My Big Prayer For Camp 26

Alive Youth Church Weekly

What have you been praying for lately?

What has been occupying your prayers?

And maybe an even better question:

Do you sometimes undervalue the power of prayer?

I want to share two quotes from the book "Draw the Circle" that have radically changed the way I view and practice prayer.

"God won't answer 100 percent of the prayers we don't pray."

And:

"Why do we mistakenly think that God is offended by our prayers for the impossible? The truth is that God is offended by anything less! God is offended when we ask Him to do things we can do ourselves. It's the impossible prayers that honor God because they reveal our faith and allow God to reveal His glory."

- Mark Batterson

Those words challenge me every time I read them.

How often do we pray safe prayers?

Manageable prayers?

Comfortable prayers?

Prayers that don't really require God to show up?

Yet throughout Scripture, we see a God who specializes in the impossible.

This is the God who split the Red Sea and led the Israelites across on dry ground.

The God who made the sun stand still for Joshua.

The God who sent fire from heaven for Elijah.

The God who provided manna from heaven in the wilderness.

The God who raised Lazarus from the dead.

And don't forget...

Also, the God who spoke the literal universe into existence from nothing and created humanity in His image.

This is not a God who is limited by our circumstances.

This is not a God who is intimidated by our obstacles.

This is a God who deals with the impossible.

And if that is who God is, then our prayers should reflect it.

We need to pray like we believe God is capable.

Then we need to trust Him with the things that seem impossible.

And then after we pray, we need to believe that He is still working, even when we don't immediately see the answer.

So I'll ask you again:

What have you been praying for lately?

Do you undervalue the power of prayer?

And I'll take it one step further:

What can you be praying for right now?

What have you decided is too big or too small for God?

Take a moment. Think about it. Write it down. 

Because in just a minute, I'm going to ask you to pray for it.

But before you do, I want to invite you into one of the prayers I've been praying consistently for our summer camp this year.

Not just for a fun week.

Not just for good weather.

Not just for smooth logistics.

I'm praying for the impossible.

I'm praying that God would do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

I'm praying that students would encounter Jesus in a real and life-changing way.

I'm praying that hearts would soften.

That chains would break.

That lives would be transformed.

That students would leave camp different than when they arrived.

I'm praying that God would move in ways that cannot be explained by a speaker, a worship band, a game, or a camp schedule.

I'm praying for something only God can do.

Because that's the kind of God we serve.

Prayer

Lord,

Thank you for being a God who hears every prayer we pray.

Thank you that nothing is too difficult for you.

You are the God who created the heavens and the earth. The God who parted seas, raised the dead, provided for your people, and the God that never fails.

Forgive us for the times we limit you with our expectations.

Forgive us for the times we pray small prayers because we've forgotten how big you are.

Increase our faith.

Teach us to trust you more.

Teach us to pray boldly.

Teach us to pray with expectation of the amazing things you will do.

Would You remind us that You are working even when we cannot see it?

Lord, I specifically lift up our summer camp to You.

Go before us even now.

Prepare every student who will attend.

Prepare every leader.

Prepare our hearts to recieve what you have for us.

Prepare every conversation, every message, every worship set, every small group, every cabin discussion, and every quiet moment where your Spirit wants to speak.

Save students who do not yet know you.

Bring prodigal sons and daughters home.

Break down walls that have been built for years.

Heal wounds that nobody else can see.

Bring freedom where there is shame.

Bring hope where there is discouragement.

Bring peace where there is anxiety.

Bring purpose where there is confusion.

Give students a deeper understanding of who you are and how much you love them.

Raise up young men and women who will boldly follow you long after camp is over.

Awaken hearts that have grown distant from you.

Replace apathy with passion for your presence.

Turn curiosity into conviction.

Turn knowledge about you into genuine relationship with you.

Meet students in ways they will never forget.

Reveal yourself to those who have been questioning, doubting, or searching.

Give students the courage to surrender areas of their lives they have been holding onto.

Break chains of addiction, bitterness, anger, and fear.

Heal broken relationships.

Restore families.

Bring forgiveness where there has been hurt.

Show students that their value is found in being loved by you.

Silence the lies they have believed about themselves.

Replace those lies with your truth.

Give lonely students lasting friendships centered on Christ.

Give struggling students strength.

Give hurting students comfort.

Give anxious students rest.

Give wandering students direction.

Call students into ministry, missions, leadership, and lives fully surrendered to you.

Raise up future pastors, worship leaders, missionaries, teachers, and faithful disciples.

Teach students how to read your Word and hear your voice.

Give them a hunger for scripture that continues long after camp ends.

Give them a passion for prayer.

Give them boldness to share their faith with friends and family.

Help them stand firm when following you is difficult.

Protect them from distractions that pull them away from you.

Create moments during camp that become spiritual landmarks they look back on for years.

Do more in five days than we could ever accomplish on our own.

Let students leave camp knowing they encountered the living God.

May salvation be found.

May lives be changed.

May hearts be transformed.

May Christ be glorified.

And we could stop there but we arent gonna!

Lord,

Protect our leaders.

Give them wisdom, patience, energy, and spiritual discernment.

Unify our team around the mission of helping students know and follow Jesus.

And Lord, do more than we are asking for.

Do more than we are expecting.

Do more than we could ever plan.

As your Word says in Ephesians 3:20, You are able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to your power that is at work within us.

So we surrender this camp to you.

We surrender our plans to you.

We surrender our expectations to you.

And we ask you to move.

Not so that we would receive glory.

But so that students would know Jesus, lives would be changed, and your name would be lifted high.

We trust you.

We believe you.

And we thank you for what you are already doing.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Join me in intentionally praying for camp this year. 

If you're attending, pray for what you need at camp, and don't let the impossible hold you back, and be ready for Him to move. 

If you're praying from afar, know that you are very much a part of the things God is doing at camp. 

A whole church, staff, elders, families, and friends, together, all praying for our students. 

What could ever go wrong with that? 

What is more powerful than that?

We serve a good God.

Go talk to Him.

-Isaac Fehlen

Youth Pastor