Trusting with Joy

The theme for the 2022 Wycliffe World Day of Prayer is Trusting with Joy.

Is the joy of the Lord our strength? Emerging out of the embers of the pandemic are wars, political instability, economic hardships and shortages of many kinds and more. Sometimes it seems like the whole world has turned upside-down and what we consider ‘normal’ is transitory at best. We may see that people around us are filled with fear, or so weary that they seemingly cannot extend grace to anyone else who is struggling. We see many kinds of suffering; illness, poverty, death, hopelessness and despair. How can we respond? How can we throw off the impact of recent years and move forward? Yet, hope can live in the worst circumstances.

We fix our eyes on Jesus who made us and saved us and offers us hope that cannot fail. We recognise that trust does not come from us finding an inner strength on our own or through gritting our teeth until something changes. Rather we trust God because of who he is, faithful, unchanging and completely trustworthy. By orienting our hearts and lives on God we find the way to trust, experiencing joy as we rejoice in who God is and finding the strength to endure in him.

Wycliffe World Day of Prayer – 11th November 2022 from Wycliffe Global Alliance on Vimeo.

This year, for the first time, as part of the Global Connect virtual gathering we will take around an hour to focus on God and pray together. Everyone connected with the Alliance is welcome to join. Afterwards we will continue to pray as we normally do during the World Day of Prayer. We spend this day in prayer together to focus on God, rejoice and be encouraged by what God has done. Let us allow him to strengthen us so that we can continue to participate in his mission.

Stories:

TRUST

• Would have given up
• Trusting with joy
• God’s plan is better
• Our Powerful God
• Faith moves us

JOY

• Working in partnership
• Testimony of a Himba woman
• Faithfulness in small things bring great joy

PERSEVERANCE

• Trusting God in a world of suffering
• Partners in ministry
• A long journey having the whole Bible

MEDITATION

HELPFUL RESOURCES