World Day of Prayer

Available for 26 days

Good morning. Today is the World Day of Prayer. Around the globe, Christians of all traditions are joining in prayer on a common theme, chosen to prompt closer fellowship and joint action, throughout the year. This wave of prayer begins in Samoa at dawn on the first Friday of March, and encircles the world to end 38 hours later, at sunset in American Samoa, just the other side of the dateline. In the UK there will be hundreds of events today. This year's theme was prepared by women in Nigeria, who chose words of Jesus from Matthew’s Gospel: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest’. The writers remind us that his call to ‘come and find rest’ isn’t really about taking a break from burdensome responsibilities – it’s more about discovering what it means to live close to God, even as life continues demanding. It’s also encouragement to keep striving for a world without injustice, insecurity, marginalisation, religious persecution, poverty and conflict, which so many in Nigeria and elsewhere face. Rest for our souls is like finding a deep breath for our hearts, they say, a promise of God’s deep abiding peace that gives us hope, encouragement and strength, in the midst of struggles. It’s a call also to share all this with those who labour alongside us. Lord Jesus Christ, when life is hard, teach us to abide in you, whose yoke is easy and burden light, so we may find rest for our souls; and help us share all this with others. Amen