It’s no secret that we’re living in a time of uncertainty and confusion. A virus has swept across the globe and taken away many lives. As we’re all affected by Coronavirus in one way or another, where do we turn for answers? The government doesn’t seem to be able to give us them. Where do we get our information? Where do we put our faith and trust? Is it any wonder that more people than ever are asking how to pray?
More People Praying
According to a survey conducted by the charity Tearfund, more people are turning to prayer in this pandemic. The actual stats make for really interesting reading. Five percent of respondents said they have started praying during lockdown, having not prayer previously. Five percent also said they watched or listened to religious services having not attended church before. Over a quarter of those surveyed said they have prayed at least once a month. Of these almost half said they were praying because they believe in God. A third stated they pray because they believe it makes a difference and 24 are using prayer as comfort to ease loneliness during isolation.
Are We Not Fulfilled?
What are we filling our lives with if were not fulfilled? Why are we starting to reach out and pray? Many of us purely focus on our work and career. So many jobs have been lost and perhaps those people suddenly have nothing filling their heart? Others focus on travel, which, whilst eye opening, as been stopped in an instant. Some spend their lives down the pub, living pay cheque to pay cheque. Now they’re having to stay at home. Do the things we fill our lives with not really matter? If asking how to pray in times of trouble should we be turning to prayer in all walks of our life, positive and negative?
Faith In The Media
As much as religion often takes a battering in the national media, there are plenty of well known celebrities who are using their position to celebrate their faith. From Tom Hanks and Chris Pratt to Mark Wahlberg, Carrie Underwood, Denzel Washington and Dwayne Johnson, there are lots of A-listers who put their faith in God. Stormzy is in a position in the music industry to speak about his faith through his lyrics and he does. Blinded By Your Faith opened the eyes of many people and he gave glory to God at the Brits.
Wasn’t Prayer Redundant?
It’s not long ago since people were saying that the churches and religion were “redundant and irrelevant”. There was a discussion about how science is making religion unnecessary. Yet, in this unprecedented time, whilst science is battling against disease, people are also turning to prayer. Perhaps we’re looking for something to grab hold of in desperate times. What if we grabbed hold of that all the time though? Would it help us when these times of chaos roll around? If you are asking how to pray, contact a local church or someone you know who has a faith. As much as it’s been proven that Google listens to what we’re saying, the search engine probably isn’t the answer.
Blessing The UK
Churches have come together across the nation. Weekly prayer meetings have been taking place, teams have combined efforts to provide meals for communities, a song has even gone viral. The UK Blessing is a version of The Blessing, with countless churches singing together. Not only are they singing a blessing over our country, they are blessing in themselves, providing support to anyone and everyone who needs it at this time. This is one avenue you can go down if you’re asking how to pray. Church buildings are closed but the church is alive.
