Praying for college students is so important!
College represents a pivotal time in the lives of young people. But it also is a difficult, challenging period.
Many college students are away from their parents for the first time and are experiencing the newness of adulthood, all while trying to balance school work, social activities, spiritual questions, and the occasional break. Stress and anxiety are the default setting for the majority of students.
Because the college experience is so important, we should pray for college students who are in this season. Whether you have children away at college or not, college students need prayers to make good choices, study well, and get the most out of the experience.
In a time where faith is often tested, lifting up prayers to God for those in college can strengthen their resolve to follow God no matter what happens.
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Praying for our College Students
A part of growing up means making your own choices. College students have many opportunities to make choices for themselves that will affect their lives.
Parents and those who care for college students can feel helpless during this period because they know that the student needs to strike out on their own. Students need to be given some space to fail so they can learn from the experience.
For those invested in college students, prayer is something we can do when we are all out of options. While we should give college students opportunities to make their own choices, we can always pray to our Heavenly Father that students make God-honoring choices.
Prayers for wisdom, safety, and excellent recall all matter as we bless college students from afar.
Are you looking for some tools and tips to boost your prayer life? If so, be sure to visit our Prayer Resources Library where you’ll find everything you need to become a powerful prayer warrior!
Prayer Points for College Students
As already mentioned, there is a wide selection of situations that college students are facing that could use prayers.
As a Resident Director for a university dorm, I daily see students in moments of crisis. It seems that crisis is built into modern college life that things are busy, crazy, and chaotic.
Most of these students don’t understand how to balance the competing demands on their attention, nor do they have healthy ways to cope with anxiety.
Prayer is a weapon against the chaos of college that anyone can wield. We can pray for college students
- Pray for college students to seek God’s wisdom above all else.
- Pray for college students to discern the enemy’s voice and tactics.
- Pray for college students to find Godly friendships.
- Pray for college students to do well in their studies.
- Pray for college students’ safety.
- Pray for college students to always know their worth in Christ amidst the constant pressure of not being good enough (grades, etc).
Pray for College Students to Rest
Trust me, college students don’t sleep nearly enough. In a recent informal poll, I determined that the average Freshman resident in my dorm sleeps just 5.5 hours a night on average.
Remember, 7 hours is the bare minimum recommended number for people their age!
The great temptation of college is to do more and more and more stuff–fill your plate with overflowing activities and assignments until you burst. Going to bed before midnight is a foreign concept to most of them.
College students would benefit from more rest even if they don’t realize it. We can pray that college students learn to slow down, press pause, and rest.
It’s not just sleep they need, but moments where they don’t have to be productive and can participate in a rejuvenating activity. Though more than that, they need to rest in Jesus.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28 NIV
Lord, I pray that students can take time for Sabbath rest even when the storms of life are raging. Teach them to give their body and mind a rest so they can be fully alert. And, more importantly, teach them to rest in You so their burdens never weigh them down. Amen.
Pray for College Students to Feel Peace
Almost as common as lack of sleep is the problem of stress and anxiety in college students. They have so much to do and so little time.
Plus, there are the expectations placed on them by teachers, parents, and society to figure themselves out and roughly plan a career path for the rest of their lives. Understandably, they are stressed!
College students need our prayers for peace. Scripture tells us that prayer is actually the antidote to anxiety, that prayer brings the peace of God. So it makes so much sense that we utilize the power of prayer and supplication to combat the chaos of college life.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
Lord, I ask that your peace that surpasses understanding falls on college students as they navigate the anxieties of life. Teach them to lean on you when things get crazy and chaotic and help them to understand that you have everything under control – even when it doesn’t seem like it. Amen.
Pray for College Students to Grow in Faith
College–no matter the size or religious affiliation–is a testing ground for faith. Young people decide if they really believe what they’ve always been told to believe.
Exposure to new perspectives means they wrestle with the existence of smart people who believe completely differently.
Related: Christian Blogs for College Students
Faith–loyalty to God–is a must-have for college students. Our prayers for faithfulness can strengthen their hearts, minds, and souls in their pursuit of truth in a world full of lies.
They need faith if they are going to get on the path that God wants for them. We must pray that when their faith is tested, they pass the test.
“Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”” – Mark 5:35 NIV
Lord, give college students the strength to persevere the hardships, the spirit to grow in love of You, and the mind to contend for the truth. Show them the power of faith. And help them to grow closer to You during this challenging season of their life. Amen.
