Growing up in the church all my life, I was always taught that prayer was powerful. When we are happy; we pray. When we are sad; we pray. When need healing and guidance; we pray. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that it really hit me just how powerful prayer can be. During that year, my youth pastor's wife got sick. My youth group had a prayer vigil for her, where we formed small groups in our youth room and spent 2 hours praying for healing and strength. While we were praying, we received updates that she was slowly, but surely, waking up. By the time we had finished the vigil, she was fully conscious and speaking. It was incredible to see God's hand at work while words of love and healing were coming from our mouths. A few months later, I turned to God for direction and guidance on where I would be furthering my education after high school. I needed strength to put the decision in the hands of God, and looking back now, I'm sure glad I did. I could not be happier with where I ended up, and, because of prayer, I know I am where I am meant to be. After graduating my senior year, I took the opportunity to serve in Haiti for a second time on a missions trip. The people there reminded me that it is so important to be fully dependent on God in every aspect of life, and to have infinite faith that He will provide no matter what the circumstance.

Recently, the realization that I need to have more consistent and fully dependent communication with God in my everyday life smacked me in the face. I realize that I need to not only be praying about my own life, but for those who surround me as well. This idea, the idea that prayer should be in our individual lives and also in the lives around us, inspired me to create what I like to call "A Prayer Chain."

This Is How It Works:

1.) Read this article.

2.) Pray for the person that shared this article before you (this person is the reason the article popped up on your timeline. For example, your timeline will say "John Smith shared...") Pray for this person in general or for any specific prayer request that they may or may not have added at the top of this article when they shared it. (If it was me who shared the article on your timeline, I could really use some prayer regarding college life and academics. Thank you!)

3.) Share this article with your own prayer request in the comments section the top. If the prayer requests are private or you just want to share the article, that's okay too! The person to share this article after you will be praying for your well being.

4.) Challenge yourself to keep that person in your thoughts for the next few months, as a sort of "end of year resolution."

Prayer is powerful. With times changing all around us, it is important that we keep our brothers, sisters, friends, mothers, fathers, educators, furry friends, etc., and even ourselves in the subject of prayer.