God — I am much older now. But, within me is the six-year old boy, pictured here, who contracted polio, went to the hospital and was quarantined in a hospital instead of going to first grade.
Then, like now with the Coronavirus Pandemic, there was no vaccine. Hospitals were overloaded with patients and unable to meet the demands for respirators and iron lungs. Water was tested in many homes. There was uncertainty as to how polio was transmitted. Pools were closed. Children were required to take long naps each afternoon. Children were not allowed to play together. And, if a child or adult contracted polio, some cases were mild and others ranged from death, to being in an iron lung forever, to being crippled, or in braces or being wheelchair bound for the rest of their lives.
God, today I thank You for the lessons we learned from over 300,000 American men, women and children getting polio and millions more around the globe who fell victim to or died from polio.
God, You are all about hope and transforming bad things into good and Godly things.
God, with polio, You taught us lessons to deal with this pandemic. Please help us to:
Pray for the cure to come;
Pray for us to provide for our families while remembering to care for and share with others in need;
Pray not to hoard essential goods but to take only what we need so that others in need can have their pantry shelves full;
Pray that those who are prevented from wrongfully price gouging others turn their acts of greed into acts of charity; for example the men who are stuck with 14,000 bottles of hand sanitizer can gift them to a charity to distribute to those who need them;
Pray for us to provide meals to children who no longer are in schools, as the school meals are often the only daily nourishment received by many of them;
Pray for us to call, Skype, FaceTime, send a card or letter to those who are shut in or separated from their family and friends, especially the elderly and those who have underlying health conditions.
God, I thank You that because of Your love in their leaders, corporate America is doing its part by letting corporate profits take a back seat in order to be compassionate to others. Many companies are paying workers who are not working. Companies are enabling workers to work remotely. And Apple allowing those who use the Apple Card to skip their March 2020 payments without accruing interest and without any adverse reporting to credit agencies.
God, I pray that You will help all of us throughout the world to be our best selves at the worst time in decades.
God, although we do not have all the answers, we always have You.
Right now, adequate supplies, a cure, and an effective treatment may be lacking, but there is always an abundance of Your presence and love for us. Amen
If you like this prayer, please share.
If you want to purchase for yourself or a friend a copy of Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love or Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation or Divorce, please click on here to go to Amazon.
Jack H. Emmott is a Senior Counsel of Gray, Reed & McGraw, LLP, a 145-lawyer full-service firm in Houston, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, a Board-Certified Family Law and Master Credentialed Collaborative Law Professional Divorce Attorney, Mediator, Author, Entrepreneur and Inspirational Speaker. For more information about Jack or his latest book, Bending Angels: Living Messengers of God’s Love, go to the Bending Angel website.