A Special Call to Prayer and Executive Committee Report

By David Jamieson

President, Upper Columbia Conference

One scene in the Bible that sticks out in my mind is the scene where we find the amazing story of Jesus and his disciples in the midst of a storm. Jesus had just finished feeding 5,000 men, not counting women and children, and then He asked the disciples to get into the boat as He dismissed the crowds. Once He dismissed the crowds, He chose not to go with the disciples in the boat, choosing instead to go up to the mountaintop by Himself to pray. 

While the disciples were in the boat experiencing a storm, Jesus was on the mountaintop praying. Why? Because Jesus believed in the power of prayer. He realized that no matter the chaos and confusion of earth’s problems, we can find God’s solution in prayer. 

There is an incredibly powerful lesson for us here! Because we are in the midst of a storm right now too, but if we follow the example of Jesus then the wisest thing we can do in the midst of the chaos and confusion of our world is to seek our God in prayer. 

All of us are aware of the conflict that has been taking place in Ukraine. Many in our community have family and friends in Ukraine and have been directly affected by the turmoil that has resulted in the loss of many lives.

So, the leadership of the Upper Columbia Conference, following the example of our Savior Jesus, is calling for each member of our conference to pray for all our brothers and sisters in this troubled part of the world, including the more than 43,000 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, who are impacted by these acts of war. 

We know that the church is powerless in its human ability to make any measurable changes in the current situation, but we know Someone who has the power to intervene and to put an immediate end to this violent incursion and to turn this situation from war toward peace. 

Recently, Elder Ted Wilson, our General Conference President, made a special call to our world church family to join together in united prayer at 7 p.m. each evening until March 4. In addition, we are asking that this Sabbath, March 5, in each of our churches we would make this terrible situation in Ukraine a matter of corporate prayer.

We invite you to join our precious brothers and sisters around the world in this special time of prayer, as we pray for peace and for God's Spirit to bring healing and peace not only in Ukraine, but to all the challenging settings around the world. 

We know that Jesus, the Blessed Hope, is coming again soon and that we can rest securely in His hands, especially when we turn to our Mighty God in prayer.

Thank you in advance for joining us in this special call to prayer.

This message is part of the President's Report. The full report, including the Executive Committee actions from February 24, 2022, can be accessed here.