Prayers have been answered with news of virus vaccines, says Sheffield minister

When I heard the news, my initial reaction was to thank God for answered prayer.

I bet I wasn’t the only one.

Even among people who say they are not religious, I bet there is a large proportion who would say that in this last year they have prayed for an answer to this global crisis.

The statistics back this up from many sources.

They tell us that during this time, there are one in 20 people who say that they have prayed and that a quarter of adults have watched religious services on the TV or online.

And if you look closely you will notice that prayer is all around society.

The week that Joe Biden was declared as President elect, he was filmed coming out of mass.

And during the recent season of remembrance, that was all centred around prayer.

When you watch football you often see the players praying before a game or giving thanks if they score.

And when people are in crisis, I often get messages asking if I can lead them in a prayer.

Christians certainly believe that prayer makes a difference.

God has designed us to be in partnership with him to see things change.

When we engage in prayer we are developing a relationship with God who loves this world.

The Bible tells us that God wants to give good things to those who ask.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” Jeremiah 33vs3.

There are many people who I have met whose journey of faith began long before they would have called themselves religious.

It started with a cry out to God to help them followed by a profound answer to their plea.

I wonder if you, like me, have been praying for the discovery of a vaccine?

Whether you say you are religious or not, why not try praying and together, let us see what happens.

The Reverend Jonathan Haigh is a minister at Victoria Hall Methodist Church, Sheffield city centre, and Greenhill Methodist Church – see greenhillmethodistchurch.com