As we approach the 2022 Collegiate Day of Prayer, I want to take a different angle. You would expect that this day of prayer should be spent pouring over the hundreds of students who sit in Bethel classes every day. Praying that wherever students are in their faith journey (remember from its first day in 1947, Bethel has allowed non-believers to attend) that they would take steps to grow deeper toward the central truths of the perfect word of God. I hope you also pray that students would somehow silence the voices that are disingenuous and poisonous to their path toward the true Christ and the truth of their eternal state. It seems an impossible prayer — BUT GOD! 

I trust you will pray for our students in that manner. But today I am asking that you pray for our faculty. They are on the frontline and seeing firsthand the impact of these last few years on the mental and spiritual health of our students. They are the ones listening and adjusting conversations and class experiences to point students to the only true “Healer”! 

So, the FACULTY need to be as healthy as possible to set aside their own personal issues in order to focus on serving our students by being available. Faculty need to be “prayed up,” and as healthy as possible. We are never perfect, and each day brings new opportunities to grow deeper in our walk with Christ. But to the extent that God uses broken vessels, (thank you Lord!) pray that our faculty will be more impactful than they have ever been. Pray that Bethel faculty will be more delighted in their work and calling than they have ever been. Pray that Bethel faculty hear the voice of God so that they can share the voice of God. Pray that the Holy Spirit will convict and persuade toward a more faithful walk. Pray that temptation and sin be blocked from the door of our hearts. Pray for revival from the top!

Thank you for loving, supporting, and praying for Bethel. Christ-centered education is more important now than ever as our students navigate their often-confusing world. — Dr. Barb Bellefeuille, interim president of Bethel University.

Check out the Collegiate Day of Prayer Prayer Guide here.