us joy - a robin singing on a bush, the frosty trees sparkling in the morning sunshine, a photo of those I love smiling at me from a wall or sideboard, or even a cup of tea in my favourite mug. Each new day is a gift full of hope and in hope we find joy.

In November, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishop of London called the church to pray for the nation, calling us to be ‘calm, courageous and compassionate’ in these ‘deeply challenging and difficult times’ and reminding us that ‘when we are surrounded by fear and suffering, and it can be hard to feel hopeful.’

Our God of Hope doesn’t change and, as Antony reminded us on Wednesday, ‘He is faithful to His promises, love and purposes, even when they are different to what we expect.’ God, and God alone, is the one who can bring an end to this virus.

My little Joy and Hope pictures remind me at the beginning and end of every day to keep praying and to keep trusting God, on whom my hope is founded, to guide us through. What will you use to remind you to pray?

• Please let us all pray earnestly together for God to act and overcome this virus.

• Please tell others you are praying and that you believe in the power of prayer.

• Please ask others what you can pray for them.

• Please share your hope in your conversations with neighbours and friends and share verses of scripture that show where your hope comes from.

Many, many people are feeling overwhelmed and anxious at this time and are open to being prayed for. Our country and our world are looking for hope - and we know where that hope comes from.

So, ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). And ‘may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ (Romans 15:13)

Kate Diwakar
Toddler Pastor

Hope and Pray