United in Prayer

     Recently in my hometown there was a tragedy that brought many students of the town together for prayer. One of their fellow students passed away and the prayer vigils that were organized were a great thing. However, this caused me to ask a question. How do we reconcile the fact that students will come together to love, support, and pray for one another in tragedy but will not heed the call of God to do the same? 

     Please listen, I'm not saying that these prayer vigils are bad by any means. I thank God that we have a community of students, and community of parents that will come together in times of trouble. However, I pray that this isn't the only time or reason that we will come together to pray. 

     This year, 2016, on September 28, is See You at the Pole. On this day during the week of Global Student Prayer, we have been asked to come together as one, united and pray for our schools, our towns, our government, our leaders, and whatever else is on our hearts. This happens every year and during my years at Harrisonville High, I think that I went 3 times. I'm pretty sure there was one year that we didn't even have it at all, for lack of organization. The three times I did go there was very little turn out compared to any time there was a prayer vigil or even an FCA meeting. 

     I'm calling on our students that have positions of leadership, official or not, to organize events at your school, or on your campus, this is a time where we can come together to love and support one another, and most of all pray together.  Do not doubt the importance of praying together:

     “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

     “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

-Matthew 18:18-20

     Jesus, Himself called us to pray together, and He told us that if we agree on something and pray for it, it will be done! Take caution here though, don't test God (Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7). When Jesus taught us how to pray, He taught to praise God, ask His will to be done, for our daily provision, for the forgiveness of our sins as we forgive those who sin against us, and not to lead us to temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13). 

     Students, I'm calling on you to rise to the challenge and make sure you get this set up at your school! Our teachers have been limited in their ability to help, take initiative! Work together as one body to get this set up; showing up as five different, or however many groups, to do the same thing and not coming together to do this will show division among the Church. Division will drive away new or possible believers. 

     If you can, this is a great opportunity for donuts and worship, and/or outreach also. Make it work for your school! Don't miss out on this opportunity to have fellowship together as one!

     If you need help getting resources in order for this, feel free to contact your youth leader, or myself and we can do our best to help you. We won't make any promises other than to do our best to help where and how we can! We've got a month before the big day, let's be ready!