“I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” ~ John 15:15-16 NLT
Prayer is the most important and powerful thing we can do for international students. Here are some suggestions for how to pray for them each day of the week.
Monday – Pray for the student to have a spirit of humility. James 4:10 NLT – “When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.
Tuesday – Pray for the Lord to reveal himself to the student. Isaiah 55:6 NLT – “Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.”
Wednesday – Pray for the student to be teachable. 1 Timothy 4:11 NLT – “Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.”
Thursday – Pray for the student to have a spirit of self-denial. Luke 9:23 NLT – “Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.’”
Friday – Pray for the student to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s initiative in his or her life. Romans 8:2 NLT “For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.”
Saturday – Pray for the student to think deeply about what he or she has seen in committed Christians’ lives. 1 Peter 2:12 – “Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world.”
Sunday – Pray that the student will become a life-long disciple of Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20 NLT “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Principles cited in this blog: Prayer is the most important and powerful thing we can do for international students.
Application for ISI ministry: The key to fruitful ministry is asking the Father in Jesus’ name.
Next blog topic: How to pray for Chinese students specifically
Doug Shaw with Derrah Jackson