On Oct. 3, Revive sets up a table outside the Student Union Building and offers prayer to students passing by. | Ashleigh Fox/THE CHIMES
Wednesday marked a day of prayer for Biola University, led by president Barry Corey at the annual Day of Prayer chapel. This is a day devoted to praying for all aspects of our school, from faculty to students, and is one of the most important days of the year. Students and faculty alike need a day devoted to prayer in the midst of our busy lives. Not only prayer for school-related things, but prayer for the questions weighing on our hearts. We need set aside a day to focus ourselves, in the middle of a week in the middle of the semester.
It is easy to forget about prayer as we go through our daily lives. With midterms just around the corner, it is even more important to pause for a moment during our busy schedules and talk with God. A day dedicated to prayer is important for the body of Christ as a whole. However, there is no substitute for the spiritual growth that takes place when we listen to the Lord’s voice on a daily basis. Although it may be hard to spend time in the quiet of God’s presence each day, it is assuredly one of the single most important habits we can form during our time at Biola.
Along with spending intentional time with God, we need to be communing with God moment by moment. Colossians 3:2 calls us to set our minds not on earthly things, but on the things above. To do this, prayer needs to be a lifestyle. While walking to the Caf, talk to God. While walking to class, talk to God. While in class, concentrate on your work, but remember that everything you are doing — even studying — is to the glory of God, so ask him to give you the strength to honor him.
While we all know we don’t need an official day of prayer to talk to God alone, we may need reminding that we also don’t need one to pray together. Sometimes prayer can feel very lonely. We can feel like we’re talking to a wall. The beauty of an institution putting on a Day of Prayer is that it reminds us that we are most certainly not the only ones feeling like we are talking to that wall. We can stretch that sense of togetherness and support beyond days of prayer, praying in community daily. This can be as simple as grasping hands and praying over Caf dinner, forming a weekly accountability group, or just reaching out to a friend when you’re having a hard time.
