WEF draws attention to many scripture verses about prayer, suggesting that prayer should inspire us to respond in a Godly manner to the current crisis.

“The world is full of fear and anxiety right now as people struggle to make sense of the potential threats to their physical and economic wellbeing. The best comfort secular governments can offer is an assurance that they are working on the problem and an encouragement to remain calm, rational and kind to one another. Yet, human nature being what it is, people are too easily consumed by self-preservation. Panic purchasing at grocery stores reveals how little we are naturally concerned about the needs of others.

“This should not be so with followers of Jesus. We do not copy the behavior and customs of this world (Romans 2:2). Instead, we have an opportunity to shine like bright stars (Philippians 2:15) as we respond to our circumstances like Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit—living and serving in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

“That begins with coming into and remaining in the presence of God,

With belief — the prerequisite for calling on God (Romans 10:14)
With humility — in weakness, confessing our need of God and sins that separates us (Isaiah 59:1-2)
With desperation — earnest prayer is powerful in its effects (James 5:16)
With expectation — that God will hear and rescue (Micah 7:7; Zechariah 10:6)
With confidence — that God will hear and respond positively (1 John 5:14)
With awareness — that we are not alone, but part of “all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18 for example)
With gratitude — alert and thankful for the goodness of the Lord (Colossians 4:2)
With peace — not anxious for anything, but trusting God in all things (Philippians 4:6-7)”

Here are some of the 16 “prayer modules”  WEF offers, each based on an “anchor text.”

Proverbs 28:13, 1 John 1:9 Confession, Reception & Peace 

• Praying the ‘The Jesus Prayer’ to the north, south, east and west: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Repeat as often as you feel led, then do it one last time to the points of the compass, leaving out “on me, a sinner”.
• Pray a prayer of confession
• Read the anchor text Scriptures and thank God for the mercy and forgiveness that we receive in Jesus Christ.
• Meditate in silence on the good things the Lord has done for you.
• Receive the peace of Christ available to you.

Psalm 24:1-6, James 4:7-10, Lamentations 3:22-33 Prayer for virus containment 

• Wash your hands with soap, slowly lathering them and intercede for God to forgive our sins and intervene and halt the spread of the COVID19 virus.
• Rinse your hands of the lather, thanking God for love and compassion that is new every morning.
• Read aloud Lamentations 3:22-33.

2 Cor 12:8-10 Prayers for the virus infected

• WEF suggests using pictures of the affected parts of the world.Perhpas an updated idea would be to look at some of the graphs.
• Pray for God’s loving kindness on the infected population. That they would seek him and find him even though he is not far from them (Acts 17:27).
• Pray especially for followers of Jesus infected with the virus. That God’s power would work wonders in their weakness. That they would know a supernatural sense of grace and peace in their time of trial.

Other co-ordinated prayer campaign (please let us know of more on our Facebook page)

Youversion, Hillsong, Sydney Anglican, Prayer at 19:00 each night promoted by Australian Christian Lobby and other groups, Uniting Church (scroll down), many others in the PrayerMate app