Category: College Ministry

“This is what the Lord says:  ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.  But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.’ ” (Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV)

Trust is something that is hard for all of us.  This is probably due mostly to the fact that we’ve all had our trust broken by someone throughout our lives and it makes us doubt if there is anything or anyone worth trusting, even God.  As we see in the passage above though, a life of trust is really a beautiful life!  Can you imagine resting in a life without fear or worries, a life in which we never fail to get done what God is calling us to?  THAT is a life of trust.  While many things are important, I think the main thing God desires from us, is to simply trust him.

Trust is especially difficult for young adults because the future is so unknown.  Finishing school, starting a career, getting married, having kids… all of this is swirling around in the minds of college students, sometimes all at once. Pray today that students would simply be able to trust in the midst of all of that.  Ask God to reveal His faithfulness to them and give them a heart to trust Him no matter what life brings.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love
and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7 ESV)

One time when Jesus was out on a boat with His disciples, a HUGE storm came up.  It was so scary that the disciples literally thought they would die.  Meanwhile, Jesus is sleeping in the back of the boat.  In what I imagine was a nonchalant manner, Jesus simply gets up, tells the wind and the waves to be still (which they do!), and then turns to His disciples and says “Why are you so afraid?”.   I don’t know what storms have come or will come in each student’s college career, but when they do come, often fear accompanies them.  Sometimes the storms are full of good things, but having to make so many decisions paralyzes us in fear and keeps us from making ANY decision.  Other times we’re afraid of how a relationship will turn out or whether we’ll get everything done by the end of the semester.  No matter what is tempting students to be afraid, pray today that they’d be reminded that God doesn’t give a spirit of fear but rather one of POWER, LOVE, and SELF-CONTROL.  Ask God to remind them of that power and help them live lives unafraid.  Pray that they would have hearts that would be quick to turn to Jesus who is right there with them in the boat when storms threaten to destroy.  Ask God to reveal His presence and His power in the situations they face today.

“O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34 NRSV)

Our God truly is good.  His love lasts forever and ever.  He is around us each and every day and despite the struggles we face, there are always things we can be thankful for.  Today spend some time in prayer thanking God for the ways you see His goodness around you, especially in or through the life of a college student you know.  What about these students can you give God thanks and praise for?  After you spend time thanking God, ask Him to give the students a heart of gratitude.  Pray that their eyes would be opened to the countless ways God is at work around and in them every day and that He would receive the praise for all good things in their lives.  Pray the above verse inserting a college student’s name and maybe a situation you know is challenging for them right now (e.g. roommate difficulties, a difficult class, a tough professor, etc.).  Pray that even on the tough and challenging days they would be thankful to God for His great love for them.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NASB)

Sometimes I think we underestimate prayer.  We say our “Come, Lord Jesus” and our “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep”, put a check mark next to “pray” on our to do list, and head on to the next thing.  Hopefully if you’ve been consistent in praying for college students, you’re beginning to see answers.  God has given us this wonderful gift to be able to talk to Him and listen to Him through prayer.  Today ask God to help the college students you know to be men or women of prayer—ones who seek God daily for wisdom, encouragement, comfort, forgiveness, hope, and truly all they need.  Pray that they would bring their requests before God knowing that he hears and answers.  Ask God to also give them open ears to hear what He has to say to them.  Pray that He would give them a heart that is often prompted to pray for and with other people in their colleges and universities and that they could use prayer as a way to draw people closer to Christ.

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”  (Colossians 1:11-12 ESV)

Perseverance and encouragement are two things that I believe student can ALWAYS use prayers for!  Every day things come up that will try to discourage them and pull them away from what’s important.  Ask God to surround them with the people and things that will encourage them and give them a spirit of perseverance.  Pray that they’d be able to keep at their studies as well as their time with Him.  Think about ways you might be able to encourage a college student today and remind them how loved and precious they are, both to you and to God, in the midst of whatever joys and challenges they may be experiencing right now.