This past FNF we had a special prayer night that the large group coordinator & I planned together. I was really excited about this night, because I really like praying and praying together with others for significant amounts of time about different topics. While we were planning, the large group coordinator and I each kept having ideas where the other would then say, "I was thinking that too!" "I was just about to suggest that verse!" I felt that God was really with us in the planning process, giving us ideas.
What we came up with was a type of mini-prayer walk with four different prayer focuses- national, international, the Dickinson campus, and DCF. We split the fellowship into three groups and had three different stations on the academic quad where we prayed, then all came back together inside for the final focus.
The national station was at the flagpole. We shared the verse Colossians 4:2, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Some of our suggestions for prayer topics were the economy, the government, 2012 presidential elections, and the military.
The Dickinson campus station was at the statue of Benjamin Rush- the founder of our college who is often referred to by our college president and in various Dickinson lore. The verse shared was Psalm 37:7, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." Being still and focusing on God is not a common or easy task for students under academic stress, which many are feeling as we're entering the home stretch of the semester. We prayed for students under stress, President Durden and other administrators, faculty, Christian students on campus, and that the students at Dickinson would come to know God.
The international station was the porch of the Stern Center for Global Education. The windows on the front of the building are outlined by stain glass flags from around the world. Here we shared the verse Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." We acknowledged that we often feel helpless in the face of international disasters and political and civil unrest, however we can always lift up these events to God, such as the situation in Libya, the Ivory Coast, Japan, turmoil in the world in general as well as brothers and sisters in Christ located around the world.
After alternating through these stations on the academic quad, we returned to Weiss (our usual location for FNF, Memorial Hall, is under construction) gathered into a circle, held hands, and prayed for DCF. We ended the time with the Lord's Prayer.
Students enjoyed having the opportunity to pray for all of these different spheres. It reminded them of needs in the world outside of themselves, how much their friends and others need Jesus, and the need for prayer in general. I know that it blessed me to pray in this way, to pray with students about these things and hear them pray with caring hearts.
I encourage you to pray as well. Pray for our world, pray for our nation, pray for Dickinson Christian Fellowship and the Dickson campus. Something I came across today on the Dickinson website was that the original seal Benjamin Rush and John Dickinson came up with for the college features a liberty cap, a telescope and an open Bible. Although the seal remains the same today, God is not part of the fabric of the college. I have heard from students and faculty of hostility against Christianity on campus. Here is a quote regarding what the seal represents from college's website:
"It represents a mission that has been ingrained in Dickinson College for nearly 225 years: to offer students a useful and progressive education in the arts and sciences, an education grounded in a strong sense of civic duty to become citizen-leaders."Please pray for the part of the seal that is that is now lacking from the mission, that students come to know God's love and become leaders in Christ. Pray that we would be lights of God's love that shine in the darkest of places on campus.
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." - Ephesians 6:18
No comments:
Post a Comment