Practical Ways Christian Students Can Pray for Their Professors

“Get up, get up!” a voice awoke me at 4:47 one September morning, “We have to go now!”

Oh no. How had we slept through the alarm?

Aware that morning prayer would begin in fewer than 15 minutes, I urged my roommate—a Bible school student for whom the prayer meeting was mandatory—to run ahead. I slid on my sandals and followed, but then stopped. Standing under the Ugandan nighttime sky, I realized I had no idea where to go.

The resident guard ended up escorting me by flashlight down a sloping, forested path to the church where the Bible school students had gathered. Prayer with the students soon became a highlight of my months volunteering in Uganda—and a reminder that I’d come with a mission to serve Christ.

Fast forward a few Septembers. Again, daybreak found me rushing to meet students gathered for prayer. Again, those prayer times became a highlight, reminding me that I’d come with a mission to serve Christ. But this time, the mission was unfolding not at a Ugandan Bible school, but at a secular Canadian university.

When we belong to Christ, we live on mission wherever we’re at—whether volunteering overseas or pushing pencils at university. And one of the most effective ways to live out that mission is through prayer. Praying for professors can be especially strategic, as they are the ones entrusted with influencing society’s next decision-makers. On that note, let’s look at a few ways Christian students can specifically pray for both Christian and non-Christian professors.

Praying for Christian Professors

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to meet a Christian professor from a Midwestern state university. When I asked about ways to pray for professors, he graciously not only offered his own ideas but also collected perspectives from other Christian faculty members. Based on their suggestions, ideas from former professors I’ve spoken with, and a few personal observations, here are some practical points students can use when praying for Christian professors:

Prayer for navigating the secular campus environment:

• Pray that Christian professors will walk in biblical boldness and strength of character amidst an academic culture that is growing ever more “politically correct.”
• Pray that they would have the wisdom to navigate a campus environment that may be hostile to Christianity.
• Pray that professors would have opportunities to be salt and light in a highly secular environment.

Prayer for personal and professional needs:

• Pray for professors to exercise wisdom, skill, and excellence in teaching (including wisdom for dealing with “difficult” students).
• Pray that God would guide the professors to accomplish their research and writing projects required for promotion and tenure, as God wills.
• Pray that Scripture would guide the professors in all aspects of life, both on and off campus.

Prayer for eternally impacting students:

• Pray that professors would have opportunities for spiritual conversations with Christian and (especially) non-Christian students.
• Pray that students would ask questions that will open doors for professors to connect students with the gospel.
• Pray that Christian professors and students will have opportunities to mutually encourage each other.

Praying for Non-Christian Professors:

Along with praying for Christian faculty, Christ-following students can live on mission by lifting non-Christian professors in prayer. This involves praying not only for their earthly needs but also—most importantly—their eternal needs. As Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:1–4,

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

An especially powerful way to intercede for others is to base our prayers directly on Scripture, as God’s words carry infinitely more impact than ours do. On that note, here are just a few biblical prayer points students may find useful when praying for unbelieving professors:

• Pray that God’s Word would be sown in their lives (and for opportunities to help sow it, if possible!) and that their hearts would be softened so that the seed lands on good soil (Luke 8:4–15).
• Pray the Word would take deep root and bear fruit, unhindered by “thorns” and “the birds of the air” (Luke 8:12–14).
• Pray that God would “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith” in Jesus (Acts 26:18).
• Pray that God would “grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:24–26).
• Pray that they would hear Jesus’ call to find rest in him (Matthew 11:23–30).

Living with a Mission

In the end, prayer is a powerful way students can serve God wherever he leads them—from global Bible schools to secular universities. Students may never know the difference their prayers are making, even impacting the professors responsible for training the next adult generation. But those students will know that they’re living on a mission to serve their Creator. And that’s something worth waking up excited for—even at 4:47 a.m.