Nurture.
Women Pray!
Read stories of women praying together worldwide on International Women's Day of Prayer, Sabbath, March 2, 2019: MEXICO, SOUTHEAST ASIA, EUROPE, and SOUTHERN AFRICA
What is more important in this life than prayer? Prayer is our connection with God—our strength, our bridge to heaven! It is when men and women begin "to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26, NKJV) that they find the LORD. We are told that God hears our prayers even when we don't know how to pray. What a promise that is!
We do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26, NKJV).
ANGOLA—When women of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the town of Londuibali in South-Western Angola Union gathered for International Women's Day of Prayer, March 2, 2019, they prayed earnestly for God to supply a basic requirement in their plans for evangelistic work. They needed a form of transportation. But how would they get it? They didn't have one extra Kwansa (dollar), not even a centimo (penny), to pay for it. Somehow God needed to do a mighty work.
That day the municipal administrator saw the commitment of these women and his heart was moved. He decided to donate a motorcycle to assist their plans for evangelism. This generous act is considered by the joyful women as a miraculous and immediate answer to prayer.
MEXICO—Not only did women lead Sabbath morning worship services in every church in Southeast Mexican Union for International Women’s Day of Prayer, March 2, 2019, women of every church invited friends to an afternoon gathering with the theme, “Prayer calms anxiety,” written by psychologist Edith Ruiz de Espinoza who is director of women’s ministries in that territory.
At least 270 invited guests learned about prayer, the antidote to anxiety, and also learned about the Seventh-day Adventist Church through songs and biblical dramas. These friends enjoyed meeting with church members hosting spiritual activities throughout the territory.
International Women's Day of Prayer—This special day, a date in the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church annual calendar, is the first Sabbath in March. It is celebrated in a variety of ways: prayer breakfast, fasting and prayer, consecration service, women preaching the sermon for church service, and other special programs. Annual resource packets in English are available for download, here.
Since 1990, the Department of Women's Ministries at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has promoted a special day when women have the opportunity to be connected more closely with God and with each other. Praying for the needs of women in the Adventist Church strengthens spiritual bonds to each other and creates a spiritual network of empathy and understanding between Adventist women. Thousands of women (and men) gather to pray on this day strengthening their personal faith and drawing God's attention to aspects of family and life that often are neglected in prayer.
It is PRAYER that unites hearts. It is PRAYER to the Great Physician to heal the soul that will bring the blessing of God. PRAYER unites us with one another and with God. PRAYER brings Jesus to our side, and gives new strength and fresh grace to the fainting, perplexed soul to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. PRAYER turns aside the attacks of Satan. 1
1 Ellen G. White, Our High Calling (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1961), p. 177.4 (emphasis added).
