2011_Summer_Camp_Prayer_Guide.pdf

Finding our Identity in Christ
 
2011 Youth Summer Camp Prayer Guide 

 
Finding our Identity in Christ
Morning, Noon, and Night

 
Joining together with God
to bring holiness and completeness to your child through His Word
and in prayer.  
Overview 

This prayer booklet is designed to assist you in praying for your child while he/she is at Youth Summer Camp.  You have the primary role to love, lead, and teach your child for the sake of the gospel.  So, we desire to do whatever we can do to bring you into the ministry call of Youth Summer Camp, as we come alongside you in your good work of parenting.  We request your prayer support for this week, as we cannot do anything on our own effort.  This prayer guide captures key themes, texts, and tacks, and presents only a few points of prayer, but it should be sufficient to keep you alongside what we are doing.  Let’s come together this week in prayer for the next generation—for your children, that they would know joy; that they would know Jesus, and find their identity in Him morning, noon, and night.
 
Key Verses—1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
 
Prayer of Blessing on Parents

Please receive this prayer of blessing as a source of encouragement this week.
It is drawn from Isaiah 26:3-4:
 
 May you be kept in perfect peace 
  As your mind is stayed on God.
 May you trust in Him;  
 May you trust in the LORD forever
  For the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Sunday

Arrival and Opening Activities – 5:45pm
• Pray that relationships would bud and grow.
• Pray that every child would connect with someone.
• Pray for team-building opportunities.
• Pray that the Holy Spirit would begin to soften hearts for the evening message.
Evening Session – 8:30pm
• Ben Collins (Bethlehem Seminary student and Intern for Youth Discipleship, North Campus) will be presenting God’s Word to us this week in the evening sessions. Tonight Ben may talk about how he came to find his own identity in Christ. He will be speaking from 1 Peter 1:1-2.

• Pray that the testimony of God’s work in Ben’s life will resonate with your child so Christ will be seen as real. Pray that finding identity in Christ will begin to be desirable over trying to find identity in anything else.
• Pray for the students who will be leading worship that they would remain humble, be worshipers of God themselves, and lead in a time of undistracting excellence of worship to our God. Pray that God would give a spirit of unity.
• Pray for Alex Steddom who is taking on more leadership of the worship team than he originally expected. Pray for peace and confident trust in Jesus.
• Pray for spiritual awakening and revival in the youth and for them to begin to understand what it means to find their identity in Christ throughout the week. Pray that Christ would shine in the hearts of many and save them, lifting the dark veil of willful blindness over their spiritual eyes!
• Pray that cabin times later would lend themselves to open conversation and the Holy Spirit’s work in young hearts.
• Pray for a refreshing, quiet night’s sleep so everyone will awake with energy and alertness for the coming day.
 
Monday

Morning
• Camper Devotions – 9:30am: Pray that your child would meet with the Lord in His Word and Prayer. Pray that the Lord would incline your child’s heart to His testimonies and not to selfish gain (Ps. 119:36).
• Pray for the cabin counselors to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to lead well in physical and spiritual things, in games and in the gospel.
• Morning Session – 10:15am: Aaron Davitch (Director for Adult Ministries/ Child and Youth Discipleship, South) and Karen McDermott (6th Grade Sunday School Team Leader, North) are our morning Bible teachers. Pray that the Lord will prepare their hearts. Pray that your child would not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of his/her mind (Rom. 12:2).
Noon
• Pray that the team-building activities would give students a true sense of team. Pray that the Lord would help youth look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others (Phil. 2:4).

• Pray that your child would make time and exert effort to memorize God’s Word, especially 1 Peter 1:3-9 (and more!).

• Pray that the afternoon activities would be a great time, honoring to God, and strengthening to your child’s body and soul.

Night
• Evening Session – 7:30pm (see also Sunday’s prayer points): Ben will be addressing 1 Peter 1:3-12. Pray that God would do a remarkable, Christward, identity- shaping work in the lives of your child and the other youth.

• Pray that the cabin counselors would have prepared hearts, listening ears, and Christward spiritual insight as they lead cabin discussion.

• Pray that your child would know the God who keeps Israel and who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4). Pray for a refreshing, quiet night’s sleep so everyone will awake with energy and alertness for the coming day.
 
Tuesday

Morning
• Camper Devotions – 10:20am: Pray that your child would meet with the Lord in His Word and Prayer. Pray that the Lord would open spiritual eyes so that all the youth would behold wondrous things out of God’s law (Ps. 119:18). Pray that they would know the sweetness and benefit of dwelling on the riches of God’s mercy and the greatness of God’s grace (1 Pet. 1:3; Eph. 1:7).
• Pray for the cabin counselors to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to lead well in physical and spiritual things, in games and in the gospel.
• Morning Session – 11:05am: Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of Aaron and Karen. Pray that your child would understand what it means to be born again. Pray that God would grant your child new birth in Christ (if unsaved) and the “joy that is inexpressible” in this new birth (1 Pet. 1:9).
Noon
• Pray that team-building activities would give students a true sense of team and that the Lord would help them look to the interests of others.

• Pray that your child would make time to memorize God’s Word, specifically 1 Peter 1:3-9 (and more!).

• Pray that the afternoon activities would be a great time, honoring to God, and strengthening to your child’s body and soul. Pray that they would enjoy friendship and increasing fellowship together in Jesus.

Night
• Evening Session – 8:00pm (see Sunday’s prayer points): Ben will be addressing 1 Peter 1:13-25. Pray that God would prepare the minds of the youth and give them clear and sober thinking to understand and hearts to receive God’s Word.

• Pray that the cabin counselors would have prepared hearts, listening ears, and Christward spiritual insight as they lead cabin discussion.

