Social Distancing and Prayer

How is it affecting your prayer life?

We can no longer connect physically as we pray

In these days of social distancing (which, as someone has rightly said, should be called spatial distancing, since our social interaction should still be close), we have little opportunity to pray with others. Much of our prayers need to be offered from a different location from that of the person for whom we are praying.

While that is, in fact normal practice for much of our prayers —  we ask others, for example, in church or via social media to pray for those whom we know need our prayer —, I miss not having the opportunity to lay hands and pray directly with someone, rather than just for them.

Jesus prayed at a distance for healing

Praying from a distance is not new. Jesus, on three recorded occasions healed from a distance. The centurion asked Jesus just to say the word and his servant would be healed, and He did. (Matt. 8:5-13); a royal official asked Jesus to come and heal his dying son and Jesus merely told him his son was well (John 4:46-54); the Syrophoenician woman remonstrated with Jesus and He healed her daughter from a distance.(Matt; 15:21-28).

In my Quiet Time, I am used to praying for my family and friends who are far away, but I have to confess when it comes to corporate prayer, though I know there are sometimes hundreds of others praying with me on Zoom or YouTube, it doesn’t feel the same as when we are in the same room and I hear the murmur of voices echoing around the room.

We can employ our imagination as we pray

It is then that I use my imagination as I think God intended us to use it. I believe He has given it to us to picture the invisible. Now, as we pray in our weekly times of ‘corporate’ worship and intercession, I picture all those on Zoom, Facebook and YouTube joining with the angels in heaven — all of us before the throne of grace in praise and intercession. I have often pictured angels joining in with our prayers, so it is not a big step to picture our church members participating with them.

The norm for Jesus was to be present when He healed

Nevertheless, as Garth Wiebe points out in his blog, only once did Jesus pray from a distance of His own initiative. Otherwise, when He healed in this way, it was at the request of the centurion and because the Syrophoenician woman was not a Jew. So, the norm was for Him to be present and I must say, I have found there is such a different dynamic praying with a person rather than just for them. Nearly always, as I was in practice, when I prayed for my patients, I laid hands on them. In fact, I describe in God in the ICU how a young boy was not responding to treatment until I asked the whole family to come into the ICU and lay hands on their son or brother. Then God responded miraculously.

Now, the closest one can get to a personal prayer encounter is to pray over the phone with someone. I have felt the Holy Spirit’s presence on occasions as I have done this.

God is not restricted by time or space

But I’m so glad God is not restricted by time or place or method. Let’s, by faith, not slacken off with our prayers. Let’s continue to pray for healing for our sick — particularly those who have been infected with Covid 19 — for protection for those on the frontline in fighting this pandemic, for godly decisions for our leaders, secular and spiritual, and for ourselves that we may make our petitions with thanksgiving in our hearts so that the peace of God, which passes all understanding will keep our hearts and minds in an intimate knowledge of our wonderful, faithful God.