“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise person who built their house on the rock.”
Matthew 16:24
Unexpected storms will come. Life will be unpredictable. Students and families everywhere will face unforeseen challenges in the coming school year – but they don’t have to face it alone. We have been praying for God’s blessing on many different fronts this week, but the greatest thing we could ask is that students come to know and trust Jesus for themselves. With Christ in their hearts, they are equipped to weather the storms of life – not just over the next year, but for a lifetime!
While some schools may not be able to openly proclaim the gospel as a part of their curriculum, there is nothing that can stop the Spirit of God from speaking to the hearts of kids and students, drawing them toward Jesus, and leading them to trust and follow him as disciples. Let’s pray that students everywhere would experience a life-changing encounter with Jesus and receive the good news of the gospel for themselves!
Practice: Make this your own
Let’s focus our prayers into three specific groupings, knowing that God often meets people in unique ways given their stage of life.
Pray for Kids
Pre-K and Elementary-age children are deeply impressionable – they soak up everything! Pray that the gospel of the Kingdom of God and Jesus would be “impressed on their hearts and minds” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Pray that God would send people to share Christ with them in a way they can understand. Pray that they would literally have “faith like a child” and come to know, love, follow Jesus for life!
Pray for Middle School & High School Students
History would suggest that Jesus’ early disciples were likely teenagers, so there’s no telling what can happen when God grabs hold of a student’s heart! Pray for these teenagers to experience the Spirit of God for themselves, renewing and changing them, and calling them to Jesus. Pray for their hearts and minds to be seized with a vision of the Kingdom of God and that they would wholeheartedly respond to the invitation to follow Jesus.
Pray for Young Adults & College Students
There is a new wave of spiritual openness and renewal happening in Gen Z and at college campuses across our country. Pray that young adults and college students in our area would encounter the Risen Christ as they search for direction, meaning, and hope. Pray that God’s Spirit would bring revival, salvation, and healing to gatherings of these students, and that they would be seized by the love of God and filled with boldness to share with others.