George Herman is Pastor of Delhi Bible Fellowship - North Delhi Congregation.  His wife is a Doctor. We invited him to update us on the acute pandemic situation in India and to bring us some prayer pointers.

HOPE “In Christ and Christ Alone”

As the coronavirus continues to devastate India, Rev George Herman, a Pastor at Delhi Bible Fellowship, writes for us in these difficult times.

Even as I write this article, I have friends who write in from different states. One mission organisation lost 9 pastors and 3 faculty members from their organisation in the last 4 days. Another had about half a dozen staff seriously ill. From a praying team who lost over a dozen alumni and more than a dozen critically ill in hospital where there are no oxygen reserves - Where does our attention or our eyes turn to in such dire circumstances that have befallen on our brothers and sisters.

“Attention, elder statesmen! Listen closely, everyone, whoever and wherever you are!
Have you ever heard of anything like this?  Has anything like this ever happened before—ever?
Make sure you tell your children, and your children tell their children,
And their children their children.     Don’t let this message die out. (From The Message, Joel 1:1-3) My country’s being invaded by an army invincible, past numbering,
Teeth like those of a lion,’ fangs like those of a tiger.
It has ruined my vineyards, stripped my orchards, And clear-cut the country.
The landscape’s a moonscape.” (The Message Joel 1:6-7)

This morning Pastor Samuel Thomas of the Indian Pentecostal Church, North India Vice President, Operation, shared the whole chapter with me as we talked about Prayer for the Nation of India during such great a crisis. He said, ‘I am here to obey God and listen to his voice and not worry about the outcomes” Prayer is seeking the heart of God. There are times, in prayer I pour out my pain and anguish before the Lord- but I wait on him and commune with Him and HOPE in HIM. There lies for me all the rest’.

About 70 odd years ago C S Lewis writing about the Cold war tensions, says, ‘The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.’  How then do we find ourselves today? How then do we pray? How then are we praying? Is it in fear, depression, or in utter disarray or with our hands lifted in worship to our Sovereign Lord and King as the psalmist wrote ‘We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. ²¹ In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name’.  (New International Version Psalm 33)

One thing is for sure, prayer has come back front and centre in a Christian’s life in a big way.  There is great need for prayer for our beloved Country India. The cases for covid-19 increases and so do the death rates and numbers. The different governmental branches and the NGOs working round the clock has not been able to see a dent in this 2^nd wave that has put fear and anger into people. People are looking to blame systems but of it’s of no help. 

Today’s (29^th April) saw 379,000 new Covid cases with 1.1% death i.e. 201,187.  Is this acceptable, are we saying its only 1.1%.  This they say has been the highest spike in the country so far. Different states are going on a lockdown. The ones more affected are those in the margins as they have nowhere to go and can go nowhere ever trying to go back to their villages is difficult with the present scenario.

Pastor Cherian John a national leader in the prayer movement and a pastor in Chandigarh, referring to 2^nd Chronicles 7, states that we who believe in Jesus, are also called to humble ourselves as we pray and seek his face. There seems to be a direct correlation between God’s peoples’ repentance and God healing the land. He said prayerlessness causes disobedience and disconnection and so the corollary was true.

So, some responses which all of us can do in a morbid time such as this.

• Pray for God to heal our Land.
• More First level care to reduce rushing to the hospitals, also to reduce panic and anxiety.
• For health care workers (clinical and non-clinical) and their families are at the fag-end of energy. For protection on them and for encouragement and rest to be their portion
• For greater supply of Oxygen, hospital beds with oxygen connection, ICU beds, for better weather for patients who wait outside hospital gates. (we are coming close to our hottest days) according to researchers the 2^nd wave has not yet peaked.
• For families who have lost their love ones, especially those who are the only earning members in their families
• For the visible demonstration of the Lord of Lords by the people of God and for hope to be alive in all our hearts. As the psalmist said

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.  Psalm 33:22 - May that be our earnest prayer.

Rev George Herman - Delhi Bible Fellowship - North Delhi
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