There are several memories from being a high school student
in my church’s youth group that stand out above others. One of those moments was when one of the
youth leaders named Tara was speaking and she pulled, what appeared to be an
old folded note, out of her pocket. She
said, “this is my ‘game time’ list”. The edges of the paper were stained blue
from her jeans and it opened with ease as if it had been unfolded and refolded
a hundred times.
As she was unfolding the paper I could see that it was covered
in hand written names. She began to cry
a little bit but then quickly regained her composure and said “The reason why
I’m crying is because this is a list of my friends who I pray for to meet
Jesus”.
Tara explained that she prays for her friends everyday. She
encouraged us as students to pray for our friends that didn’t know Jesus. It was that week in grade 11 that I started
to pray through my yearbook every night. Praying for my friends from school
transformed my life. A passion for
evangelism and service welled up in my heart and when I prayed for my friends I
heard God speak to me about His love for them and his call on my life to be an
ambassador for Christ. As I began to
pray for my friends I saw the hand of God moving in my their lives. I remember praying everyday for my friend
Jared and how incredible it was when he decided to start following Jesus.
Today when I preach I remember that my persuasive words
cannot produce a lasting passion in side of the hearts of students. I can remind them that they are lights in
their schools and missionaries to their friends but unless God works in their
heart the passion will not last. When we create environments of prayer we
create an opportunity for them to catch a piece of God’s heart.
I am grateful for my youth leaders who created a culture of
prayer.
As a response to this short post, ask yourself, ‘how can I
create an culture of prayer in my youth ministry’?
Jason is the director of campusfire, a ministry partnering with local churches to empower high school students to reach their schools. Jason graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2010. He has been married to his best friend, Rachael, for two and a half years, and their mission in life is simple: to see students live out their faith in the midst of culture, and to encourage them to lead their friends to Jesus.
@jasonaballard
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