If God is Sovereign, does it do any good to pray we won’t get COVID-19?

Kids ask hard questions about death

Prayer is talking to a person—our Father. Parents may at times be too busy to listen, but God is never too busy to hear from His children. Our Father tells us to ask for all our needs and desires (Philippians 4:6). God’s Word says there are some things we do not have because we do not ask God (James 4:2-3). God made His children part of His purposes. He uses our prayers to accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 37:21-22,26). That’s part of His goodness—as a Father, He invites us into taking part in His plan (Genesis 18:22-33; Nehemiah 2:4-8; Acts 4:23-31; Acts 10:31-33). He is pleased when we depend on Him (Psalm 62:8).

God doesn’t need us to correct our children’s prayers (Romans 8:15, 26-27). We can show them that trust in God means we pray for God to protect us (Psalm 91) as well as follow the directives of our local authorities (Romans 13). We tell them our Father will keep us safe and that the safest place of all is heaven. As your children learn to depend on their heavenly Father, God will guard their hearts and minds with the truth of His sovereign goodness. God is able to stop the coronavirus and He holds his children close if they or someone they love suffers.   

Who’d have thought in the 21st century that an illness could inspire such fear throughout the entire world? Yet God invites your family daily to learn the sweetness of His love and care (Lamentations 3:21-26). Children have the same need we all do — to make their calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10). Pray to recognize opportunities to lead your children closer to Christ through their hard questions. These unsettling days are God’s training ground. As you listen, teach and pray with your children, God will replace fear with strong faith in Him.   

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