Posted Friday 4 March 2011
The World Day of Prayer takes place annually on the first Friday in March. Although our world needs constant prayer with all that is happening, it is good to have a specific day when all around the world people will be focussing their efforts and joining together, united in a common cause.
This year’s service is prepared by the women of Chile and this seems very appropriate as during 2010, this country, which is thousands of miles from our shore, became the focus of our attention on two separate occasions. Just over a year ago a major earthquake caused widespread damage and destruction and a resulting tsunami devastated several coastal villages. Almost 500 people were killed and it is estimated that 500,000 homes were damaged.
Later the same year Chile was again in the news when in August, following a rock fall, 33 miners became trapped underground and the world watched and waited for 69 days with bated breath, united in prayer, and rejoicing when all were safely rescued in a heroic attempt by others who never lost hope and risked their lives for their fellowmen..
Although there are many occasions when I complain about the ‘box’ in our living room, it is in situations such as those above that it comes into its own. Through the medium of TV and Broadband our world has truly become a global village and we can share in the joys and sorrows of our brothers and sisters. As we watch we are drawn in to be a community of human beings, sharing one another’s suffering and rejoicing together when the outcome is good. The World Day of Prayer service always concludes with the hymn, ‘The day thou gavest Lord, is ended’ and as we become more aware of our common humanity there is, for me, particular poignancy in the verse:-
‘As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strains of praise away.
In the service the women of Chile posed a question for us – ‘How many loaves do you have?’ based on the story of the feeding of the 5000. What gifts do we have? What can we share? This is something we all have to ponder for ourselves, but by remaining united in prayer and praise, we may one day have in a world where we live up to the commandment, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’.
Category: Thought for the Month
