God Granted

Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that it may not bring me hardship." So God granted what he asked. (1 Chronicles 4:10 MEV)

Today's meditation:

• On the other side of exhaustion from the missional work of preservation and expansion, after the hand of God has propelled and protected during hardship and opposition, we will revel in the blessing of God which soothes our weary souls and prepares us for what is next.

Pray today:

• For endurance to make it to the other side of hardship, for peace of mind and solace of spirit while the storm rages.
• For God to grant what we have asked him, except for those requests that do not align with his will, in which case we pray for his will to be done, not ours.
• For the balm of God's blessing, whether we are weary or rested, weak or strong, in the heat of battle or in the winner's circle.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Hardship

Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that it may not bring me hardship . . ." (1 Chronicles 4:10a-e MEV)

Today's meditation:

• Whether working to enlarge our territory or following the hand of God to the mountaintop or the valley or running from evil or turning to face it, life will have hardship, but I can still pray to God asking him to help me avoid it, to lessen it, or to remove it, leaving the answer to him.

Pray today:

• For the absence of hardship, but in the same breath, for endurance to bear it when it comes.
• For us in the places where hardship occurs, in the classroom, in service projects, in meetings, in ministry, in athletic preparation and competition, in places of brokenness, disappointment, and stress, in places of growth and development.
• For qualities to be in us that we see in our Savior, who endured the hardship of the cross, yet showed us how to love, forgive, encourage, and endure with sturdy resolve.

Pray First! Pray Through!

Keep Me

Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil . . ." (1 Chronicles 4:10a-d MEV)

Today's meditation:

• Jesus lived an example for us to emulate in our behaviors and relationships characterized not by evil selfishness but by love, kindness, and compassion.

Pray today:

• For Emmanuel College to be protected from the attacks of evil ones, both human and satanic, for evil intentions and actions to find no opening nor opportunity.
• For our students, staff and faculty to be sheltered from destructive forces, but should we have to face evil, give us courage and faith to stand.
• For our students to resist the lure of youthful temptations, for the actions of our staff and faculty to follow the example of Christ, for the Emmanuel family to seek holiness, to forgive and be forgiven, to nurture and be nurtured, to love and be loved. 

Pray First! Pray Through!

Your Hand

Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory, that your hand might be with me . . ." (1 Chronicles 4:10abc MEV)

Today's meditation:

• God's hand over me in blessing, God's hand under me supporting through every crisis, God's hand behind me forgiving my sins, and God's hand before me opening a way where there seems to be no way. 

Pray today:

• For the hand of God to provide for Emmanuel College, for every need to be met, for every provision to be made, for every resource to fulfill our mission, for every debt to be paid.
• For the hand of God to defend Emmanuel College, for every design and plan of Satan to be defeated, for every human attack to be thwarted.
• For the hand of God to nurture the Emmanuel family, for every comfort when distressed, for every healing to mend brokenness of spirit, mind, and body. 

Pray First! Pray Through!

Enlarge My Territory

Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh, that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my territory . . ." (1 Chronicles 4:10ab MEV)

Today's meditation:

• Growth is nearly always painful; in the least, it is strenuous, requiring persistence, change, innovation, and most of all, God's blessing. 

Pray today:

• For an expansion of the mission and ministry of Emmanuel College, for our influence to be greater, for more programming, more service, more outreach, more world-changers.
• For an expansion of our vision that aligns with God's plans for Emmanuel College, for powerful faith, for bold action, for great courage.
• For growth in our students, for their potential to be realized, for our new students to Build a Path Towards Success using the resources of this innovative program, for all our students to know God, to listen eagerly for his direction and expand their hopes and dreams under his guidance. 

Pray First! Pray Through!

Bless Me

Then Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh, that You would bless me. . ." (1 Chronicles 4:10a MEV)

Today's meditation:

• Hunger for it, seek it, pray for it, desire it - the blessing of God Almighty.

Pray today:

• For the blessing of God on our students, staff, and faculty, for us to be a people blessed by God who are a blessing to others.
• For the blessing of God on our mission of teaching, sharing the Gospel, and making disciples, for our students to develop educationally and spiritually, for them to be changed by Jesus and to be effective as change-agents in the lives of others.
• For the blessing of God on the College's financial condition, for ample resources to fulfill our mission, for more benefactors who come alongside us to help, for a future that is debt-free.

Pray First! Pray Through!

God's Masterpiece

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

Today's meditation:

• Doing what God has planned for us requires us to yield our plans to his.

Pray today:

• For our students who are completing the third week of the semester today, for the ones who may be struggling as the reality of the educational process sets in, for them to reach out for help, turning to faculty, tutors, counselors, someone who can effectively guide them.
• For the Bridge early alert system to work flawlessly in identifying those who need a helping hand, for those who are managing the Bridge to have wisdom in responding to students' needs.
• For students who may be struggling spiritually to turn to Jesus, for them to allow Christ to make them his masterpiece, fulfilling his purposes for their lives.

Pray First! Pray Through!