| Year | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Author | Pastor Helmer Umaña |
| Number of Pages | 12 |
| Book Format | EBook |
| Availability | Online, Free |
| Download | |
During the first full week of January since 1967, Seventh Day Baptists around the world have come together in prayer, sharing theme-focused meditations chosen by the author of the Seventh Day Baptist Week of Prayer booklet. The theme for this year is, “You, Then, You Will Pray Like This.”
Download the Portuguese version
We are encouraging prayers each day of the week for all countries of the world where Seventh Day Baptists exist; not just the countries which are members of the World Federation. To help the people in our conferences pray intelligently about concerns in particular countries, a page with relevant information by country has been posted
T he most sacred, delicate, and purest things of the spiritual life are generally the things which tend to be attacked, or damaged, and sometimes misrepresented. And we as Christians sometimes end up believing, accepting, and often using them. I was captivated that some of the apostles asked the Lord to teach them to pray. Perhaps they were impressed by His way of praying, or by the effectiveness of how Jesus Christ did it. Although we were not allowed to know how John taught his disciples, but I can safely say that we have no record that John taught them to say, “Our Father.”
Looking at Matthew’s context in Chapter six, we see that the Lord takes the time to teach first what to do, and what not to do regarding the themes of Giving, Prayer and Fasting. It seems that those disciplines were being practiced in the wrong way. Some of those who gave, made sounds like trumpets; some of those who prayed, did it standing in the synagogue or on the corners to be seen and some of those who fasted, disfigured their faces, to cause a look of piety
I believe that the tone of our Lord in these passages is not casual, but it can carry the intention of establishing people who can really pray, with a more real, and clear intention. Jesus wanted them to utilize elements that were being left out of something so sacred as prayer is. For that reason, when our Lord says “This, then is how you should pray,” He is not making a suggestion. The expression itself denotes a command, from the highest spiritual authority.
For us Christians, praying is not an option. Being a Christian involves not only following Jesus, but even more, to know Him and maintain constant dialogue with Him. Prayer is intrinsic to Christianity. Believing in Jesus as our Lord and Savior leads us to have an ongoing personal relationship with Him.
It is mandatory to know the meaning of what we pray as Christians, and understand some fundamental concepts that help us to have a constant relationship with God in an appropriate way.
Normally when we talk about spirituality, we think of prayer. By saying that a person is spiritual, we are usually referring to someone who has frequent personal contact with God. But spirituality goes beyond simply praying. It involves every moment of our existence. Christian spirituality is indeed based on how we relate to God, but also in how we reflect Christ.
It is necessary to understand the importance that Jesus Christ highlighted to each of the elements that are part of His prayer. In Matthew chapter 6 for example, He uses the term, “Your Father,” and He is not saying that in a general way to all men, but giving it to His disciples. And after using it for more than three occasions, He then teaches that we can use it also and begin our prayers with the sublime expression: "Our Father, who art in heaven."
I want to use those elements in this Week of Prayer, with the intention that they serve us, not only to improve our prayer life, but to improve our overall relationship with God.
2023 Week of Prayer: Rising from the Ashes
How to pray for SDB countries around the world (2022)
