“Now this is the confidence we have before Him: Whenever we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked Him for.” I John 5:14-15
There is a key word in this scripture from I John that I simply can’t stop thinking about. That word “confidence” just keeps jumping out at me and stirring in my heart.
As young adult ministry leaders, we should (and often do) find the latest and best resources available for small groups and Bible study. We strive to provide opportunities for young adults to spend time together and with others from our church. We prioritize worship and look for ways to engage them in missions.
However, I go back to one of the most crucial aspects of being a young adult ministry leader in our church: prayer.
Are we faithfully praying for the young adults involved in our ministry? Do we pray for them individually by name and with the specifics of their journey? Are we praying for those we “meet along the way” in our everyday journeys in the coffee shops we visit, the supermarkets we shop in, or the places that we work?
Here are just seven ways to pray for young adults:
1. Pray that they will seek God in all their choices.
In a world that is full of “choices” pray that the young adults in your group will seek the heart of God in the choices that will define their lives.
2. Pray for them to fall in love with the Word of God.
There are so many things in which they can place their trust. Pray that they will put their trust in the Scriptures as a source of authority.
3. Pray for them in their job situations.
In a time of uncertainty for many in their jobs, pray that young adults will seek ways to use their gifts in a way that can point others to Jesus.
4. Pray for their relationships.
Pray for young adults to have needed relationships with other believers and honest relationships with nonbelievers. Pray that they can be an influence in their non-believing friends’ lives.
5. Pray for them to live lives of purpose.
Pray that God will stir within them a purpose that they can be passionate about and a desire to reflect the goodness of Christ through that purpose.
6. Pray for them to have a heart for the lost.
For the young adults in your group, a majority of their friends are nonbelievers. Pray that they will have a heart for seeing them to hear and respond to the Gospel. Pray that the young adults in your group will also have a heart for the nations and people groups that have never heard the Gospel.
7. Pray for confidence.
Pray for them to be confident that God can be trusted and that He will use them in their context of life to be used for the Gospel.
What other areas would you suggest we pray for over young adults?
Mark Whitt is a collegiate minister with Baptist Collegiate Ministry at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Connect with Mark via Twitter.
