You have Transformed the Face of the Earth
Lord, our God, you have brought us into the middle of a battle: a battle fought with an almost invisible enemy – a virus; a battle fought not by soldiers but by doctors and nurses; a battle not fought by guns and tanks but by simple soaps and medicines; a battle fought not on the battlefield but in our homes and hospitals; a battle fought not as a battalion, but in isolation and self-distancing. You have taught us, Lord, discipline and contentment with little essentials in this battle. You have made us realize, Lord, that the enemy is within and not outside.
This war, Lord, that we unleashed on ourselves has changed our lives, our priorities, our relationships, our mentalities and our dreams. As you changed us, Lord, you have also quietly transformed the face of many a city in the world:
The city of New York that never sleeps is now asleep and all quiet. The center of romance, the city of Paris, lives in echoes. Rome the "eternal city", is deserted. Disney is out of magic. London is caged in silence and Mecca is empty: Nobody to 'stone the devil'! The great wall of China is no longer a fortress.
The powerful nations of the world are speechless. The developed countries of the world are suddenly on their knees. Churches, Synagogues, Temples and Mosques are all silent. Theaters, movie halls, great parks, monuments, stadiums and beaches are now filled with unfilled spaces. The busiest places at present, Lord, are hitherto the most dreaded, hospitals and cemeteries.
The famous sports leagues, the fashion shows, exotic weddings, festivals... all lost to memory. Celebrities have run out of celebrations. Our titles, status and privileged positions are stale. With all our boastful 'citizenships' we cannot step out of our houses. With all our savings in gold and cash, we can only buy food to eat and toilet papers to take care of the waste.
Lord, we used to go out to watch animals in cages, now animals roam our empty streets, watching us in our 'cages'. Despite having expensive and exotic clothes and shoes, our house clothes, shorts and pyjamas are the latest fashion.
And despite all these 'oddities', your world, Lord, still goes on; the sun still shines, rains cool the heat of summer; the birds still sing; our God is still on His Throne. When this long night finally gets over and a new day sets in, let us not, Lord, forget the lesson of the long night - that the only essential is LIFE, the rest are but dispensable prefixes and suffixes - busy emptiness. Help us, Lord, to live life, with a purpose and to the fullest: to be a blessing to someone, pleasing our God - our creator, sustainer and saviour. We shall remember that this world is not our permanent dwelling place... All else is vanity.
Praise and glory to our God on high. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Lord, our God, you have brought us into the middle of a battle: a battle fought with an almost invisible enemy – a virus; a battle fought not by soldiers but by doctors and nurses; a battle not fought by guns and tanks but by simple soaps and medicines; a battle fought not on the battlefield but in our homes and hospitals; a battle fought not as a battalion, but in isolation and self-distancing. You have taught us, Lord, discipline and contentment with little essentials in this battle. You have made us realize, Lord, that the enemy is within and not outside.
This war, Lord, that we unleashed on ourselves has changed our lives, our priorities, our relationships, our mentalities and our dreams. As you changed us, Lord, you have also quietly transformed the face of many a city in the world:
The city of New York that never sleeps is now asleep and all quiet. The center of romance, the city of Paris, lives in echoes. Rome the "eternal city", is deserted. Disney is out of magic. London is caged in silence and Mecca is empty: Nobody to 'stone the devil'! The great wall of China is no longer a fortress.
The powerful nations of the world are speechless. The developed countries of the world are suddenly on their knees. Churches, Synagogues, Temples and Mosques are all silent. Theaters, movie halls, great parks, monuments, stadiums and beaches are now filled with unfilled spaces. The busiest places at present, Lord, are hitherto the most dreaded, hospitals and cemeteries.
The famous sports leagues, the fashion shows, exotic weddings, festivals... all lost to memory. Celebrities have run out of celebrations. Our titles, status and privileged positions are stale. With all our boastful 'citizenships' we cannot step out of our houses. With all our savings in gold and cash, we can only buy food to eat and toilet papers to take care of the waste.
Lord, we used to go out to watch animals in cages, now animals roam our empty streets, watching us in our 'cages'. Despite having expensive and exotic clothes and shoes, our house clothes, shorts and pyjamas are the latest fashion.
And despite all these 'oddities', your world, Lord, still goes on; the sun still shines, rains cool the heat of summer; the birds still sing; our God is still on His Throne. When this long night finally gets over and a new day sets in, let us not, Lord, forget the lesson of the long night - that the only essential is LIFE, the rest are but dispensable prefixes and suffixes - busy emptiness. Help us, Lord, to live life, with a purpose and to the fullest: to be a blessing to someone, pleasing our God - our creator, sustainer and saviour. We shall remember that this world is not our permanent dwelling place... All else is vanity.
Praise and glory to our God on high. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
