Here we are again. Student Life Camp 2015 is just shy of a week away for us and the excitement is starting to build. I'm excited to be joining my home church once again to lead these students alongside my mother and another adult leader from the church. I'm excited to see how the youth will grow more in their faith and with each other. And I'm excited to see how the Lord moves through them this week to what will be different as they exit the camp high and enter their lives once again. That is the ultimate goal. That they will continue to be radically changed by the Gospel and that it will influence every aspect of their life. As we prepare, here are 5 strategic ways to pray over the week:
1. Pray for the Students
Pray that the Lord may start working on the hearts and minds of the students now as they prepare to come. That the Lord will work in their hearts to grow a deeper desire for Him in them. That if they don't know the Lord, that He would open them up to His gracious gift of salvation through Him. Pray that they may continue to grow as a community and gain valuable fellowship through the games and time of study this week and the Lord be glorified more and more as they uplift one another as we are called to do.
2. Pray for the Leaders
Pray for the leaders of this week. Multiple leaders from multiple churches from across our country will be joining together this week. Pray that the Lord will work and use us in whatever form He deems fit for His will to be brought and for Him to ultimately receive all glory through our teaching and leading of the students throughout the week. Pray that we may gain rest and have strength because it can become an exhausting week at times. That we may have patience, grace, and love continually with the students and that we may be able to influence them for God's glory.
3. Pray for the Speaker
Pray for the speaker of this week, Tony Merida (brief background can be found here). Pray that the Lord may use Him and speak through Him to reach these students with the Gospel. Pray that he may be humbled before Him as he prepares and brings the Word of our Lord to us this week. Pray for his family as he leaves them this week that they may all have strength and comfort from our Lord during their separation for the week.
4. Pray for the Band
Pray for the worship band this week, Bellarive. Pray that their hearts may be prepared and put in a place of humility before the Lord that He may work through them as we sing praises to our God. That they may use their gifts continually through the week for the worship of our Lord and He may be honored and praised through our time together.
5. Pray for the Staff
Pray for the Student Life staff, encompassing many college students like myself and many others. This is probably going to be their third or fourth camp of the Summer, traveling week by week, setting up and tearing down stages and game areas and sleeping quarters. Pray that the Lord will strengthen them as they continue on in tiredness and pray that He may continue to use them in whatever measure for His glory as we enter this week. That the students may look to them as examples of our Savior and see how to grow in our faith even more by the example and impact they may leave on them.
Ultimately this week, pray for our Lord to be glorified by our praise and worship and teaching of His word. The games and car rides and time to just hang out with friends is fun, but pray that we may not get distracted from why we are there: to grow in our knowledge of our Lord, to see hearts turned to following Him ,that He may receive the glory due His name with the gracious gift He has blessed us with in knowing Him.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)
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