The Corona Survival Guide for SinglesSample

Pandemic prayer party

The apostle Paul understood isolation.

Arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, Paul was stuffed into a jail cell for years of his life (Acts 25:27). As his mockery of a trial wore on, as those first unjust days turned into one thousand imprisoned nights, we would not have blamed Paul for pouting.

But he didn’t. Paul used those lonely times to pray.

The proof is in the letters that Paul wrote while under arrest. Check out this repetitive theme:

“Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:15-17).

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5).

“Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” (Colossians 1:9).

“I have not stopped.” “I keep asking.” “I always pray.” “We continually ask.” All ways of revealing how this single saint spent his time. He prayed for the people of God and the glory of God.

Maybe that’s part of God’s purpose for you too. The coronavirus has left many of us with less human contact than Paul had while under house arrest, which tempts us to throw a pity party. But God would prefer that we turn this pandemic into a prayer party!

After all, you don’t need to leave your house to pray.

After all, if your income gets slashed, you’re still rich enough to pray.

After all, whether you’re healthy or sick, God still invites you to pray.

After all, when you’ve run out of things to do (or haven’t even begun), it’s always good to pray.

As a single person like Paul, this might be the perfect time to pray. Your prayer life might be as weak as a Covid-19 patient, but God’s Spirit is a respirator that can strengthen the lungs of your soul.

Need some advice? Let me offer two points:

1. Start Local—After praying for yourself, organize your prayers by distance. Your      closest family and friends, followed by more distant relatives and acquaintances, followed by people you haven’t met and mission fields “out there” in the world. This prayer structure will keep your thoughts organized, checking mental boxes as you envision your life. (Most of us mentally wander quickly as we pray, so this system will help you visualize your prayer list.)
2. Start Spiritual—Paul, as he proved in the passages above, would beg you to start      spiritual. Good health in the midst of a global pandemic is a good prayer.  But even better are prayers that have eternal impact. Pray for God’s name to mean everything to people, becoming the refuge they run to in times of trouble. Pray for God’s kingdom to come, as Jesus becomes King and Lord over more hearts in more places. Pray for God’s will to be done, drawing people to the cross and refining his family through trials, coronavirus included.

Being single in this situation is, without a doubt, hard. But don’t throw a pity party. Throw a prayer party.

That’s what pandemics are for.