What Is 48 Hour Prayer?
It is a time when the whole campus gets together to pray for the nations. We pray for specific ministries in the US and abroad, we pray for missionaries that our campus body knows, and we pray for the unreached people who do not even know about Christ. For 48 hours in the middle of the spring semester, our campus comes together to pray. People can sign up for specific times or come when they please. We have a room dedicated to this prayer vigil, but you are more than welcome to pray anywhere! We literally have people praying around the clock so that there is no time within that 48 hours that is left without prayer. The purpose is not to show how dedicated we are to prayer but instead to intentionally set aside time to pray for our brothers and sisters.
It is a really unique time of camaraderie on campus, and I have benefited so much from it before. Unfortunately, I was not able to go last year because I was studying abroad (and then the pandemic started) which is why I am so excited for this year! Not only do I benefit from time spent in intentional prayer, but those laboring for Jesus abroad need all the encouragement and prayers they can get!
What Does 48 Hour Prayer Look Like?
The campus ministry department puts together a beautiful room with different stations. These stations feature specific organizations that they either have connections with or know need intentional or specific prayers. These organizations can be anything: orphanages, schools, organizations working with developing countries or refugees to make a livelihood, safehouses for people rescued out of trafficking, and more. Other stations might feature missionaries that our campus body may know personally. All of these stations are set up differently. Each station allows the person to pray in a bit of a different way. Prayer can be accomplished in many different ways. It can be written out, spoken, shouted, written in sand and wiped away, etc. Sometimes holding an object in your hand while you pray helps you to visualize what you are praying about.
Each of these stations offers a different way to pray. At least, that is how it was set up the last time I went. It may be different this year but that’s the beauty of it. You do not have to have a specific way you pray and you do not have to try new things but sometimes it is nice to try out something new and different.
These stations are just a sounding board. If you know someone and want to pray for them. By all means, please do! The beauty is simply found in the campus coming together to pray for the nations.
Why Is This Important For You?
I hope prayer is important to you. Even if it is not, our school is founded on prayer. We long to become more like Christ in everything we do. As a Christian college our mission is to serve the Lord while we attain a higher education. 48 Hour Prayer simply reminds us why we are here. Yes we are here for our education, but we are also here to shine the light of the gospel for Christ. Many of us will graduate college and be taken on a wildly different journey in life than we could have ever imagined. Having a good foundation in the Lord is important. And intentional prayer is one facet of having that solid foundation.
This year I am looking forward to the 48 Hour Prayer, not only because it brings our campus together, but because it also allows our purpose here as a college to really step to the forefront. When we are united in Christ, nothing can stand in our way. Physically, life goes on outside of the 48 Hour Prayer. Classes are not canceled. We do not skip meals. BUT something so much more important is going on. We are waging war against the Enemy and his Evil Ones. This is not to say that we, as Christians, are not fighting every day of our lives, however, we are fighting in a collective, united front for 48 hours. When we intentionally stop to pray and intentionally pray for specific organizations and peoples it is much harder to be led astray.
