The following article is from The East African Newspaper, and I wanted to share it with you to ask you to set aside some time for Saturday to not just be a Kenyan National Day of Prayer but also a Global Day of Prayer-- especially for the Children of the Kingdom and their families in this unprecedented time.   

"Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has declared Saturday a National Day of Prayer amid the worldwide outbreak of the new coronavirus.

Mr Kenyatta made the declaration Tuesday, the same day the minister for Health announced that Kenya now has four cases of Covid-19, which has killed thousands of people across the globe.

On Saturday, the President said Kenyans will pray to God in their homes, with a small group of religious leaders congregating at the State House in Nairobi.

“We cannot ignore the need to turn to God. In these circumstances as we have done in the past as a nation, we have always turned to God first to give thanks for the many blessings that He has bestowed on our nation.

"But we also turn to God to share our fears, our apprehensions, but also to seek his guidance and ever-present protection,” the President said.

He said that in God, Kenyans had a place to turn to amid Covid-19 virus, which has been declared a global pandemic."

The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Nairobi on March 12th. As of March 15th, there were two confirmed cases, and Kenya began introducing tight restrictions along with a  presidential directive that all schools would be closed.  As people around the world are trying to take measures to stop this pandemic, I would encourage you to pray for the students in Children of the Kingdom who are affected by this and trying to make sense of this unprecedented global crisis. 

I have adapted a prayer below and ask that you would take a few minutes to pause and pray with me for the children and for our world: 
 
Our God who is with us, Emmanuel, we come to you asking you for your help, and asking you to lend your ear in this time of need. 
Hear, our prayer O Lord.
 
As you lifted once a paralyzed man from his bed, we ask you to come and visit us, and raise our bodies and spirits.
Hear, our prayer O Lord.
 
Grant to us the gift of your Holy Spirit, that our bodies and souls may be protected from sickness.
Lord, have mercy.
 
And we pray for those who are now suffering from this disease: we ask you, O Lord, to visit them, encourage them, and heal them according to your expansive grace and love.
Lord, have mercy.
 
As you once listened to the cry of the Canaanite woman, we ask you to hear our voice, for every country hit hard by this disease.
Lord, have mercy.
 
We pray Lord for the families, friends, and medical personnel who care for the sick, and for those who are being monitored.
Be their rock.
 
Please bless all scientists, researchers, public health officials and governments who seek and prescribe treatments, and for those who are working toward a vaccine.
Be their wisdom.
 
We pray for students around the world whose schools have closed their doors and who have worries about coursework and graduation, and we pray for those students who are facing fear and anxiety about this disease.
Be their peace.

For the sponsored students in Children of the Kingdom, we ask for your protection over them and we pray for your provision for their families.  Help them to know the Lord as their shepherd all their days.  In this time, may they experience the still waters, fear no evil, enjoy the feast God has prepared for them and know God's comfort, goodness and mercy for them each day.
Be their daily bread.  
 
And for all of us, Lord, guide us so that this may be a time of reflection and good will to work to eradicate the diseases that threaten our bodies and the hate that threatens our souls.
Lord, have mercy.
 
O God our help in ages past, the God who heals and comforts; our Maker, and the Maker of wonders; the one who alone is worthy to be praised: incline your ear to us, and grant, in your mercy, the prayers of your people.
Amen.
 
Adapted from Carlos Colon’s Prayer for the Global Health Crisis