Bethany is a student at Loughborough University who had just finished her first year when she spoke to Fuse. Her church recently began holding weekly ‘Prayer Lock-Ins.’
What are Prayer Lock-Ins?
They’re an hour on a Sunday evening to make a space to relax in God’s presence. Everyone arrives by 8pm, then we lock the doors and pray for an hour. For me, they’re definitely less about praying for specific things and more about reflecting on God and spending time with Him.
Before I went to a Prayer Lock-in I hadn’t really thought that much about not necessarily praying for anything in particular but just resting in God’s presence. It’s really relaxing and gives you a bit of balance.
What difference do you think prayer can make to uni life?
It helps you to connect to God, especially when you’re just starting uni. When you don’t know people very well, prayer reminds you that he’s always there and you can always turn to him. The more I did that this year the easier things became.
Have you ever felt disappointed by prayer?
This year there was one thing in particular I was praying for and it got to the point where I wasn’t sure why something wasn’t happening for me. I was tired of either praying for it or being disappointed that it wasn’t happening. Then, I pretty much just laid it down in front of God and I think that reminded me that He still is aware of what’s going on. The situation completely changed after that! I think He was waiting for me to give up control of it.
I feel like there’s a difference between just praying for something and praying for it but knowing that God’s still in control. Rather than praying for it because you want it to happen, praying for it because it’s something that God’s got planned for you.
Do you have any top prayer tips for other students?
Other than Prayer Lock-ins my main way of praying is prayer journaling. I write down what I’m thinking in my head – thank-you’s to God, things I’m asking for; It’s like a conversation. I’ve really found it helpful to be able to look back over my first year of uni in my prayer journal because it’s been a really big year and so much has happened. When I pray without journaling I tend to lose concentration but when I writing things down it keeps me focused.
Set aside a bit of time every day to pray. Although uni’s really busy it’s been really helpful to have contact with God in my day. I usually pray just before I go to bed and if there’s been pressures that day I lay them down in front of God. It really takes the weight out of the situation.