Pray for College Students to Find Community
Many people enter college knowing no one else at the whole university. Some students come from great distances to a whole new place for their education.
But even those with prior relationships face the challenge of building a new community. Though the challenge is difficult to cultivate meaningful relationships, the friends you meet in college are some of the most rewarding throughout life.
It’s important that we pray that college students might find a supportive community. A college student needs the community of their friends and classmates, but also the community of a church family.
A church family offers them spiritual support, and there’s a lot they can learn from interacting with those older than them. We need to pray that they make the right friends and invest in beneficial communities.
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26 NIV
Lord, gift college students with a community of Godly friends. Lead them into the right relationships – relationships that sharpen them like iron and bring glory to God. I ask that they find hope and encouragement in the circles they travel. In Jesus Name, Amen.
More Prayers for College Students
Rest, peace, faith, and community aren’t the only blessings to ask God to place in the lives of college students. College students have many more situations needing prayer.
Below are some additional prayers to pray over college students throughout the school year.
Parents Prayer for College Students
Parents of college students are especially able to offer heartfelt prayers for their kids. They raise a child with the goal of sending them out of the house and into the world, but that doesn’t mean setting their child off to college is an easy task!
Related: Powerful Ways to Pray Over Your Children
Parents with children in college may struggle with the words to say to express their desires for their children. Prayer is an excellent way to open up oneself to God and also bless their children in college.
Heavenly Father, I pray for my child as they grow into the person you have called them to become. My heart hurts in this new season of life, but I pray a blessing over my child that they may love you with all their strength, mind, heart, and soul. Guide their choices and thoughts so they bring honor to You. Amen.
Prayer for the Safety of College Students
Colleges, unfortunately, aren’t always the safest places. The safety concerns could come from the newness of the area to a student, their own internal fears, or the poor decisions of others. It can be nerve-racking to go to a new place with new people.
To thrive in a college environment ultimately requires a student to feel safe. Especially at the beginning of school, it can be hard to do so.
We can pray for God’s protection over them. We can lift up their safety in prayer so they can receive peace and security.
Lord on High, hear the concerns of students. Cover them in safety and security. Provide college students comfort and peace. Give them the wisdom to make the right choices. Amen.
Morning Prayer for College Students
The morning is a great time to pray for college students. And unless those students have 8 am classes, it is pretty easy to get up before they do. All you have to do is get up before noon!
You get through college one day at a time, so it’s important to cover the whole day in prayer. A morning prayer is an effective way to not only start your own day but start the day for the students you are caring for and praying for.
Loving God, I lift up this day to you. I pray that this day is one where college students bring glory to you. Guide them and instruct them in Your holy ways. Be with their words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. Let them be a light in the dark world, showing others that this is the day that the Lord has made. Amen.
Prayer Before Class for College Students
College students are ultimately in college to learn. Now, some students certainly need reminders about that truth, but, in reality, learning is actually the purpose!
Though the learning can be tough for some. I’ve known many students who struggle in certain classes and it makes them either not want to go to class or just not try very hard.
Our prayers can cover the good and bad classes with blessings for students. College classes are challenging, but with a little prayer (and some solid study habits!), the challenge can be overcome.
Oh, and if you are a professor at a Christian school, leading this prayer before class can really help set the tone of the lesson.
Lord, open their eyes so that they might see the instruction. Assist their ears to listen attentively. Guide their hands as they take notes. Charge their minds to retain the information. Mold their hearts as they take in knowledge and use it to better the world for Your glory. Amen.
Prayer for College Students Taking Exams
Exams are a necessary but difficult part of a college career. Few people like studying for tests and even less like taking them. There is nothing like an upcoming test to sour a college student’s whole mood.
The difference in caliber between high school and college tests is enough to lead many of the smartest students into despair.
Use the following example to pray over college students when they are taking exams.
God, our Teacher, give students the ability to recall the information they studied. Give them clear sight. Cover them in Your peace and show them how loved they are no matter the grade they can. In Jesus Name, Amen.
The four or five years of college are not easy, but they can be so rewarding. College is such a transformative time in life that we cannot leave how it goes up to chance.
We need to turn to prayer to send God’s blessing over the ups and downs of college life.
Our prayers for college students surely matter in the lives of young people off to study for their careers and build their lives.
Jake is a Resident Director of a college dorm and writes about cultural issues from a Christian perspective at Jake Doberenz.