• Pray that your child would know the God who keeps Israel and who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4). Pray for a refreshing, quiet night’s sleep so everyone will awake with energy and alertness for the coming day.

Wednesday

Morning
• Camper Devotions – 9:15am: Pray that your child would meet with the Lord in His Word and Prayer. Pray that the Lord would unite your child’s heart to fear His name (Ps. 86:11). Pray that all the youth would set their hope fully on God’s grace in Jesus Christ, that they would strive to be holy and fear the Lord, and that they would love one another sincerely from a pure heart (1 Pet. 1:13, 15, 17, 22), abiding in Jesus for everything they need.
• Pray for the cabin counselors to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to lead well in physical and spiritual things, in games and in the gospel.
• Morning Session – 10:00am: Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of Aaron and Karen. Pray that your child would understand what it means to be ransomed/redeemed from his/her futile ways (1 Pet. 1:18). Pray that your child would know the joy of God’s salvation (Ps. 51:12).
Noon
• Pray that team-building activities would give students a true sense of team and that the Lord would help them look to the interests of others.

• Pray that your child would make time to memorize God’s Word, specifically 1 Peter 1:3-9 (and more!).

• Pray that the afternoon activities would be a great time, honoring to God, and strengthening to your child’s body and soul. Pray that they would enjoy friendship and increasing fellowship together in Jesus.

Night
• Evening Session – 8:15pm (see Sunday’s prayer points): Ben will be addressing 1 Peter 2:1-10. Ask God to help the youth put away sinful cravings and replace them with a craving for God and His Word.

• Pray that the cabin counselors would have prepared hearts, listening ears, and Christward spiritual insight as they lead cabin discussion.

• Pray that your child would know the God who keeps Israel and who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4). Pray for a refreshing, quiet night’s sleep so everyone will awake with energy and alertness for the coming day.

Thursday

Morning
• Camper Devotions – 9:30am: Pray that your child would meet with the Lord in His Word and Prayer. Pray that the Lord would satisfy the youth in the morning with His steadfast love, that they may rejoice and be glad all their days (Ps. 90:14). Pray that they would taste that the Lord is good, long for the pure spiritual milk of God’s Word, and grow up into salvation (1 Pet. 2:2-3)
• Pray for the cabin counselors to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to lead well in physical and spiritual things, in games and in the gospel.
• Morning Session – 10:00am: Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of Aaron and Karen. Pray that the youth would understand what it means for God’s people to be “like living stones… built up as a spiritual house” (1 Pet. 2:5) and what this means for them individually.
Noon
• Pray that team-building activities would give students a true sense of team and that the Lord would help them look to the interests of others.

• Pray that your child would make time to memorize God’s Word, specifically 1 Peter 1:3-9 (and more!).

• Pray that the activities during free time would be honoring to God and strengthening to your child’s body and soul.

Night
• Evening session – 8:00pm (see Sunday’s prayer points): Ben will be addressing 1 Peter 2:11-12. Pray that God would forever change your child’s perspective on his/her identity, causing his/her identity in Christ to come alive, survive, and thrive in this world of darkness.

• Pray that the cabin counselors would have prepared hearts, listening ears, and Christward spiritual insight as they lead cabin discussion.

• Pray that your child would know the God who keeps Israel and who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:4). Pray for a refreshing, quiet night’s sleep so everyone will awake with energy and alertness for the coming day.

Friday

Morning
• Camper Devotions – 9:20am: Pray that your child would meet with the Lord in His Word and Prayer. Pray that the Lord would give your child a humble spirit and a heart to be changed by His Word (Is. 66:2). Pray that the youth would continue to rage war against the “passions of the flesh” (1 Pet. 2:11) and to win with God’s help and for God’s glory.
• Pray for the cabin counselors to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to lead well in physical and spiritual things, in games and in the gospel.
• Morning Session – 10:00am: Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of Aaron and Karen. Pray that your child would come to love being loved by God and that they would love God in Christ more than life itself, being willing to suffer and even die for the sake of His name (Ps. 63:3; Rom. 8:35-39; 1 Pet. 2:19-21).
Noon
• Pray that team-building activities would give students a true sense of team and that the Lord would help them look to the interests of others.

• Pray that your child would make time to memorize God’s Word, specifically 1 Peter 1:3-9 (and more!).

• Pray that the activities during free time would be honoring to God and strengthening to your child’s body and soul.

• Pray that the camp staff would, by God’s sustaining grace, finish well.

Night
• Pray for safe and timely travel back to Bethlehem.

• Pray for a sweet time of reunion between campers and their parents and siblings.

• Pray for wonderful fellowship during the Grand Finale Feast.

• Pray for the preservation of what God has done in the lives of your children and protection from the evil one and his schemes.

What will you do
when your children come home?

Throughout the week, we have sought to help your children grow in the crucial life pursuit of finding their identity in Christ.

In the process your children may have experienced a significant work of God’s Spirit by God’s grace in their minds and hearts. We ask that you do respond to them in the following ways:

• Seek God for guidance and wisdom as you seek to shepherd your children well and raise them up in the way they should go.
• Be ready to talk. Your children may be brimming with experiences and learning they want to share with you. Set aside your weekend experience to embrace theirs. You have been in two different worlds over the past week. Seek to understand what God may have done in their lives.
• Give them time to decompress and rest. We have packed a lot of biblical truth, interaction, and activity into their lives. They may not be ready to talk when they get home.
• When the time is right, draw them into and encourage revealing conversations.
• Create comfortable “space” for them at home. If possible, help them ease back into the regular routines, commitments, and concerns we’ve intentionally retreated from all weekend. If you’ve ever had a vacation or weekend away you know how hard such transitions can be.
• Pray with and for them. God may have done a great work, but the fight of faith is not finished for any of us yet!