Day 117: Praying that God’s love may be at the heart of marriages and relationships (1990)

Join with Salvationists of the Wales Division for day 117 of 150 days of prayer.

• 'The Lord's faithful love for us is very strong. He will always do what he has promised. Praise the Lord!' (Psalm 117:2, EasyEnglish Bible). 

1990

The 29 December War Cry carried an short article titled, ‘Love Is Great: Viscount Tonypandy’s reading changed lives’:

‘It’s nearly ten years since George Thomas, former Speaker of the House of Commons, read the lesson at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. He has since moved on and is now known as Viscount Tonypandy.

‘But he still receives letters about the reading he used on that occasion. He told the War Cry, “I received another one only last week. Because the wedding service was televised, people noticed what a beautiful reading it was. Thousands of letters arrived asking me which book the reading came from. So, I told them it came from the Bible – much to the surprise of the people who had written to me.” Viscount Tonypandy – a Methodist lay preacher – then recommended his inquirers to read the Bible for themselves.

‘The passage he read was from I Corinthians 13 and is commonly known as the “love chapter”. 

‘“In their letters, some people said that the reading had changed the course of their lives,” continued Viscount Tonypandy. “I interpreted that to mean that some people who had felt like giving up – perhaps on their marriage – were encouraged by the words to try again. To make a new resolve. To search for the depth of love in their own lives.”’

It was George Thomas MP who had spoken so warmly of The Salvation Army in Wales, and beyond, at the time of the Investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969 (see Day 96). 

Prayer

• Read 1 Corinthians 13. Pray that love might be the mark of all the relationships that you know of and participate in.