Sunrise

The road the righteous travel is like the sunrise, getting brighter and brighter until daylight has come. (Proverbs 4:18 GNB)

Today's meditation:

• Relentless pursuit of long-term goals, like education and service, bring vast rewards but need constant encouragement along the way.

Pray today:

• For faculty and staff who begin pre-planning workshops and activities for the new school year, for them to get progressively better at their work with each passing day, for them to discern the needs of our students and have insight and sensitivity to meet those needs.
• For faculty to prepare effective lessons and methods, for new faculty to assimilate quickly, for all faculty to be ready for the first day of class, to be innovative in their teaching.
• For staff training and preparation this week to help us be ready to meet the many challenges our students face, for best methods to assist those who will need academic help, for others who will need emotional and relational guidance, for still others who will need spiritual re-birth and discipleship, for all our students to develop day by day towards their full potential.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Faithful People

I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people. (Psalm 52:9 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Faithful people are people of praise.

Pray today:

• And give praise for the Lord is faithful to us his children, give thanks for all he has done for us, give thanks for each miracle of mercy and provision.
• And give praise and thanks for his faithfulness to Emmanuel College, give thanks for the growing stream of graduates who are salt and light to a desperate and confused world.
• And trust him, lifting his name high above all others for his name is Lord of Hosts, his name is Savior, his name is Comforter. O praise our God today - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Blessing

From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people. (Psalm 3:8 NIV)

Today's meditation:

• Cuts and bruises, pain and discomfort, all part of life, but ultimately the Lord delivers his people.  

Pray today:

• For God's deliverance, sooner than later, in his perfect timing, with our complete cooperation, not interfering, but affirming his perfect plan.
• For students, staff and faculty to be delivered from our doubt and other unproductive thoughts and actions, for the lost to be delivered from their sins, for believers to be delivered from their anxieties.
• For God's blessing to rest upon students, staff and faculty of Emmanuel College, blessed for service, blessed to mentor and be mentored, blessed to share the Gospel by the lives we live and the words we speak.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Save Me

Come, Lord! Save me, my God! You punish all my enemies and leave them powerless to harm me. (Psalm 3:6 GNB)

Today's meditation:

• Accepting God's plan requires us to accept the less comfortable moments in his plan. 

Pray today:

• For God to save and rescue us as needed throughout the journey because we often find ourselves in tight spots, sometimes of our own making and sometimes because he's placed us exactly where we need to be.
• For those who mean us harm to be powerless to do so, for the enemy of our soul, the devil, to be defeated in the war over Emmanuel College.
• For great rejoicing in each battle because God saves.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

All Around

I will not be afraid of multitudes of people who have set themselves against me all around. (Psalm 3:6 MEV)

Today's meditation:

• Although opposition may be all around, the presence of the Holy Spirit is all around me.

Pray today:

• For Emmanuel College to be effective in its mission of education and service, for us to be wise in dealing with others, especially those who oppose us or wish us harm.
• For the Emmanuel family to never waver in our trust in God to deliver us, for anxiety to dissolve like mist in the morning sun, for clear and confident hope in God's protection.
• For the perfect peace of our Lord to defend us against every anxiety and worry, for joyful praise to constantly be on our lips in every circumstance and on every occasion. 

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Watching Over Me

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me. (Psalm 3:5 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Sleeping or waking, in the heat of battle or during a moment of respite, we have the assurance that God is watching over us. 

Pray today:

• For Emmanuel College to be kept safe and sound in the Lord's hands, for nothing to interrupt its mission, for students to flock to the College in ever larger numbers.
• For staff and faculty to get adequate rest and to find time for necessary preparations as they make plans to open a new school year in August.
• For needs and concerns to be placed in God's capable hands, for worries and anxieties to be banished by his mighty power.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

He Answered Me

I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. (Psalm 3:4 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• There are times to pray quietly and then there are times to cry out to God with urgency and great emotion. He eagerly listens to both. 

