Visiting central London last week it was striking how empty the city still is. The FT reported that most City’s businesses are not planning to reopen their offices fully, if at all, before Jan 2021. Homeworking will be the norm for most staff for the foreseeable future, a challenge for many junior staff with limited space at home. This impact is also felt in the City’s cafes and shops which report that since reopening sales are at 15% of the normal level, threatening their future.
There is uncertainty about the right time to take a particular action. Was lockdown or mask-wearing introduced too late? Or did schools/café’s return too early? Are businesses too slow to come back? Great uncertainty over timing. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for every activity and so we need to pray for an understanding for the season, the actions that need to happen now and correct timing for any decisions being made. Things that need to happen now should not be deferred so this week we pray more conceptually into this idea of God’s timing for us in London.
There is a right time for everything.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Jesus, we ask that the activities and decisions being made in London are in step with your timing. Give leaders insight into the actions that need to be taken now as lockdown is further eased and also to prepare for what the future may hold.. Prevent us from deferring actions that need to happen now and from acting to early. Prevent us from acting presumptuously due to fear of the future or wanting to return to the past. Help us to live at ease in today. In this season of uncertainty, show us where to invest our efforts and time, what to stop and what to start. We pray for London’s business district – help businesses struggling with reduced footfall and companies planning when their offices should be repopulated to know what to decide today. Where we are behind where you would wish us to be, help us to accelerate, and where we have gone ahead of Your timing, cause us to wait. In London, a city known for setting GMT, let us be in your perfect timing. Amen.
