Last Wednesday, schools around the world participated in See You at the Pole (SYATP). Since 1990, this day of global student prayer has taken place annually on the fourth Wednesday of September. Amazingly, SYATP is a totally voluntary prayer rally that is completely initiated, organized, and led by students. It takes place before school, as students gather around the flagpole on their various campuses to cry out to God in unified prayer.
In Burleson, Texas, that very first SYATP gathering was started by only ten students who simply wanted to pray for their school. Supposedly, this small gathering was discussed at the state’s Baptist General Convention that year, and it sparked the interest of youth leaders in attendance. So, they decided to sponsor a formal student prayer event for the beginning of the school year.
In September 1990, three other states joined the Texas group, with over 45,000 students attending the first SYATP rally. By 1991, it was reported that almost one million students across the United States participated. And last week, 34 years later, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, multiple millions of students on thousands of school campuses worldwide gathered to pray for their schools, their teachers, their fellow students, and their nation.
For those unfamiliar with SYATP, each year’s rally has a theme, and this year’s theme was “First, Pray.” This message came from 1 Timothy 2:1, “I urge you, first of all, to pray.” Even amid our world’s turbulent and troubling times, this theme served as a resounding call to students to first pray for God’s help and direction.
It is a message we should all heed: “First, Pray.”
And as we pray, perhaps we should also take heart, because look what God did in answer to the prayers of only ten kids at one school. There’s no telling what He will do in response to the prayers of millions and millions of students around the world who gathered last Wednesday to first pray for their schools.
Knowing God’s heart for young people who are devoted to Him, I can imagine His answers will be phenomenal. In fact, their global prayer cries remind me of the story of young King Josiah in 2 Kings 22. Go back and read about this young man if you get a chance. Much like the students gathered around their flagpoles, Josiah was bold and resolute in his stand and his walk for God.
Imagine being 8 years old and becoming king! Yet, Josiah ruled for 31 years and always “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” According to the Bible, it seems as if the basic theme of Josiah’s life was to engage the enemies of God in courage and strength. He never backed down or backed up, when it came to increasing or protecting the territory of his God.
As adults, his stance makes us want to examine our own. Yes, we have the best intentions each day to serve the Lord with kindness and love. We fully intend to be full of His Spirit in all we do. But the truth is, our good intentions fade when the reality of work and home hits us full in the face. What can we do to change that? After all, life will always be that way, won’t it?
No! It does not have to be like that – not if we remember Josiah and just keep fighting. Like this wise young king, we must never give up and never give in. Instead, we need to be quick to admit mistakes, make amends, and move on. One of my favorite verses reminds us, “When I fall; I will arise!”
Imagine that! God even made provisions for our failures; He knew we weren’t perfect. So, He just wants us to get up and engage the enemy and engage in life – one more time. We cannot look at the problems of life as an impossible, repetitive, never-ending battle. Instead, we must take it one day at a time – one minute at a time, if need be.
Likewise, we must encourage our young people as well. I know from experience as a teacher and a mother of students who gathered bravely at their school in prayer each year that life after SYATP quickly grew daunting and overwhelming.
I vividly recall that each year, when those students finished their prayers around the flagpole, they were excited and full of hope. But it didn’t take long before the reality of life, friends, school, and the state of the world hit them smack dab between the eyes once more. They were quickly tempted to lose hope and despair. And often, like adults, it was so easy to just fall right back into the mundane routine of everyday life, forgetting to “First, Pray.”
So, find those war-weary, Christian students this week. Look for them in your families, your churches, and your communities. Literally, pray first and ask God to point them out to you.
Then, be as brave and bold as they were last week at their prayer rallies – and speak to them, or just give them a word of encouragement or a hug.
Remind them of Josiah. Remind them that God heard the young king’s humble, heartfelt prayers, just as He heard their cries last week at SYATP. And most of all, remind them to never give up but to keep on praying.
In fact, as a gentle reminder, it might be good to smile and whisper, “First, Pray.”
