God has not forgotten our nation. This truth should give us confidence to continue to pray for deliverance from this global crisis and believe for better things ahead. 

One common Filipino song we sing is “Hindi Kita Malilimutan.” Interestingly, this came from a passage in Isaiah that reads:

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.”
Isaiah 49:14–16

This passage initially referred to the nation of Israel. But God extended His salvation when He sent His Son, the Messiah, to be a “light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6), so this ode of love has been extended to the nations as well. God reminds the nations that He will not forsake us and He has engraved us on the palms of His hands. 

God has not forgotten the Philippines. God has not forgotten you. Even when you feel that this crisis has already stretched out for far too long and you have almost nothing left, that your faith is already hanging by a thread; even when your own world has really been shaken, and you haven’t even begun to recover; even when we don’t know for how long this will still be and the prospects of the future seem bleak, God has not forgotten us!

The facts are clear: New COVID cases are at an average of 17,730 the past week bringing us to a total of 2.49 million cases, with more than 37,000 deaths and over 161,000 active cases. Our economy remains battered as the lockdowns cost us P4.3 trillion in foregone output last year alone, with projected long-term scarring as the pandemic could cost the Philippine economy up to P41.4 trillion in output losses up to 2060. Many families have experienced loss of their loved-ones, and the stories are getting nearer. To add to that are the uncertainties brought about by the upcoming elections as major political alliances continue to shift and inquiries into possible corruption continue.

But God’s promise of compassion and restoration is clearer. In the same chapter (Isaiah 49), it says:

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
Isaiah 49:13

This is our confidence as we continue to pray for our nation: God is full of compassion for the afflicted, and He shall comfort His people. Prayer is expressing our faith in God, and partnering with Him in what He is already doing to turn things around. Prayer moves the heavenlies and releases God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And in the end, we “shall exult in Him and break forth into singing!”

May God bless and restore our nation.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Let us declare together God’s healing for the afflicted and deliverance from this pandemic (Jeremiah 33:6).
2. Pray for the continuing efforts of our local government leaders against the spread of COVID-19 and for wisdom as they contextualize and apply strategies to address the needs in their own areas (Romans 13:4).
3. Pray that the political alliances being forged would be for the welfare of the people (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

To learn more about the COVID-19 situation in our nation, you can read the resources in the links below.

• Inquirer article on 20,755 new COVID-19 cases
• ABS-CBN News article on the Philippines hitting 20 million complete COVID-19 vaccinations
• ABS-CBN News article on how COVID-19 vaccination in Metro Manila led to decline in cases, although cases continue to rise in other areas
• Inquirer article on COVID-19 toll on economy to hit P41.4T, says NEDA