Praying for Students & Youth

For whatever reason, high school and college football games always start with a

marching band. The outfits, the steps and turns, the drums. What words come to mind when you think of a marching band? Loud, yes. Confident. Happy. Expecting a win!

So with the start of the school year just around the corner, how about we begin here in August with a marching-band-loud blare of prayer? Joyful. Thankful. Expectant. Confident that despite all the challenges young people face, God is about to do something big. But the power happens when we actually pray. That's when the music starts, and the big horns sound. And the best time to pray is right now. So if you are able, pause now and pray our students and youth:

Praise

• Thank the Father that young people reflect the fun, laughter and spontaneity of God far better than adults!

• Praise God that so many kids' lives have been changed this summer! Across our city there have been so many camps and extensive relational investment. Like what happened at Serve the City, a camp led collaboratively by four Columbus churches. Or at Common Ground, the largest Ukrainian Christian camp in the U.S. (happened right here in Central Ohio!) And literally countless more amazing camps and programs! Praise God!

  
  

Gratitude

• Think of the people God sent into your life when you were young. People who had no obvious reason to care – but did. Thank God for them! They may not even know the lasting impact they had upon you, but God used them to shape your life.

• And let's thank God for the thousands of adults who currently volunteer in organizations, churches and ministries that reach out to kids with the good news of Jesus. He has moved so many great people to get involved.

Expectancy

• Tomorrow's spiritual leaders are out there today. They might currently be only 13 years old. And don't yet understand the gospel. Or struggle with self-hate. Or worry they will get cut from the soccer team. But God is at work in young hearts, and in life after life, something is about to happen…

• God will definitely bless those who are stepping out with such bold faith to find ways to connect kids with the gospel. Like Parable Project, which takes middle school kids after school to ride bikes in metro parks, feeds them, and has real conversations about God.

Confidence

• Because God is on the throne. As Linworth Baptist Youth Pastor Jaydon Hill pointed out in a recent message, God's not pacing back and forth, wringing his hands, debating what to do next. He sits. He smiles. He knows. He wins.

• And we are confident that the church in Columbus thirty years from now will be amazing – beyond what we expect – because today, in faith, we invest in young people who will carry the torch.

Let the game begin!