Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
“Note that watchfulness and prayer are the necessary mediums, the proper means, at least in part, and a great part of the proper means, to which we are directed for preservation in times of common calamity.”
Thomas Blake (c. 1596-1657) Living Truths in Dying Times: Some Meditations Occasioned by the Present Judgement of the Plague (London: Collection of Puritan Literature, 1665) 6.
In this classic Puritan devotional, we are reminded to be watchful and prayerful during a plague. The watchful part aims to help us stay focused and the prayerful part keeps us centered on God rather than distracted by circumstances.
During this COVID-19 crisis, it is easy to lose track of time. We can be swept away by the news, social media, and other stuff if we are not careful. To be watchful, is to live with increased intentionality.
Blake also urged people during the plague of London to be prayerful. This means that regardless of what was swirling around them, or how big the crisis was, the right path is to entrust our care and worries to our God who is bigger.
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Colossians, urges us also to be thankful. Though he was not writing during a plague, the church was experiencing some opposition and even persecution in places.
Being thankful changes us. When we shift our focus to God, who is greater than our circumstances, we find peace, rest, hope, and joy. We find just what we and others need. And we always have something for which to be thankful.
So, pause and give thanks right now and pray for specific people. Text or email them with encouragement. A generous dose of watchfulness and prayer will sustain us through this calamity as it carried others through plagues in the past.