Pray today:

• And cry out to him for rescue, for him to deliver Emmanuel College from the intentions of the evil one, for us to look up and see the salvation of the Lord.
• For us to listen carefully for the Lord's answers to our prayers and to obey.
• For us to have faith that the answers are on the way as we continue to pray without ceasing.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

A Shield Around Me

So many are saying, "God will never rescue him." But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. (Psalm 3:2-3 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Human eyes are limited and cannot see God's bigger picture unless we focus on God himself in whom anything is possible.

Pray today:

• For the people of Emmanuel College to resist the urge to run ahead of God, but to stay safely behind his shield of protection.
• For us to fight off human weaknesses of fatigue, anxiety, and discouragement, for our trust in God to be unshaken, and as the heat of battle increases, pray our faith grows stronger.
• For us to allow God to encourage us by his very presence and through his Word alive in us, for  our gaze to be always upward, for us through him to be encouraged.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Rejoice in the Lord

So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure. (Psalm 32:11 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Our motives are pure and our hearts on fire to serve the Lord and obey him in all we do. 

Pause to give praise today:

• Give praise today for the Lord is good. 
• Be glad in the Lord.
• Shout for joy. Rejoice in the Lord.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Raise the Banner

Go through, go through the gates! Make the way ready for the people. Build up, build up the road! Move all the stones off the road. Raise the banner as a sign for the people. (Isaiah 62:10 NCV)

Today's meditation:

• As the prophet declared over Israel for a way to be made ready, in the same manner, we declare over Emmanuel College for a way to be prepared that overcomes the challenges of the present and launches the opportunities of the future.

Pray today:

• For those who labor to build and shore up the foundations of the College, for them to open a clear path, for every obstacle to be removed.
• For those who will come to the College, whether students, employees or visitors, to see the Lord, high and lifted up on the praises of his people.
• For the College to raise a banner as praise to the Lord but also as a symbol of God's sovereignty over us and our commitment to serve him with unwavering devotion.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

No Rest from Your Prayers

And give Him no rest [from your prayers] until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise on the earth. (Isaiah 62:7 AMP)

Today's meditation:

• Although Isaiah prophesies about God's intention to restore Jerusalem, he also implores the people to pray persistently for it to happen which translates to our priority action as the people of God.

Pray today:

• For Emmanuel College to be transformed by the power of God into the place he intends for her to be, for the people of God to pray for it without ceasing.
• For Emmanuel College to be a place of refuge and a place of power, a fount of learning and a channel of change, a place of preparation and a conduit for commissioning Christ-followers.
• For Emmanuel College to be a locus of praise for who God is, for what he has done, and for what he is yet to do.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Pray Day and Night

O  Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. (Isaiah 62:6 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Progress sometimes creates a mental lull as if the task is complete, but do not let down your guard. Pray all the harder until the job is done and the future becomes the present.

Pray today:

• And give thanks for those who have prayed and interceded continually for Emmanuel College, give thanks for answers to prayer, give thanks for miracles, give thanks that God is with us.
• For our prayer partners to take no rest from their intercession for Emmanuel College, for them to continue to call upon the Lord, seeking greater favor and increased blessing upon the College.
• For more to join the prayer chorus offered day and night on behalf of Emmanuel College, for more prayer today over weighty decisions and for key decision-makers.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Your Children Will Commit

Your children will commit to you, O Jerusalem, just as a young man commits himself to his bride. Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. (Isaiah 62:5 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Half-hearted commitment will not do, but giving ourselves completely to the Lord and his work will cause him to rejoice over us. 

Pray today:

• For our students to commit to learning, for them to work hard to develop their God-given talents and potential, for them to develop the skills and knowledge to propel them toward purpose-driven lives.
• For our staff and faculty to commit as never before to the development of the young lives placed in our care, for them to teach, mentor, counsel, and comfort, for them to pray and intercede such that none are lost.
• For our supporters to commit to deeper levels of prayer for Emmanuel College, for them to have greater influence both inside and outside our support network, for an abundance of financial gifts and other material resources to pay the debt but also launch new outreach and service opportunities.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

In the Hand of God

The Lord will hold you in his hand for all to see - a splendid crown in the hand of God. (Isaiah 62:3 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• In the hand of God - the place to be!

