One of the things that I’ve become even more aware of in my new role as campus pastor, is the deep need that people have for Jesus. When there are thousands of people around you, it’s easy to assume the best. You assume that if people are smiling, they are probably doing OK. My assumption was always that unless you told me differently, you were just fine.

Being in a smaller church environment, I’ve learned that I made a lot of false assumptions. Some people are doing fine, but peoples’ stories are complicated and deep. It’s generally not a good idea to categorize people. You really have to listen deeply to begin to understand where someone else is coming from.

I’ve learned that even with all of the church programs, sermons and worship services, people still struggle. We need something deeper…something more powerful…something supernatural. We need the mighty hand of God to move in our lives in ways that are beyond our limited ability. We need Jesus.

I’ve learned that one of the most powerful and important things that I can do for others is pray for them. Up until recently, this was a major struggle. Even if I told you that I would pray for you, it’s hard to remember a ton of prayer requests. I recently downloaded an app on my iPhone called Prayer Notebook and it has been tremendously helpful. It has allowed me to list, categorize and organize the prayer requests of those around me so that I can consistently pray for them…and I have.

This is the heavy artillery that the body of Christ must learn to utilize….prayer. Here are a few scriptures that confirm this…

James 5:16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The list goes on and on. When we go throughout our days, we will encounter challenging situations that require small arms fire. By that, I mean that we will need to utilize wisdom and godly decision-making, and there is always room to grow there. We must first however, learn to lay down the heavy artillery of prayer. God will respond to our prayers with his power and might and accomplish in and through us what we cannot do on our own.