A Prayer for School

Hi everyone. For the majority of people reading this you are starting school tomorrow or sometime fairly soon after that. Whether it is jr. high, high school, or college.... things arn't going to be easy.

I have seen God do some amazing things this summer. He has healed people in so many ways, physical and emotional, and has bascially rocked some people's hearts. But this is what I have noticed:

Summer is the time for spiritual highs. There are thousands of Bible Camps, Missions Trips, and Youth Retreats. You can choose exactly who you hang out with and are around. You can chose what you listen to and do. This summer I have surrounded myself with the body of Christ. I simply didn't hang out much with non-christians friends (not because I don't love them but things just didn't work out) and I practically lived with my youth group for a month. I didn't have anyone saying that I was wrong or that something else was true. Even on the missions trip where we did face rejection and persecution... there was always the christian body to fall back on.

As the school year is coming in.... highs are dying down. You are back to the normal swing of things, all the old friends, all the teachers saying things that may or may not coincide with your beliefs, all the old habits; it all comes back. We get stressed out, we get into things we shouldn't (like gossip or cliques or swearing or simply being ashamed of God) and we fall back. I have seen this time and time again. At the begining of the year we say, "Ok God. I've got this one. It was a great summer but these guys don't know you and.... I don't want to seem different. I'll come to you if I have a problem but for now I think I've got this one." By the middle of the year we have stressed ourselves out beyond belief, worked ourselves into bad relationships, and have a breakdown and turn back to God.

A friend of mine posted this to facebook a few days back, "God isn't running away from us and neither is His love. God is like a love struck teenager who wants the last text at night to be from you and the first text in the morning to be from you. God has never run away from us. He is always there, so why do we continue to shove Him out of our lives? Why don't we welcome His love with open arms? We would rather go offline and never talk to him. He is the only thing left when the world has turned it's back on you. Why do we feel that the world is our only way out? Why do we feel the world has all the ansers? Why do we believe the world when they tell you to turn your back on God because He is a "nerd"? It's like God is the only one asking you to prom but you keep telling yourself to hond on because the world is going to ask you any minute. But the crazy thing is that God is the Captain of the Football Team nad the world is the 40 year old guy on the internet who really wants to meet you. Why do we continue to eat the cow manure when we have prime rib right in front of us!?! God has been waiting and waitng and waiting. He keeps throwing pebbles at your window, when are you going to open that window because He is ready to catch you. All we have to do is open the flippin window." All we have to do is open up to God.

So this is my prayer:
Dear Holy Holy Holy GOD,
I thank you so much for what you have been doing in my life this summer. I have seen you work SO mightily in so many people's lives. I have seen you heal broken hearts and make people whole again. I see people falling in love with you left and right and I pray with all my heart that that continues. School is coming up soon, Father, and we both know what a stronghold Satan has there. Kids are taught things against you, have to deal with social issues, and overly just forget about you. I pray that you would not allow us to self destruct. I pray that our hearts would stay close to yours. I pray that no matter what life throws at us we will be able to band togetehr and say that GOD IS IN CONTROL. God I pray that you would bring life wherever you are. I pray that you would help us all to realize our mission and that being cool or accepted is not a part of us. I pray that we would follow you and be a light in our communities. I pray that nothing would break us and that YOU WOULD BE IN CONTROL. I pray that you would make yourself prominant and slap us everytiem we try to push you into the background. I love you God and pray that you would not let me falter.
In the name of Jesus, God who became flesh to allow me to speak freely to You,
Amen