The Quarantine Fifteen.  The Internet is filled with jokes and memes about how much weight we are all going to gain during the COVID-19 Quarantine.  We laugh at the jokes while we snack on every carbohydrate imaginable.  I, Sheree, have personally baked 18 loaves of bread, 36 cinnamon rolls, and 50 cake pops – just in the past week.  (Yes, I have a problem, but that is not the focus of this article!)

Because GraceWorks Global is an international ministry, we have many friends and contacts around the world.  People understandably reach out to ministries like ours during times like this, so we have a “front row seat” to what the situation looks like outside of America and – my friends – it’s heartbreaking.

You see, while we joke about the weight we will gain, we know of people who are going hungry.  

Not just missing a meal or two. Not just losing a little weight.  

Starving.

I can’t even type that without tears.

There are countries where the government has ordered people to stay at home with the promise that food vouchers will be given.  But the food vouchers are only given to people who agree with the government religion. Christians and other religious minorities, after having been denied the ability to work for their food, are now being denied the ability to obtain food at all, simply because of their belief system. 

That should break our hearts into tiny pieces because I know it breaks God’s.  In fact, we are commanded to remember these people!  

Something should be done! But what?

The particular country we know about is not open to us to help, and we don’t have any political clout in our own country, so even though we have a ministry set up to help people just like this, we are unable to do so. 

For this reason, we are not asking you for money.  We have no way to make sure it would get to them or provide the food they need.

We are asking you to pray. 

Seriously.  

I don’t mean the “Oh yeah. I’ll pray about that.” prayer that we never actually get around to praying for. I mean the “My heart is broken! I’m losing sleep over this! God I’m begging you to provide for these people!” type of prayer because, my friends, if we lived in that country – this would be you.  It would be me.  And it would be our children.  Our precious, vulnerable, children.

So when you grab the next snack, pray while you eat it.  When you sit down to your next meal, spend extra time not only thanking God for His provision but beseeching Him to provide for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing starvation.  When you are awake at night, pray.  If you are able to fast, then do so!  Skip a meal and remember those who have no choice but to skip meals.  Commit yourself to praying about this – faithfully and fervently – for the duration of your own quarantine.  

We will be praying with you.

And hey – if you are reading this and have any political power in any major country, let’s talk.  It may be that God has put you into your position of power “for such a time as this”.