Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8
The summer before my junior year in high school, I did what I did every summer…I went to camp. Specifically, I went to Camp Wi-Ne-Ma on the Oregon coast. I lived for summer camp: the dunes, the girls, the campfires, the girls…you get the drift. Of course, it was a Christian camp, which means that we sang praise songs, did Bible studies and received compelling spiritual challenges around the campfire each night. But we LIVED for free time. That patch of time between lunch and dinner when you could hit the paddleboats, the big slide, the snack shack, the beach. And if you were lucky, you were doing so with your favorite girl. The summer before my junior year in high school, however, found me doing something else during free time: praying. I know, strange thing for kids to do at a Christian camp! But it was emblematic of a work God was doing in my heart…drawing me to Himself. I was beginning to see that camp and youth group and mission trips were about something more than just…girls. God was drawing me in to something deeper, more spiritual. He was drawing me to Himself. And so, when I found out that a group of students were gathering during free time to pray, I decided to attend. They called themselves Prayer Warriors. Surprisingly, there were no leaders, no counselors, no adults…just a bunch of youth praying together. The prayers were not of the “now I lay me down to sleep” variety, but heartfelt, passionate. They conveyed a longing to come near to God. The rest of the week, this became an important part of my afternoon free time, praying with a small group of fellow campers. It was nourishing to my soul. And so, when I heard that this was something happening not just at camps, but at public schools, I knew what I had to do—I had to start a Prayer Warriors group at my public high school. This was a rather strange experience for me, mixing school and faith. I had done my best to keep a clear separation between church and state!!! No, it wasn’t about politics, but about one of my deepest longings, to “be like the cool kids.” It’s why I bought a skateboard when I was in 8th grade, even though I lived on a gravel road. It’s why I spent my hard-earned money ($3.35 an hour!) on trendy clothes. It’s why I agonized over getting my hair just right. Sadly, and not so surprisingly, I never did achieve my goal! However, in my junior year in high school, my yearning for popularity began to take a back seat to my desire to know God and to experience spiritual fellowship with my peers. And thus, Prayer Warriors was born. Thankfully, I was not alone. I had my good friend, Wendy (Winnie) along with her boyfriend…and the three of us started meeting at 6:45am every Tuesday for prayer. For much of that first year, it was just us three, week in and week out, meeting for prayer. But at some point, something strange started happening—our group began to grow. Certainly, we grew by word of mouth, but also because Prayer Warriors was added to the announcements that were read over the loud speaker each week. Early in my senior year, our group swelled to thirty. Think about that, thirty kids meeting at 6:45 in the morning to pray. For what purpose? To pray. It’s astonishing to me, even now, that this group of teenagers was awake enough to pray that early. But pray we did, with heart, with passion, with song. I remember seeing kids there I never even knew were Christians. I’ll be honest, there were a few I was surprised to learn were Christians. I wonder how many were surprised about me?!? I cannot speak for the rest of the kids, but this was all part of a bigger work God was doing in my heart, drawing me into His bigger story…the story of God. That’s why I was shocked, a few years after graduation, that Prayer Warriors was no longer being recognized as a group at my public high school. They could continue to meet, but they would no longer be announced along with all the other groups over the loudspeaker. When I heard this, I set up a meeting with the superintendent of public schools in my hometown, a member of the church I grew up in. When we met, his argument for why the school shouldn’t recognize Prayer Warriors was, “what if a satanic group wants to start meetings at the school?” I don’t recall how I responded, but I know I walked away disappointed. It’s funny…when we started the group, it was with the understanding that it had to be before school started and without any adult leadership, certainly not a teacher. Ironic how easily we accept the suppression of religious expression in public life. Don’t get me wrong, I never really did get too involved in the political debate. Yet I appreciate the irony of a nation with “in God we trust” on their money that refuses prayer in school. Of course, who knows the impact this had? Maybe a few less kids were able to see they weren’t alone in their faith. Maybe a few less kids got to experience the unifying power of praying with those who were from a different “clique.” Maybe a few less kids were exposed to the love of God expressed in the spiritual fellowship of their peers. It’s especially interesting to contemplate all of this while we’re in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has effectively put a stop to school, but has likely increased prayer! In our own church, we’ve responded to the pandemic by doubling up on our twice monthly prayer meetings. We now meet every Monday for prayer. Even if we cannot pray in the same place, there’s something sweet about knowing we are all praying at the same time. It’s also interesting to contemplate limitations on public prayer when we’re just weeks away from the National Day of Prayer, Thursday, May 7th, just a few days beyond the current Stay Home order ends. Yet, Coronavirus, just like injunctions against prayer in school, may keep us from gathering, but it can’t keep us from praying. To the contrary, one of the positive impacts of national or global tragedies is that they tend to move us to unite in prayer. We need prayer, not merely to end the pandemic, but to remind us that life is more than just dining out or going to the movies. Prayer reminds us that we are part of a bigger story—the Story of God. We may choose to ignore it, suppress it, deny it. But it doesn’t change the fact that there is a great God in heaven and, by His grace, He bids us come to Him. So, whether politicians condone or condemn it, let us come near to God, for we know, as He promised, that He will come near to us. And let us remember that life is more than pandemics or pleasures, we are part of a bigger story—The Story of God!
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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