Through Me

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Some people say we should never show weakness, but weakness is nearly impossible to hide. The best move is to offer our weakness to Jesus, the only one who can actually use the inadequate to create the glorious.

Pray today:

• For our weakness to be transformed to strength, but when it isn't, for the power of Christ to break through.
• For persistence in prayer that doesn't depend on answers we expect in order to keep praying, but on our faith in God and our willingness to accept his answers whether we like them or not.
• For the power of Christ to work through students, staff and faculty, through the Board of Trustees, through alumni and other supporters, through the legal team and the prayer team, through every challenge and every win, through complete trust in Jesus working through me.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Right Words

Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. (Proverbs 18:20 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Words are powerful. They can start revolutions, inspire courageous action, create painful division, but the right words can cut through the thickest differences and bring resolution and peace.

Pray today:

• For important conversations occurring weekly, sometimes daily, with individuals who have the power to be part of the solution to Emmanuel's debt challenge.
• For a significant meeting this Thursday to be covered in prayers for all the participants, for wise words to dominate the conversation, for the right words to be spoken.
• For words to turn into actions that bring results which align perfectly with God's plan.

Pray First! Pray Through!

They Will Pray

And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. (2 Corinthians 9:14 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Praying for one another is a privilege for people in God's grace.

Pray today:

• For the Vision 4 Education Celebration (formerly Feast of Ingathering) sponsored by the Women's Ministries of the IPHC to be held on the Emmanuel College campus in three weeks, for God's richest blessings upon the ladies of the IPHC.
• For their final weeks of preparation, for God to bless and multiply their gifts to Emmanuel College.
• For their sincere and loving prayers to be answered, for their acts of kindness to be rewarded.

Pray First! Pray Through!

What God Wants

Then Jesus went about a stone's throw away from them. He kneeled down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want."(Luke 22:42 NCV)

Today's meditation:

• Jesus provides the example for us, especially commitment to God's call and submission to his sovereignty.

Pray today:

• For our desires to be one with God's will, regardless of the tensions we feel or the troubles we must endure.
• For Emmanuel's leadership, and for those who have come alongside us to help, to work with diligence, perseverance, and faith over the next eight months to solve the issues created by our debt.
• For a long view that sees beyond the suffering of the present time, for a vision held close of a bright and glorious future in a life after debt, for patience and calm endurance in the meantime.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Listen

Listen! Wisdom is calling out. Reason is making herself heard. (Proverbs 8:1 GNB)

Today's meditation:

• Humans are often caught in the struggle between desire and reason, the former sometimes leading us to poor decision-making, the latter often saving us from ourselves.

Pray today:

• For all our students to heed wise words and gain understanding, for them to grow and learn, for them to master concepts and ideas from their studies, for them to tame desire and follow sound reasoning.
• For our faculty to have energy and wisdom to navigate mid-term, for them to guide our students in learning and preparation for testing.
• For our staff to find strength and discernment to be of help to all our students, for our residence life staff especially, for them to have insight as they live and work beside our students and to be helpers and guides along the way. 

Pray First! Pray Through!

Wisdom Calls

On the hilltops near the road and at the crossroads [wisdom] calls; "I appeal to all of you; I call to everyone on earth. Are you immature? Learn to be mature. Are you foolish? Learn to have sense." (Proverbs 8:2-5 GNB)

Today's meditation:

• People, especially college students, often stand at the crossroads of decision with clear choices between right or wrong, good or evil. Pray for clear-headed thinking and mature action.

Pray today:

• For our students who are approaching mid-term next week, for foolishness to be put away, for good decision-making, for self-discipline and focus to prepare well.
• For our students who may be struggling academically to make sensible decisions to reach out to appropriate sources for help, for them to have determination and persistence and not give up.
• For our students to overcome temptations rooted in immaturity, whether something as simple as neglecting priorities or as serious as choices with life-altering consequences, for them to hear wisdom calling, for them to hear and respond to God's voice.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Praised at all Times

Tell the nations of his glory; tell all peoples the miracles he does, because the Lord is great; he should be praised at all times. (Psalm 96:3-4a NCV)

Today's meditation:

• Sharing what God has done and is doing builds faith and trust in what he is yet to do in our lives.

Praise today:

• And give thanks for the privilege we have of knowing our God up close and personal.
• And give thanks that God is active in our lives, answering our prayers, moving heaven and earth at times to do what is humanly impossible.
• And give thanks today, tomorrow and always, because our loving God is kind to us, compassionate, and attentive - more than that, he has no equal and deserves our adoration and worship. 

Pray First! Pray Through!