Dear First Pres,

  When I think about praying for something I am worried about, I often think of a quiet solitary moment shared between myself and God as I pour out my heart to him. At times I may even have thought that these lonesome moments are the most powerful and effective. I don't want to say that that are not, but instead remember that God's people many times have prayed together and God has answered just as well. In the story of Esther, we see a woman who calls her people, the people of God, too fast and pray before she goes before King Xerxes on her people's behalf. People all over the land are moved in prayer, asking the Lord to give favor to Queen Esther as she comes before the king. Favor before the king is granted and God's people are delivered from the hands of their enemies.
   In Acts 12 we see the story of a group of faithful believers who, in hiding, prayed that their friend Peter may be set free from the prison in which he was held. And yet comically when he shows up at their front door they are surprised at the expediency of God's work.
   And there are other examples when God's people have prayed together corporately and interceded on behalf of those they love, believing our good and mighty God can work and move powerfully in the minds and hearts of families, neighborhoods, school districts, cities, states, and nations.
   There is a phrase going around, "The youth are the leaders of tomorrow but we as teachers, parents, grandparents, (etc.) ... are the leaders of today." It comes out of a place that is calling adults to act as leaders of our children instead of the other way around.
   Yet when I think of us as a church leading our children, I can think of no better place for us to be than in prayer together, interceding for our youth before God. For as we pray, every worry that we might have about what our students are learning, seeing, experiencing, and being tempted by; each worry is counterpointed by faith in our mighty God who "began a good work in [our students] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" Phil. 1:6.
    

Blessings,

Chris