I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.   1 Timothy 2:1-6

There is an outburst of a new type pneumonia named Wuhan novel coronavirus in China recently. The disease spreads so quickly that thousands of people have been infected and that hundreds of people have been reported dead. My heart is troubled by the epidemic and is burdened to pray for China. I was remined by Daniel’s prayer for Israel (See Daniel 9:1-19). In his prayer, Daniel confessed the sin of the nation and the ancestors’ sin, and pleaded God for mercy, forgiveness and rescue. Moved by God and inspired by Daniel, I made the following prayer for my nation.

Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. You are the Most High who is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth. Righteousness and justice are foundations of your throne. The nation of China and its ancestors have sinned and done wrong. In China, the poor, orphans and widows are oppressed, and the righteous and the innocent are persecuted, but the wicked prosper. A lot of innocent bloodshed happened in the past decades, and the wickedness may have come up before God. We are ignorant, deceitful, harden-hearted and prideful. In addition, people practice witchcraft and use divination, and deal with mediums and spiritists, worship idols and ancestors, which you hate. China’s authority is trying to oppress the truth, tear down the cross and tamper with the Bible. Because of our wickedness, the LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does. But Lord, you are full of mercy and unfailing love. You acts out of love to warn us, humble us so that we may repent from our sins and come to know you. Many of us don’t know you and live in the darkness. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. Lord, you gave your Son on the Cross for our sins. May your Light shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death. Lord, may you forgive our sins and have mercy on us. May your mighty right hand stop the plague and heal us. May you save not only our bodies but also our souls. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen!