Comment: The Fractured Family
Alywn Thomson

Editorial: Prayer for a Change
Alywn Thomson

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PRAYER FOR A CHANGE
We are often asked, "What is ECONI's prayer strategy?" Those who ask often express some concern that prayer re-ceives little explicit mention in our material, specifically, our recent public statements.

From its earliest days ECONI has been concerned with a problem and a ques-tion arising from prayer. The problem identified was that "despite the sincere prayers of many, peace has not come to Northern Ireland". The question asked was, 'We know that God hears our prayers, so what then is he saying to us?"

The analysis in For God and His Glory Alone identified the problem as being the attitudes we bring to our prayers - we see the need for change in others, but not in ourselves.

In the past year we have challenge Christians to dare to believe that recent events are the beginning of God's an-swer to our prayers for peace. Yet the hesitant response of many believers suggests that we have further to go in learning from God the lessons of our tragic conflict.

Prayer will always mean change -change that will always begin in the lives of God's people as they bring their values and priorities into line with his. Prayer is about what we do - being open to God so that we can hear him speak, examining God's word and discovering what he wants us to be and to do in our society.

As a group we constantly affirm our hope and confidence in the God of the Bible. It is this hope that motivates our prayer, for it is this God who can change both us and this community.

Alywn Thomson - ECONI's Research Officer