Churches Promote National Prayer & Fasting vs. Covid

CHURCHES PROMOTE NATIONAL PRAYER: Pastors & leaders from all parts of Belize met at My Refuge Radio Wednesday to discuss the pandemic. Specifically, we sought how to respond to the Ministry of Health & Wellness (MOHW) plan to mandate that all get vaccinated by October 1^st. Those without proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test would not be able to enter any public building.

All the pastors and leaders who spoke objected to that mandate. We agreed that churches and church groups must make unified appeals to the government to reconsider. And to consult with church groups and other stakeholders about the best way to combat Covid together.

But we thought it better not to try to produce a united statement at that meeting. Instead, we ourselves needed to consult God and more of His people first. So we called the nation to three days of prayer and fasting, Sunday-Tuesday, September 19-21. And of course we prayed together right then and there.

God begins to answer our prayers, but…

God began to answer our prayers that same evening. Prime Minister John Briceno addressed the nation to announce “drastic measures.” But they did not include the MOHW plan to get everyone vaccinated by October 1^st, thank God. Instead, he lengthened the curfew to 7 pm to 4 am, except for four tourist towns, beginning September 20th. He banned contact sports.

But most concerning, he ordered churches (and casinos) to close. This seems to blame much of the crisis on churches, without giving any reason why. Already the government had limited churches to one-hour meetings, while people can stay in bars up until curfew time.

So we have all the more motivation to pray. Because the less churches meet, the less we can pray for the healing of Belize. And the less we can exhort Belizeans to the kind of responsible behavior that stops the spread of diseases. The less a nation honors meetings with God, the less it can expect God to answer in times of crisis.

At the My Refuge meeting we agreed on four prayer points for the three days of prayer and fasting:

Wisdom from God for national leaders on this issue (Prov. 28:2).
Strength for front-liners, and space and resources for hospitals (1 Tim. 2:1-5).
Healing for those suffering in many ways during this crisis (Mt. 4:23).
For the nation to turn to God, and revival to begin (Acts 19:10; Acts 19:20).