Weekly Devotion
January 4, 2026

Beginning 2026 in Prayer

As I start this, I’m listening to a recording of The Lord’s Prayer. This past year, our national MB Conference used this prayer as the theme for Pray first/pray always, held the first week of January and carried throughout the year. This year’s theme is Being people of peace in a divided world. As has been announced, there are bookmarks at the Welcome Centre with a prompt for each day this week. You can also join the zoom prayer meetings January 5-9, 2PM CST via Pray First Pray Always – Week of Prayer 2026 – Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches

Have you been checking the Prayer board in the foyer? How has God been answering our prayers? Have you moved your request from Please to Thank you? As we pray for each other, may we grow in our faith in the God who hears us. Our prayer calendar is in the Newsletter, or you can pick up a copy from the Welcome Centre. Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you read and pray.

As a Council, we take the first part of our meeting to reflect and share about something we are learning about God, before opening in prayer. This is not a perfunctory ritual, but a time of building each other up in the body of Christ. This year we have been using various chapters from the Soul Feast book.

n our discussion last month, we found that we each have our unique challenges and approaches to spending devotional time with the LORD. We learned that some have cultivated a discipline, where others are easily distracted or don’t fit into the mold of an early morning ritual. What came out, was that God speaks to all of us as we seek Him. He honours our diligence and faithfulness in making this a priority.

One of my conclusions was that we shouldn’t worry about fitting into a prescribed form. Use the prayers in the Bible, or pour out your heart as God leads you. Spend time listening as well as speaking. Be how God created you and use the gifts He has given you. Yes, discipline yourself and grow in maturity, but don’t get hung up on trying to fit into a mold. The only mold we are asked to fit into is Christ’s. Yes, he got up early to spend time with His Father, but He also stayed behind at the Temple, to be in His Father’s house. He went off alone after a busy day, prayed with His disciples or prayed through the night. He made time, but He was flexible too.

I have been pondering this verse from Malachi 4:2 since it was highlighted at the CMU Christmas Celebration. May it be a blessing to you as well.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

Written by
Janet Allen