Today’s thoughts are provided by Rev. Nick Oborski
You can download a copy of these prayers here.
“O God you are my God, earnestly I seek you: my soul thirsts for you”
PSALM 63:1
In its three weeks of prayer the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity reminded me of so many who serve us. I hear most days what is like to be in retail sales from my son who works for Iceland. LICC summed this industry up:
“retailers and manufacturers provide us with goods that are often essential, beautiful, and innovative. Whilst many stores have been forced to close, some manufacturers have become central to the country’s response to Covid-19.” Below some thoughts from people involved in the industry as quoted in LICC’s prayer under the headings Give Thanks and Ask for God’s help
Giving thanks …
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‘The constructive way my leadership team and the organisation as a whole has responded to the crisis suggests God at work.’ God is at work ‘helping us to have patience and empathy for clients and employees.’
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I sense God ‘challenging managers of clothing brands about whether they will cancel orders to suppliers or not. We’re thinking about our obligations to suppliers of clothing in the developing world who employ large numbers of poor people with no safety net.’
Ask for God’s help…
Pressures: What are the pressures affecting this context?
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‘It’s difficult to ensure that there is still enough work to go around, because business has fallen more than expected. We’re dealing with clients who are stuck in one room all day, and so more stressed and anxious, and therefore more frustrated at us when something isn’t right.’
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‘It’s hard to ensure our staff can operate safely, and to manage ongoing and unpredictable personnel absences due to the virus. We’ve also had to furlough almost one third of our staff. Supply chain instability just adds to these issues.’
