Category: 30 Days of Prayer for Our College Students

“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.

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7 NASB)

“The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” (Proverbs 11:25 NASB)

God is a generous God! How gracious and abundant He is with His blessings.  It is amazing to think that, as His children, He has given us the ability to have generous hearts as well.  Ask God today to pour down blessings on college students you know so they may be generous to others.  Whether it’s money, belongings, forgiveness, time, compassion, or grace, pray today that students would imitate God’s generous heart in their interactions with the people around them.

“Open my eyes so that I can see all the wonderful things
in your teachings.” (Psalm 119:18 ESV)

“I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.”  (Psalm 119:16 ESV)

No matter how a child is raised, there come a point when they have to make decisions on their own.  How comforting though to know that we aren’t really alone!  God walks with us and has given us His wisdom through His Word.  Today, ask God to instill in college students a passion and love for His Word.  Pray that God’s Word would lead and guide them, comfort them in troubles, overwhelm them with His grace when they mess up, and challenge them to share His love with others.  Pray that students would be in His Word each day and find others to study with as a way to be strengthened in their walk with Jesus.

BONUS: Send a college student you know a little note today (snail mail is the best, but text or email work great too) simply sharing something God’s been teaching YOU in His Word lately and a reminder that you are praying for them. 

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)

Today, spend some time in prayer asking God to give college students you know the wisdom, motivation, and focus they need to work hard and be diligent in all they do while in college.  This goes much deeper though than “being a good student” or “working hard.”  Pray that students listen to God each day to show them how they need to spend their time.  This can give them a sense of purpose as they do what Jesus calls them to each day.   Some days that might be working hard on their studies, other times He may call them to love on people around them who are in need of Christ’s compassion.  Pray as they make decisions about majors and careers that God would lead them to decisions based upon where He can use their gifts and abilities in this world to make a difference for Him, whether that’s in a mechanic’s shop, a cancer research center, a daycare, or a business office.  Wherever they are and whatever they do, they have a chance to do it to God’s glory.  Pray that what they do today, and every day of the rest of their lives, would be done not out of pressure and expectations from others, but rather with a heart desiring to serve the Lord.

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9-11 NIV)

When we think of “purity,” often our minds go automatically to sexual purity.  While that is an important aspect of purity and something to pray about for your child; purity runs even deeper.  It’s purity of the mind and the heart as well as the body.  Sometimes we get a distorted picture of purity as something we can “loose” but the truth is, in our sinful state, purity is something we never had; at least not until Jesus came to restore it.  A better way to think of this issue is like this Psalm says, “a path of purity”.  Throughout our lives we’ll wander off this path from time to time, but God is always ready and willing to lead us back.  Pray through the passage above for the college students you know.  Ask God to help them live according to His word and hide his Word in their hearts to help them in times where it’s tempting to wander away from a life of purity.  Pray for protection against Satan who desires to steal, kill, and destroy their purity.  Ask God to make His grace and forgiveness clear in the moments when students may wander off His path for them.

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
(Philippians 4:11-12 NIV)

The better cell phone. The bigger TV.  The newest laptop. The most beautiful/handsome girlfriend/boyfriend. The easier classes.  The “in-group” of friends.  The best brands.  We live in a society that breeds discontent.  We’re told that if we get the newest, the biggest, the best, that we will be satisfied.  Sadly, as we seek after those things, we’re always left wanting more.   In the book of Psalms, God tells us why:

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”  (Psalm 90:14 NRSV)

We’re left wanting more because we’re seeking satisfaction in all the wrong places.  Renee Swope, in her book A Confident Heart says, “Until God’s love is enough, nothing else will be.”  The “secret” to being content that Paul talked about in the Philippians passage is being 100% secure in God’s love. When we are satisfied completely in God’s steadfast, never-ending, always-enough love, we will be content.  Pray that college students would find contentment and satisfaction in Christ.