21 October 2022 | St. Albans, UK [Kayle de Waal]
Amazing themes for our spiritual refreshment are awaiting to be explored during this Week of Prayer!
The Week of Prayer is coming up on November 5-12. This is a good opportunity to set time aside to reconnect with our great God and our global church family. The problem is where do we find time to set aside? Dallas Willard reminds us that hurry can be the death of our spiritual life. So true! Hurrying here and there is such an intrinsic part of life today. We have a range of sayings that underscore this reality: ‘chop, chop;’ ‘let’s get a move on;’ ‘shake a leg’ and ‘pick up the pace.’ The message of Scripture is so counter-cultural in this regard. We are invited to join God ‘beside the still waters’ (Ps. 23:4) and to ‘be still and know that He is God.’ (Ps. 46:10). Perhaps, then, we don’t need more time but to learn how to prioritise the time we have. Paul reminds the Ephesians to ‘redeem the time’ (Eph. 5:16). Time matters and how we use it matters more! I do hope you and I can make time this year.
The topics for this Week of Prayer are fascinating and include the Word of God, Jesus as the Lamb of God in both Testaments and the theme of hope, among other subjects. The Word of God is there to guide and help us in these uncertain and challenging times. Paul reminds us that the Scriptures have been given to encourage us and give us hope (Rom. 15:4). We certainly need more hope, don’t we? The Scriptures have more than an ample supply!
Another mind-blowing theme is that of the character of God – we can’t exhaust this – can we? Ellen White reminds us that “There may be no ecstasy of feeling, but there should be an abiding peaceful trust. Your hope is not in yourself; it is in Christ. Your weakness is united to His strength, your ignorance to His wisdom, your frailty to His enduring might….Let the mind dwell upon His love, upon the beauty, the perfection of His character”(1). It is in dwelling on God’s character of love that we are empowered to live a life of restfulness. No wonder N. T. Wright suggests ‘logic cannot comprehend love’ (2). There are some amazing themes that await us for our spiritual refreshment.
Coming together in this fashion is so important as the Scriptures themselves constantly exhort believers to be built up in their faith (1 Cor. 3:9; 6:19; 8:1; 10:23; 14:3-5). Not only do we need the help and power of the Holy Spirit but we also need one another in our Christian journey. The Apostle Paul acknowledges that the Corinthian’s have been enriched by God with knowledge (1 Cor. 1:5) and that the Spirit is given to build up a thriving community in which each member is vitally important (1 Cor. 12:12-28). Yes, time matters, and how we use it matters more – but you matter even more. The Week of Prayer is an opportunity for you to be built up in your faith. And then, of course, God can use you to build others faith.
The other thing that will happen during this Week is Prayer, actual prayer. We get to talk to all sorts of people in our week; some interesting and, truthfully, others boring. This week in November we get to talk to God as a global church family, the most interesting and creative Person in the universe. He has given us His Word which reveals Him as lover (Eph. 2:4-5), mother (Isa. 66:13), father (1 Cor. 8:6), guide (Ps. 25:4-5), shepherd (Ps. 23:1), physician (Exod. 15:26), and so much more. He creates by speaking (Ps. 33:6), heals by touching (Mark 5:27-30) and restores by looking (Matt. 19:26). An interesting and creative Person, indeed! So, please do make some time to connect or maybe reconnect with God. He is waiting to talk to you.
Kayle de Waal serves as the Disciple Making and Prayer Ministries co-ordinator for the Trans-European Division.
(1) Steps to Christ, Ellen White, 2010, Stanborough Press.
(2) Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, Canon N. T. Wright, 2008 HarperPaperbacks.
