The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins tomorrow – so what’s it all about? To seek answers, let’s look at the three words, Prayer, Christian and Unity!

What is prayer? It is talking to God about anything and everything. Everything? Very definitely! Nothing is off limits, for God is interested in anything and everything about our lives as believers. In the early verses of his letter to believers in Rome, the apostle Paul speaks of ‘making mention of you always in prayer’. They were on his prayer list. Whenever Paul prayed, he mentioned the Romans and their needs before God. Our Lord himself was well aware of the necessity and also of the power of prayer. In the gospels we read of Jesus going aside from the busyness of life to be alone, often spending all night praying to His Father about so many things.

We move on to the second of our tripartite of words, Christian! But, I hear you ask, why do Christians need to pray, after all they are God’s children, they are on their way to heaven, surely, they are on the home run? It is solely because they are on the home run that they need the more to pray, for Christ himself tells the Christian to ‘watch and pray lest you fall into temptation’.

Finally, Unity! Don’t let’s ever underestimate the power of united prayer. One Christian praying can unleash tremendous power if the prayer is offered in the name of and in accordance with the will of one’s Lord and Saviour.

Steve Tunstall, Trinity Church (Baptist and United Reformed)