Prayer for the City

This devotional is written by Zoe Peters. Zoe has just graduated from the University of Bristol.

4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

As someone who regularly battles with feelings of loneliness I am well aware of how difficult a place it is to be in. When we feel alone we believe we are unloved and unknown. This is why for me loneliness feels exactly like ‘the valley of the shadow of death' which David describes in Psalm 23. It is a place of darkness which often seems impossible to get out of.

However, God never leaves us alone there. David knows that despite being in this dark place God is with him. Do you honestly have this assuredness of David that God is with you in all of the rough and lonely times of life?

The Psalm identifies that God brings us 'comfort' and there is an expectation that his ‘goodness and mercy' will follow us. Can you genuinely say you believe this ‘goodness and mercy' can and will extend to every aspect of your life?

If you are currently feeling lonely know that you are deeply and fiercely loved by a God who knows you and sees you exactly where you are. You are not alone. Spend some time sitting and 'dwell[ing] in the house of the Lord' and ask him to meet you where you are. It has brought me immense comfort and healing to know that I am not alone, and that God has and will always be with me.

PRAYER

Loneliness is a massive crisis facing the United Kingdom, and especially during this pandemic. Studies performed by health experts have deemed regular feelings of loneliness as being more dangerous on your health than smoking and obesity.

So, as a church we need to be praying for people in our city who are feeling alone, which statistically is a large percentage of the population. Pray that God meets these people where they are and that they can feel the comfort of knowing God is with them.

Pray especially for students as those aged 16-24 are the loneliest reported group in society. Moving to university is incredibly daunting, and so we need to be praying for young people who are in the city and who are moving here in September.

Alongside praying, we also all need to be making a better effort at including people who may be lonely. Look out for people in your church/university/work/ whole life who are alone. Ask how people are doing, call them for a chat or a socially distanced meet up.