Pray today:

• For all our plans for the future to be shaped by the hand of God. 
• For the new academic year before us to be directed by the hand of God.
• For students, staff, faculty, trustees, and supporters to see the hand of God beckoning and to follow.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

I will not stop praying.

Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. (Isaiah 62:1 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Isaiah's determination to pray and work for a glorious Jerusalem of the future is an example to those of us who love Emmanuel College, who have a vision of how God will secure her future and expand her outreach.

Pray today:

• For those who love Emmanuel College to be active, to speak on her behalf, to rise up in support, to refuse defeat.
• For those who pray for the College to pray all the more, never ceasing to lift up the work, the ministry, and the people of Emmanuel.
• For the future of Emmanuel College to be brighter and greater than anything we imagine, to be directed by the hand of God, to be influential beyond her borders through those prepared and sent into the world. 

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Wisdom's Ways

And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my [wisdom's] ways are joyful. (Proverbs 8:32 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Wisdom's way is at times hard to follow like when less is more and back is forward.

Pray today:

• For College personnel who are continuing to work with the NCAA decision that didn't go our way last week, for the appeal process to be successful as it was last year, for the financial challenges that are blocking our way to be removed.
• For our coaches and athletic staff to overcome disappointment and soldier on, for our athletes to be patient and hopeful, for us to encourage one another like we would in the final quarter of a game where we need to come from behind to win.
• And give thanks for the possibility of an extension of provisional membership for another year, pray for wisdom to follow God's pathway forward through all the options available to us, and be joyful in the Lord knowing that his ways are better than ours.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Songs of Victory

For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. (Psalm 32:7 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• As the battle rages, we have ups and downs, at times we retreat and at other times we advance, yet always with a song because victory is ours eventually.

Pray today:

• For confidence to increase as we move from battle to battle, for trust in God to prevail regardless of outcomes, to hear him singing over us, to join the chorus and sing with all our hearts.
• For us to run to God when we need rest from our exertions of mind, body and spirit, to hide in him when we need replenishment.
• For us to rejoice in the Lord and give thanks for his kindness and favor, for his divine intervention in our lives, for his protection and victory.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Light and Truth

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. (Psalm 43:3 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• The more light we have the easier it is to find our way and arrive safely at our destination.

Pray today:

• For the students, staff, and faculty to open the windows of our emotions, minds, and souls to let in all the light of God we can hold, to move forward in that light toward God's will and plan for Emmanuel College.
• For God's guidance to be clear to us, for unflinching fortitude and resolve to follow.
• For students, graduates, staff, and faculty to be sent into the world as carriers of light and truth to places where darkness rules and truth is distorted, for them to be used by God to bring hope and salvation wherever they go.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Our Hope

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. (Psalm 33:22 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Let us never forget that our feelings do not dilute God's love for us because his love is abiding and ever constant regardless of how we feel.  

Pray today:

• For the Emmanuel family to be infused with hope, for them to resist human distractions, and instead, to focus on the Lord who loves us.
• For us to make wise choices by not succumbing to doubt, fear, and despair, for us to release negative emotions to make room for faith, courage, and hope that comes from the Lord.
• For many to see the bright hope for the future of Emmanuel College, for human design to give way to the Divine. 

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Wise Speech

From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive. (Proverbs 16:23 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• May our words, energized by the Holy Spirit, bring comfort when there is disappointment, instill courage when hearts are faint, and inspire action to do God's work God's way.  

Pray today:

• For Emmanuel College to find favor with others, for wise words to be spoken on our behalf, for the words of the wise to be persuasive in our favor among donors, agencies, and influential people.
• For wise words to be spoken throughout our campus in the upcoming academic year, for wise words in classrooms, in chapel, in residence halls, on playing fields, in planning sessions.
• For words of the wise to prevail during challenges, disagreements, and differences, for the Holy Spirit to guide us in every circumstance, every conversation, and every conclusion.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Search and Find

I [wisdom] love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. (Proverbs 8:17 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Wise choices have a way of bringing peace and contentment to those who make them. 

