It is Supposed to be a Prayer Meeting

For the past twenty-one years students have been meeting around the flagpole on their campuses to pray the third Wednesday in September. Hundreds of thousands gathered all over the state and many others around the nation and the world to gather around their flagpoles to pray earlier today.

What started out as a small gathering of students to pray for their campuses has turned into a full fledge production. Many bring in sound systems and worship bands and sing. Some have several students read scripture. Some even have a speaker to speak to the masses gathered before the start of schools. You can buy t-shirts, bracelets, and posters for See You at the Pole. Some churches provide elaborate breakfast while others opt for donuts and juice.

When I pulled into the parking lot this morning at the school we were one of the first to arrive. Another church provided donuts and orange juice. The boys and I waited until after 7:30 a.m. and the junior high early morning football practice was dismissed to attend. Dozens gathered to grab donuts and juice but I noticed no one ever went around the flagpole to pray. Finally three of the boys (Tanner was in football) went to the flagpole and joined hands and offered prayer. Nobody joined us.

We were on the high school campus praying and afterward walked up the hill to the junior high campus where Tucker and Turner and I prayed around that flagpole. We were the only ones. All the other students had gathered at the high school campus or were just arriving at school. When I drove out the parking lot later to take Turner to school I glanced down at the high school noticed no one had gathered around the flagpole to pray.

Turner and I went to the flagpole at his school and prayed together. I am sure others had already prayed and gone into the school. We prayed alone. Turner prayed for his teacher Mrs. Norwood. I felt honored to keep this long-standing tradition with my boys. I loved making the memory of praying with them around the flagpole and telling them the story of how it all began back in Burleson, TX with a group of students joining together to pray for their high school twenty-one years ago.

Over the years I have noticed what began as a prayer meeting has become anything but that on many campuses. I am not sure if they ever got around to praying at our high school today but I can tell you for certain praying was not the main business. This is supposed to be student led. While I applaud the energy our students put into worship I do not seem the same passion for prayer. Even my boys seemed pretty unsure how to pray this morning.

See You at the Pole is supposed to be a prayer meeting. The enemy would rather us sing, fellowship, and eat anytime more than engage in spiritual battle through prayer. We must pray now more than ever. There is power unleashed by God when His people gather to call on His name. We would all love to see the power of God unleashed through the gospel message on our children’s campuses and in the communities we live in.

What happened to the prayer meeting? Even among adults prayer meetings are among the least attended activities in the local church. Many of the ones I have attended in the past tended to focus on praying for the sick and infirmed more than for more laborers to go into the harvest.

I have often wondered why we have not seen God unleash revival fire in these twenty-one years of meeting at the flagpoles. I know many have prayed. Sadly some have had to pray alone as no one else joined them. I also know prayer has not been the sole focus of many of these gatherings in a long while.

We must be reminded it is supposed to be a prayer meeting. We can also be reminded it does not have to happen just one time a year. We can gather multiple times for the glory of God and cry out to Him to heal our land. I challenge all who read this to make See You at the Pole about prayer even if the size of the crowds dwindle. Remind your children, train your students, encourage your leadership to keep the focus on prayer.