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Hello everyone, I'm Mark Foley, and this is The Journey. It was a great line out of a classic movie. The words of a young girl named Dorothy to her little dog held tightly in her arms, Toto, this sure isn't Kansas. Kansas was normal and the patterns of life were predictable. A place where, for example, you could go down to the neighborhood grocery store and buy a loaf of bread or pick up a pack of toilet paper, maybe stop by the local coffee shop for a visit with friends, even drop in for a haircut at your favorite barber shop. No, we're not in Kansas anymore. COVID-19 is the new enemy, and the best weapons we have so far are social distancing and washing our hands. And fear, the fear of disease, and the fear of loss of income have become the private battleground upon which each of us treads very lightly. So what are we to do? Well, let me suggest some things. We will believe, and we will pray, and we will care. I'll get back to the care part in the next podcast, but today I want to talk about belief and prayer. I want you to imagine something: a canopy, a protective canopy over our community, over our city, over our region. Imagine a canopy of prayer. It's an idea placed into the minds of two friends of mine, and it is extremely powerful. I've come to the place of believing the promises of God presented in Scripture, not as religious theory, but as rock solid, stone-cold fact. You see, casual religion is more than a little lightweight for my taste. I prefer facts, facts that bear the full weight of my trust. One of those facts is particularly applicable in the current situation. It's found in the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles chapter 7, verses 13, 14, and 15. Now here's that statement of fact. At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. Then, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. That promise was given by God to a Hebrew king long ago. I've come to understand that the same promise of fact applies to men and women who believe and honor God by faith in Jesus. So, in the face of the most impacting crisis to ever touch our lives, in the face of our helplessness to stop it, if you are among those who believe and honor God, who are identified as ones called by his name, I call on you to conform to the condition set forth in this fact of God's promise, to humble yourselves before your creator, to come into his presence by prayer, to intentionally and diligently seek him, to turn from your pride, your independence, and from your sin, and to ask him to restore this land, ask him to protect this city. Join me and thousands of others in forming a canopy of prayer over our city. Then, as you continue praying, I want you to do one other thing. Mark your home with a red ribbon where it can be clearly seen, indicating your belief and your prayer. Now, here's what I'm asking God according to this promise. Maybe it can be a model for you as well. Here's my prayer Lord, search my heart and see if there is any wicked way in me. Forgive my sin and lead me to forgive those who have sinned against me. Create in me a clean heart and draw me to you. Then my prayer continues. For those in elected positions and those who provide their support or give them counsel, grant wisdom, discernment, and courage that they may make your appointed decisions in every instance. For those in the medical professions, provide safety from disease, physical strength, insight, and discernment in the treatment of patients through long days and longer nights. Provide the equipment needed to test and treat the virus. For those in business, provide great faith, wisdom, courage, honesty, and compassion in the decisions that impact the sustainability of the business and that impact the people whose livelihood is dependent upon that business. Bless the ability of business to provide economy in our area. For those employed, provide great faith, great courage, and great dependence upon you, nothing else, in these uncertain times. Encourage faith by meeting needs before those needs are even realized, creating a way where there seems to be no way. For those who care for others, provide physical strength, provisions, wisdom, and safety in the application of resources to people in need. For parents, provide freedom from fear, physical strength, peace, and patience as they guide children through learning processes at home. Grant them insight into their children's needs and the courage to say yes or no according to your counsel. Fill this city with your spirit, dispel fear, sow peace. Move your people to love and prayer. Protect the economy, save the people. I ask all this in the name of Jesus. May it be so. Now there's a site I want you to visit, canopyofprayer.net, or just search for canopy of prayer. You'll find what you need to know. Now, pray and go find some red ribbon and share this podcast. Imagine a canopy of prayer, a sea of red ribbon, a city of belief. Can it be so? Absolutely. I'm out looking for red. Hey, thanks for checking in. Be sure to check the website, effectivesolutions.today. There's a new journey devotional post every morning. See you next time.