O God, yet again we come to you, knowing that our hearts should be full of praise, but our hearts are breaking at the great illness and death toll caused by Ebola virus outbreaks. We feel discouraged and shaken just as when the mighty waters or winds come unexpectedly with destructive force or strife among the nations rage seemingly unchecked.
Yet we know that in the midst of the chaos, You summon us especially to be in the fray, serving as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in this broken world. Through the Gospel, we learn of Jesus’ unrelenting care and embrace of the ill and the marginalized, of Christ’s compassion deeply moving his ministry in the midst of all people. As his disciples, we are called to join Christ wherever suffering abounds.
We are needed to cry out for those who are suffering, especially when fear threatens to overcome our call to treat those in crisis, when medical resources are inaccessible or scarce, when our call to support our neighbors in the global village goes unheeded in our financial support of humanitarian organizations and efforts.
We pray for the work of Baptist World Aid and the All African Baptist Fellowship, gathering and deploying resources to serve persons in need. May the efforts of individuals and organizations, nations and non-governmental organizations be lifted up in our constant prayer, so that more needs can be met and more support can be given to those in most desperate need of medicines, food, clean water and education to prevent the spread of this disease and other challenges to our public health and global well-being.
In the name of Jesus, the Great Physician and the Good Shepherd we pray, AMEN.
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