Prayer of a Pandemician

By CSU Media | July 27, 2020

COVID-19 appeared, and we lost all control
First physically tired, now weary in soul
Enduring lockdown, stuck in quarantine
Making the most of this unwelcome routine
We assumed two weeks, no more than three
Then back to normal, but it wasn’t to be
Lord, how did we land in this position?
Living the life of a pandemician

Millions infected, one hundred thousand dead
Wild speculation on stopping the spread
All kinds of experts with something to say
Best advice we got was to seek You and pray
For heroes who show Christ’s kind of love
By working their shifts, wearing their scrubs
Put their lives on the line, want no recognition
Besides increasing the ranks of the pandemician

Church on the couch, no restaurants allowed
Too risky to be a face in the crowd
Missing colleagues, students, family, and friends
Does this tunnel have a light at the end?
Hour after hour, task after task
Do I need gloves? Should I wear a mask?
Irregular sleep, unhealthy nutrition
Such is the plight of a pandemician

You treasured each prayer, measured each cry
When it took all we had to merely get by
No separation between home life and work
Some days a saint, some days a jerk
Solitary confinement, all day inside
No place to run, nowhere to hide
Parent, professional—head-on collision
One day at a time for each pandemician

Stock market freefall, so many jobs lost
Businesses closed, incalculable cost
But through every trial, You speak through Your Word
The Spirit of Truth shouting just to be heard
Sometimes You whisper yet capture the room
Thanks for coming Yourself and not using Zoom
We know ailments are healed by the one Great Physician
Who comforts the heart of each pandemician

“Don’t waste this pandemic, learn what you can”
You said “Come unto Me so you’ll understand”
“That My yoke is easy, My burden is light”
“And I use hard times to turn faith into sight”
“That this is what resting in Christ is about”
“At the end of yourself, in the face of your doubt”
“When circumstances cloud your heavenly vision”
“Remember that I was the first Pandemician”

Lord, You walked the same road we’re traveling now
To demonstrate clearly the Why and the How
Of coming to know You in a personal way
And the joy of living for that glorious Day
When pandemics will end and our trials will cease
And we stroll hand-in-hand with the Prince of Peace
Who loves us and leads us to the point of decision
That following Christ is best for each pandemician

When my questions outnumber Your answers some days
Your Presence alone is enough reason to praise
If the virus persists, and no vaccine is found
Help us trust You completely as we rebound
But if the miracle cure for which we have prayed
Falls into our lap, may we be not afraid
To proclaim that the Source of our upgraded condition
Is the Lord God Almighty, Who loves each pandemician

Pan*de*mi*cian (pan´ də mi´ shən)
Noun. One who has endured a pandemic.

Published in CSU Magazine, Summer 2020