“For nearly a hundred years the Church in America observed a day of united prayer for God to awaken and revive our colleges. At a time when the spiritual needs of our nation and world are so great, and so many are calling for more student prayer, is there any reason why this historic day of prayer should not continue?” (From the CDOP website.)
Why Even Pray for Campuses of Higher Education?
Do you realize that most great moves of God in the last 300 years—spiritual revivals and great awakenings have had their roots in the younger generation, especially those who were on college campuses and prayed. From the late 1700s to the 1970s we see movements from England to America followed this pattern.
David Smithers, in his insightful article “Awakening on Campuses” points out that he believes God uses young people in this way “because He can’t freely move through an older generation’s extra-biblical rules and expectations. God prefers to work through those who are small enough, simple enough, and even flawed enough to erase all the debate over who did what…God’s glory shines brightest through a humble heart!” Yet, he is quick to point out that “God typically works through a shared partnership between the older and younger generations.”
In Justin Christopher’s inspiring article “God is Moving Now!” he traces the historical significance of praying for revival on a college campus. This birthed a prayer movement at his university, the University of Texas, which since has led to a doubling of students involved in the campus Christian community, a campus-wide prayer strategy, a permanent house of prayer on campus, unity in mission among campus pastors, prayer rooms and movements at other universities, and eventually the rebirth of the Collegiate Day of Prayer.
Noting the prevalence of 24-hour prayer tents on campuses now, he states, “The spiritual atmosphere around a campus that is being prayed for 24 hours a day is radically different.” Interestingly, Christopher notes that on campuses where prayer movements begin, “prayer leads to mission.” This then, leads us to conclude that we can further our mission through prayer.
Jeremy Story of Campus Renewal Ministries states, “The reality is that almost every major spiritual awakening in America began among college students…Christian students are the pivot point for great transformation or great evil in our nation.” It is commonly stated that as the colleges go, so goes the nation. So how do we want the nation to go? What would happen if we all would go to our knees on behalf of the faculty, staff and students of these campuses—even just on this one day per year?
Why Pray Specifically for Ratio Christi?
Ratio Christi is uniquely positioned as an apologetics campus ministry and is chartered with the mandate to serve other ministries. Our end game is evangelism informed and empowered by apologetics. We desire to see as many of our students receive the designation “Legatus Christi” — Ambassador of Christ — as possible.
As ambassadors both on their campuses and in the disciplines in which they will eventually work, they will be well equipped to bring the light and reason of Christ to a dark and deceived world. As we defend truth and Christianity at the University, RC wishes to train students to be winsome ambassadors for Christ, ready to meet the intellectual challenges against Christ, prepared to evangelize the lost, and equipped to teach others.
In fact, if each RC chapter produced just two Legatus Christi students each year, and those two individuals each taught just two other people per year what they had been taught, and those four new evangelists each taught two more per year, and so on—in ten years we would see nearly one million trained ambassadors for Christ. The way we are training for evangelism is key to unlocking the current and future culture’s intellectual barrier to belief. It has also been said that “prayer is the most vital force in world evangelism.”
How to Register for the Collegiate Day of Prayer:
• Sign up as a participant online.
• Set a time, place, manner in which you, your family, your church will participate; use the CDOP website’s resources, create your own and/or incorporate our suggestions specifically for RC on campus.
How to Pray for RC Chapters on their campuses in particular:
• All RC chapters have been encouraged to participate—pray that they will.
• For RC chapters to use CDOP this as an outreach opportunity to other campus ministries who may not have heard about the CDOP and to local churches to invite them to invest in local college students through prayer.
• For this to be a bonding opportunity for the chapter—to strengthen their resolve and effectiveness for the kingdom.
• For Chapter Directors’ supporters to use this as an opportunity to pray for them and their students.
• For our students to become young women and men of prayer as well as apologetics.
• For God to strategically use RC students as a part of prayer and spiritual awakening on their campuses.
Some of the following prayer requests are adapted from Jeremy Story:
• For a revelation of Jesus and righteousness among college administrators, faculty and staff and that RC Chapter Directors, faculty advisors and students would be key vessels in this.
• For religious freedom on campus to not only be protected but to flourish and especially for free speech of our RC students to be protected; pray for Alliance Defending Freedom who is helping RC and other campus ministries with legal issues related to these rights.
• Pray for a harvest of Kingdom ministers in every vocation and field of study and for God to strategically place our RC Legatus Christi recipients especially in positions of influence.
(Be sure to visit the CDOP website at www.collegiatedayofprayer.org for more background and info. Thehistorical precedence alone should be enough to encourage your involvement.)
If you’d like to become a strategic prayer partner for Ratio Christi on an ongoing basis, please visit our Boosters/Pray page and sign up there.
To read encouraging articles on spiritual awakening on the college campus, visitwww.prayerconnect.net and subscribe to the January/February 2015 magazine issue.
Julie Loos is the Director of Ratio Christi Boosters, the community outreach arm of the campus apologetics ministry. She also serves as the College Groups Facilitator for Moms in Prayer International encouraging moms who pray for college kids and campuses to pray intentionally and strategically. She has a heart for the campus as that was where her faith was solidified and she has one son in college and one on the way next year. She lives in the St. Louis area and enjoys coffee, chocolate and working out.
