Eighth Annual 40 Days & 40 Nights of Prayer
You are invited to take the forty day prayer challenge with the CU family as we collectively ask God to increase our love for each other. Our chapel theme this year has been ‘and the greatest of these is love’ (1 Corinthians 13:13). That theme was chosen, because our graduation speaker this year is internationally bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman. His most recognized title is The 5 Love Languages, and when he autographs a book for someone he adds ‘and greatest of these is love’ beside his signature.
Throughout this school year our chapel speakers have been inspiring and instructing us to follow the example of Jesus Christ who loved us so much that he was willing to die for us. His example stands in sharp contrast to what we often see around the world, in our communities and even in our own hearts from time to time. Hate seems far too normal. I just glanced at today’s news headlines, and these are the top two stories as I write this. Several were killed in a Russian attack against a Ukrainian nuclear plant, and dozens were killed in a Pakistan Mosque bombing. Whether caused by war in Ukraine, religious extremism in the Middle East, racial tensions in the United States or severe economic inequities around the world, hate is very much alive and well in 2022.
The example of Jesus Christ and the commands in the Bible to love one another and even love our enemies are radical and revolutionary in a world filled with hate. Loving others like Jesus loved us, treating others as we want to be treated, and loving the unlovely are all things that do not come naturally. We need God’s help, and we are going to spend forty days and nights praying that God will give us the grace and strength to be people who show compassion when others are oppressive, forgive when others become bitter and love when others choose hate.
Our goal is to have an uninterrupted prayer chain for Forty Days and Forty Nights from Tuesday, March 8 through Easter Sunday, April 17, with multiple people praying at all times. The task will not be easy. We ask each participant to choose one half-hour slot for targeted prayer every day for forty straight days. For example, if you choose the 7:00-7:30 AM time slot, that means that you will pray from 7:00-7:30 AM every day for forty days. If you live in a different time zone, are young and energetic, or just want an opportunity to practice your spiritual discipline, please consider filling the nighttime slots first. Make sure that your entry is in Eastern Standard Time. For example, if you are in Zambia and plan to pray at 3:30 PM Central Africa Time, you will choose a 9:30 AM time slot on the CU signup page.
You are also welcome to fast at times and in ways that you prefer. Each participant is encouraged to pray for others and about anything they prefer. However, we ask everyone to spend some of their daily designated time specifically praying that Carolina University will not only be a place of beautiful diversity, but also a place where people learn to genuinely love each other regardless of differences of race, culture, economic status, political view, country of origin, age, etc. Please consider signing up for the forty-day prayer challenge and joining together for this exciting faith journey.