International (MNN) — Christians are joining in prayer for students on college and university campuses around the world. It's called "48 hours in ONE DAY" — this year's International Fellowship of Evangelical Students' World Student Day prayer initiative.
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is a member of IFES and is participating. InterVarsity Missionary Patricia Grahmann says, "Our friends around the world have calculated that from the time November 7th starts in one part of the world until it's completely over around the world, it's not only 24 hours of praying — it's 48 hours of praying!"
Grahmann is asking believers to pray for Christian students. "We want them to pray for the lives of Christian students and their spiritual lives. Habits that you keep for your whole life are often started at universities, or in your late teens or early twenties. Pray for students to build good relationships with the local church, so that will be a habit that will encourage them to serve the Lord through the church," she says.
She's also asking people to pray for another group of students. "We encourage people to pray for the lives of seeking students on campus, that they would find Christian believers who can help them to come to know Jesus and know what it means to live a life of Lordship in regard to Him."
This could be a huge prayer effort, says Grahmann. "We have 500,000 students involved with IFES in 152 countries of the world. We're hoping that some time during this 48 hours many of them will commit themselves to praying for their fellow students.
The prayer effort isn't only taking place in countries open to the Gospel. "I think it's exciting to think about students who are praying in countries where the government deny them the right to do that in public places," she says. "Personally I know groups that are praying in places where their governments would be shocked and upset by that."
She believes God is already answering their prayers. "I have seen personally students coming to know the Lord in strange and exotic locales on university campuses."
Grahmann says if you'd like to help them pray, go to IFESworld.org for detailed prayer requests and more.