Pray today:

• For the Emmanuel leadership team to seek Godly wisdom, to allow our minds and emotions to be saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit.
• For the faculty and staff to find wisdom because they search for it, for them to rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide them in their work with each other and with our students.
• For our students to make wise choices because they seek and find the Lord who opens the way of wisdom to them.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

Lead with Wisdom's Help

Rulers lead with my [wisdom's] help, and nobles make righteous judgments. (Proverbs 8:16 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• There is human wisdom. Then, there is Godly wisdom in humans. Pray to always choose the latter. 

Pray today:

• For the myriad of decisions for the upcoming academic year to be guided by Spirit-led wisdom.
• For the Emmanuel leadership team to pray first over plans and decisions, for them to follow the Lord, praying continuously, whether the path is easy or difficult.
• For the vision for Emmanuel College to be clear, but at times when the next step is uncertain, for leaders and followers alike to trust in the Lord.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

In the Hands of God

He [Jesus] did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. (1 Peter 2:23 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• May we always place ourselves in the hands of God, always confident in his ability to guide and direct our steps.

Pray today:

• For the membership committee of the NCAA Division II who will meet this week on Tuesday and Wednesday to decide whether or not to admit Emmanuel College to full membership.
• For favor with the committee, for all who are involved in the process, for wisdom to prevail, for understanding and compassion.
• For God's will to be done, for peace and grace regardless of the outcome.

Pray First! Pray Through! 

You Alone Are the Lord

Then the leaders of the Levites . . . called out to the people: "Stand up and praise the Lord your God, for he lives from everlasting to everlasting!" Then they prayed: "May your glorious name be praised! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! You alone are the Lord." (Nehemiah 9:5-6 NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.
6. God-size your problems.
7. Work together.
8. Work hard.
9. Resist distractions.
10. Finish what you start.

Today's meditation:

• Never forget that no matter how well we perform or how much we do, God always does more - our source, our hope, our all in all.

Praise today:

• Yes, praise the everlasting God for what he has done through us to advance his kingdom and to work his will, for his sustenance, his mercy, his empowerment, his plan.
• Yes, praise God for what he alone has done for Emmanuel College, for the miracles that astonish us and reveal his awesome power, for the many times we have said, "That's not our doing. Only God!"
• Yes, praise the Lord for what he is yet to do for Emmanuel College, for the provision yet to come, for the work yet to be completed by him through us, for what he alone will do - so remarkable, so extraordinary that people will stand in awe and say, "You alone are the Lord."

Pray First! Pray Through!

Finish What You Start

So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they . . . realized this work had been done with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:15-16 NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.
6. God-size your problems.
7. Work together.
8. Work hard.
9. Resist distractions.
10. Finish what you start.

Today's meditation:

• Some say, "It can't be done." Others use the word impossible. But they fail to see what God can do with people who are determined to follow the Lord.

Pray today:

• For our students to be determined to finish their courses of study, especially those who may be contemplating dropping out of college, for them to enroll this fall and persist to graduation.
• For prospective students who still need to follow-through and finish their preparations to attend this fall, for those who will be at the Early Registration event today to be successful in finishing the process, for those who still hesitate to find the motivation to finish the process.
• For the Emmanuel family to keep working even when discouragement comes or fear attempts to paralyze, for us to work on, whether hard or easy, to finish what God has given us to do, for us to work through fatigue and hard times, to never give up, to never give in.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Resist Distractions

So Sanballat and Geshem sent a message asking me to meet them at one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them: "I am engaged in a great work, so I can't come." (Nehemiah 6:2-3a NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.
6. God-size your problems.
7. Work together.
8. Work hard.
9. Resist distractions.

Today's meditation:

• Don't get caught on the plain of Ono, where distractions sidetrack you into useless action and where regret abounds. Instead, say, "Oh, no. I can't come down." Focus on what matters most.

