The Bible study group that I am part of is reading God and the Pandemic by N.T. Wright. Part of one assignment was to write a prayer of Lament. Here’s mine:

O God, You created our bodies complete with a complex immunity system to protect us against infection and heal us from the inside out. You also created the viruses that mutate relentlessly in a seeming effort to wipe out the human race.

You could eliminate this virus if You wanted to; as of yet You haven’t, and so we die.

But You also blessed us with intelligence like Your own, so we look for ways to fight. Lord, thank You for the fighters.

You have given us common sense so we can protect ourselves. Lord, thank you for the CDC guidelines.

Lord, You gave us the Great Commandment to love You and our neighbors. Lord, thank You for the neighbors who are helping one another.

Nevertheless, Lord, the fighters and the helpers are dying off as are the old and the young, the poor and the rich. How long will You let Your people suffer? How long must we watch our livelihoods crumble, our life’s work turn into dust? Remember Your plan to prosper us and not to harm us.

Dear God, Your love for us is everlasting and You hear us when we pray. You are our Rock and our Salvation. Save us now.

What You do is right and just. Amen.