Day 25: Praying for people who are struggling financially (1898)

Join with Salvationists of the Wales Division for day 25 of 150 days of prayer.

• ‘Please turn towards me, Lord, and be kind to me. I feel very weak and lonely. I worry a lot about my troubles. Please rescue me from them!’ (Psalm 25:16–17, EasyEnglish Bible). 

1898

A coal strike by colliers in South Wales began as an attempt to remove the sliding scale, which determined their wage based on the price of coal. The strike quickly turned into a disastrous lockout which would last for six months and result in a failure for the colliers as the sliding scale stayed in place. 

The strike is seen as an important landmark in Welsh history as it saw the adoption of trade unionism in the southern coalfield. The South Wales Miners’ Federation was the largest trade union to have originated from this dispute.

The 14 May War Cry included a report headed: ‘Dreadful Distress in South Wales. Strikes and Starvation.’ It said, ‘Since the coal strike, a baptism of silence has fallen on the Rhondda Valley, usually such a hive of industry, and the only life visible are the gigantic coal tips, or refuse heaps, which are black with busy forms grubbing and scratching for stray pieces of coal.’

The Salvation Army did what it could to alleviate the hardship and distress, regardless of the politics.

Prayer

• Pray for those who are struggling financially. 
• Pray for the those who volunteer in foodbanks and show compassion to people seeking help.