Pray today:

• For us to recognize distractions when they happen, for us to see the tricks of the enemy who intends to stop our vital work, for us to stay on task and maintain our momentum.
• For us to always do first things first, to focus on our priorities, to be keen on maximum effort for maximum results.
• For us to be able to tell the difference between detractors and supporters (not always easy to do) or between selfish complaints and genuine concerns (even harder to do), but to stay focused on the work and will of God.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Work Hard

We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. (Nehemiah 4:21a NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.
6. God-size your problems.
7. Work together.
8. Work hard.

Today's meditation:

• There are times to wait, rest, and be still, but there are far more action verbs in the Bible - like sow, reap, build, fight, go, grow - letting us know that we partner with God as workers in his vineyard and laborers for his harvest.

Pray today:

• For the employees of Emmanuel College to work diligently in their jobs, whether its teaching complex concepts or sweeping a floor, that we do well, that we do our part and let God do his.
• For students, staff, and faculty to see truth in the old saying that success is the result to prayer, perseverance, and perspiration, and may it be said of us that "the people had a mind to work" (Nehemiah 4:6).
• For the Emmanuel family to have energy and stamina for the long days ahead, for courage when the work is threatening, for persistence when results are less than satisfactory, for contentment when the harvest is bountiful. 

Pray First! Pray Through!

Work Together

Then I explained to the leaders and officials and to all the people, "The work is very spread out and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding." (Nehemiah 4:19-20 NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.
6. God-size your problems.
7. Work together.

Today's meditation:

• People in ministry together are people in community who work for each other and with each other, who help and defend one another, who are not self-serving but serving others.

Pray today:

• For the people of Emmanuel College to commit to following Jesus Christ in obedience to his call upon our lives and to fulfill the mission of our ministry together.
• For the faculty and staff of the College to discover and use the most appropriate methods of preparing our students for productive careers, life-long learning, and effective service.
• For the Emmanuel College community to strengthen our connectivity, to collaborate and cooperate for the purpose of helping our students integrate vibrant faith with what they are learning, that it may lead them to purposeful living.

Pray First! Pray Through!

God-size Your Problems

Then I looked over the situation, I called together the leaders and the people and said to them, "Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes." (Nehemiah 4:14 NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.
6. God-size your problems.

Today's meditation:

• To God-size a problem, you have to see it from God's perspective. "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14).

Pray today:

• For vision that sees every human challenge through the lens of God's almighty power and through our relationship as his children who are greatly loved.
• For fearlessness, that whether we are ordered to stand still or to fight, we obey knowing that we are in his care.
• For mental and emotional stamina growing from an ever-increasing confidence in our great and glorious Lord.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Use Common Sense

So I placed armed guards behind the lowest parts of the wall in the exposed areas. I stationed the people to stand guard by families, armed with swords, spears, and bows. (Nehemiah 4:13 NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.
5. Use common sense.

Today's meditation:

• Always a good idea to pray first, but every action doesn't require a word from the Lord. Some actions are just plain common sense.

Pray today:

• For common sense to always be on our guard for attacks from the enemy, to expect them, to not be surprised by them, to repulse them with the whole armor of God, especially the "sword of the Spirit which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17 NLT).
• For common sense to pray first, to pray through, to "pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion" (Ephesians 6:18a NLT).
• For common sense to stand together as the family of God, to work with each other, to be united in purpose, to "stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere" (Ephesians 6:18b NLT).

Pray First! Pray Through!

Do your complaining to God

Then I prayed, "Hear us, O our God, for we are being mocked." (Nehemiah 4:4 NLT)

Lessons from Nehemiah: Ten actions steps when the task before you is bigger than you.
1. Pray first.
2. Answer the call.
3. Take the first step.
4. Do your complaining to God.

Today's meditation:

• When we complain to God, we are talking to the one who can actually do something about the complaint, and he will either fix it or fix us.

Pray today:

• For determination in the face of opposition, for maturity of thought that recognizes there will always be opposing forces, but also offers a reality check that God is always with us. 
• For us to resist our fallen human nature and its tendency to influence us to complain, for us to develop an automatic response to turn to God with our complaints and to turn to others with words of encouragement.
• For us to do our complaining to God, to recognize that he understands our anguish, to accept his solace and peace whether or not circumstances change.

Pray First! Pray Through!