Romans 15:30, “Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.”

Paul’s words in this text provide great encouragement as we come to our prayer closets and approach our Lord in intercession. I fear that often we approach the privilege and responsibility of prayer in a manner that is light-hearted and absent of expectation and even anticipation. When Paul directs us to “strive together” in prayer, he is painting an image of an athlete giving his best in a competition and literally “wrestling” in prayer; not in the sense however that we must ‘fight’ with God in prayer, but rather, that our prayer life not be a casual ho-hum experience, but one that engages our heart, our mind, and our soul. It is a wonderful calling and privilege to “strive together” in prayer, and one that results in gracious blessing and brings delight to the heart of our God.

As we “strive together” in prayer, let us bring these petitions before our Lord in the next few weeks.

• We give thanks for the breath of life that fills our lungs and for the breath of life He has breathed into us through salvation in Christ— “This is the day which the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps. 118:24).
• We praise God for the completion of the Student Life Center and pray for continued giving to fully fund the project. We rejoice in the opportunity to celebrate the grand opening a few weeks ago and continue to pray that the Lord will use this facility to build community, enhance fellowship, and further the growth of His kingdom on our campus and beyond.
• We pray for students considering college choices for fall 2021, petitioning the Lord for at least 60 students to begin their studies at FLBC this fall.
• We pray for our School’s graduation ceremonies to be held on May 8th at the new Student Life Center. As we celebrate graduation, we look forward to God’s use of our students as they embark on the sphere of ministry the Lord lays before them.
• We pray for the FLBC Summer teams as these teams prepare to minister to congregations, camps, gatherings, and individuals throughout the summer months that God be glorified and the Gospel boldly proclaimed.
• We pray for the planning of our Annual Conference, June 16-19, to be hosted on our campus in Plymouth. As we gather together under the theme “Prepare the Way of the Lord” may our hearts be united in the work the Lord has placed before us and may we find encouragement one in another and one in the Lord.
• We pray that our Lord direct men’s hearts to pastoral training at our seminary. Within our AFLC there exists an urgent need for men, and we seek God’s work in their lives and in this call. As the fields remain white unto harvest, may the Lord send workers into His harvest.

On behalf of the Intercessor team,

Pastor Kirk Flaa, Sioux Falls, SD