How to Know What to Pray in the Coronavirus Crisis

Knowing what to pray isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Like looking at a blank page, sometimes the words just don’t seem to come.

To help with that, we’ve gathered together some of the books and resources that we’ve found most helpful when feeling stuck with prayer. Some of them are as simple as offering example prayers you can adapt, some offer insight into the current situation, and some are simply very useful when it comes to prayer in general.

Here are our favourite resources to help you know what to pray for in the Coronavirus crisis.

The ‘5 Things’ series

There’s really no need to over complicate things. Jesus’ example of prayer was so simple that anyone could remember it. Following in those footsteps of practical simplicity is Rachel Jones’ 5 Things prayer book series.

This series covers almost everything. From praying for yourself to praying for the world and almost everything in between. The currently-available books in the series are:

• 5 Things to Pray for your Heart
• 5 Things to Pray for the People You Love
• 5 Things to Pray for Your Kids
• 5 Things to Pray for Your City
• 5 Things to Pray for your Church
• 5 Things to Pray for the World

Between these you’ll find examples and approaches that direct your prayers in an accessible way. You’ll find the words to pray for the current Coronavirus crisis.

Update: A new addition to the series has just been announced. 5 Things to Pray in a Global Crisis offers an even more focused and relevant guide to prayer for this current moment. Prayers tailored to the world during the Coronavirus crisis.

Where is God in a Coronavirus World?

If grappling with putting the current situation into words is what is holding you back, then John Lennox’s book will help you better understand Coronavirus and the world today. ‘Where is God in a Coronavirus World?’ answers just that. How we as Christians can still find God in amidst this pandemic. And then, how we can respond.

How to Pray

Pete Grieg’s book offers a thoughtful and no-nonsense guide to good prayer. Coming from a background of life-changing prayer, Pete Grieg has seen just how powerful prayer is. Through the 24/7 Prayer movement, and in his other books Dirty Glory and Red Moon Rising, Pete tells of what happens in encounters with God.

When it comes to a guide to prayer, How to Pray has proved itself to be priceless for Christians both new and old. Dubbed ‘A Simple Guide for Normal People’, the book will help you find the words for prayer and an understanding of why we pray in the first place.

Prayer

Right now, there will be people asking if prayer even makes any difference. For those questions, I present Prayer by Phillip Yancey. Its whole aim is answering that exact question.

In the book Phillip Yancey (imagine a Christian Bob Ross and you’re pretty close) approaches prayer with a questioning spirit. Just like you, he’s there to discover if prayer does actually change things. It’s an honest book with a relatable spirit.

In his journey, he tells stories of people whose lives were transformed. Along the way, he tackles fundamental questions like:

What is prayer?

What difference does it make?

Why and how should we pray?

What about unanswered prayer?

How should we understand prayer for physical healing?

As reassuring as it is engaging, Prayer is an ideal choice for anyone experiencing doubts about prayer.

Pray Big

Everybody learns by example. From imitating the first words of our parents to picking up on subtle social cues at a party, we naturally pick up examples of behaviour from those around us. Why not pick up some examples of prayer whilst we’re at it?

Pray Big by Alistair Begg takes us right back to the early Church, and the letters of Paul. It traces the ways that the apostles prayed and learns from them. One thing Alistair Begg discovers is that the Apostles didn’t pray for small changes and tiny transformation. They went big.

Pray Big is an inspiring read for anyone stuck with prayer. It shows that the same prayers from nearly 2,000 years ago hold as much power and relevance for today as they did back then.

Return to the list of practices for Christians during Coronavirus: https://www.eden.co.uk/blog/7-practices-for-christians-during-coronavirus-p1784105