I love Bible studies and evangelistic outreaches! I think all of those things are great, but if they come at the expense of prayer, then they can actually be a hinderance to our ministry. Of course we should study the Bible! But when it comes to campus ministries (what you actually do on campus), if your goal is to impact your school in any way, it will come first and foremost through prayer.
What you may not know about me is that I led a campus ministry at my school my senior year. During that year, I did every kind of Bible study and evangelistic outreach I could conceive! I wanted to see a move of God in my school where every student was saved (revival). I shared the gospel in front of several classrooms (flat out, with the teacher's permission), I carried a literal 8 foot cross into the commons of my school to start conversation, I preached on the lunch table in front of hundreds, we even saw a lost person get physically healed, yet no one was saved and my impact was minimal. 5 years later, my school is no different. I sowed for an immediate harvest with no foundation or longevity.
I was fighting in the flesh a battle that has to be won in the heavens first. I didn't understand the importance and necessity of prayer! Since then, I have come to understand how prayer actually changes history and how in the short years we are in school, we can have eternal impact through our prayers. Prayer paves the way. Imagine revival coming to your school preceded by years of prayer, and you started that prayer meeting 5 or 6 years ago! This isn't a story. It's real!
Scripture is clear about the importance and power of prayer. Here is just a brief list of verses you can look at yourself where the power of prayer is demonstrated:
2nd Chronicles 7:14
Joel 2
Daniel 9-10
Luke 18:1-8
1 Timothy 2:1-2
Philippians 4:6
1 Thessalonians 5:17
James 5:16
These and many other passages clearly show the power of prayer and how it wins the most important battle in the heavens. When an entire nation was in crisis, God's command was to repent from apathy and return to the place of prayer! Why not in our schools? Prayer is not illegal in school so long as it is student-led. And when God's people give themselves to authenticity and prayer, God promises to move on our behalf and send blessing in the place of judgement.
Again, I love service projects and evangelistic outreaches, but we will be infinitely and eternally more effective if we do those things from the place of prayer. If we establish prayer as our foundation, then we are fighting like Daniel in the heavens, moving God's heart with our prayers. Imagine Christian students in several schools in Kansas City moving God's heart with their prayers!!!! Sign me up!
How do we pray? Simply. We don't have to pray long or loud prayers in old-english King James vocabulary with our "prayer voice." God hears our prayers! God is actually attentive to your prayers, personally. So pray personally. If you are struggling for what to pray, pick a scripture to pray. John Piper says that prayer is "wielding the Word," because scripture is our weapon, and prayer is how we best wield it. Prayer becomes more and more comfortable with practice.
What would happen if we prayed to God like He hears us and wants to move in our schools? What if the battle in the heavens was won in prayer and the gospel spread like wildfire through our schools? All we have to do is pray.
So why not pray? If God desires to move in our schools and all we have to do is partner with him in prayer, then what are we waiting for? If we give ourselves to prayer in our schools, we will see a massive shift in the culture trends in both the Christian students and non-believing students.
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