Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

Prayer for Field Area

Prayer for Those in the Academic Field of Law

“Justice, York Crown Court,” photo by Tim Green via flickr, used under CC BY 2.0 License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

We continue our series of prayers for field areas today. Our hope is that each prayer will encourage those in a particular subject area in the specificity of their daily work, while also giving those in other fields a glimpse into how their colleagues are glorifying God in different areas of inquiry. If you’re inspired by the series and want to contribute a prayer, check out our Writer’s Guidelines & easy submission process. For others in the series, click here.

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father,

We acknowledge you as the King and Creator of the whole universe, the one whose throne is founded on righteousness and justice[1], who is the Judge of all the earth.[2] Yet in your wonderful grace and mercy, you have chosen to offer forgiveness of sins to all who repent and put their trust in your Son the Lord, Jesus Christ, who gave himself as an atoning sacrifice on the cross, and rose again, to pay for those sins.

We thank you for your many gifts of grace to all of humanity created in your image, even to those who do not acknowledge Jesus as Lord. In our world marred by sin and rebellion, we thank you that you have ordained the governing authorities, who receive their authority from you, and who are your servants for our good to carry out your wrath on wrongdoers, but to reward those who do good.[3] We pray for all those in positions of authority, that through their work the communities they serve, and especially your people, may be able to lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way, and continue to proclaim the message of the gospel—for we know that this is pleasing in your sight, God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.[4]

We pray for those who are a part of the legal systems that you have ordained, who administer justice and seek to defend the rights of those who have been wronged—for judges and magistrates and court officers, police and prosecutors, lawyers and legal clerks. And we pray for those who have the privilege in the academic world of teaching law and training lawyers.

Father, we ask that legal academics will be diligent to serve you, and their students, and the institutions that engage them, and not just to work for their own fame, reputation or income. We pray that they will work hard to provide students with a good education about the content of the law, but also that they will model godly values in the way that they teach and treat others, including a deep concern for those in greatest need in society. Help them to respect and care for students and colleagues alike, even when they need to discipline or disagree with them. Help them not to be proud and arrogant, but to be humble, willing to learn from others while graciously presenting the truth.

We pray that all your people who teach law will do so in a way which is worthy of you and adorns the gospel of grace.[5] Give them courage when they need to take an unpopular stand, and help them, if they suffer for doing good, to endure and entrust themselves to you, who always judge justly.[6]

Help legal academics to teach, and to research, and to serve their employer, and to bless the wider community, for your glory.

We pray these things in the name of God our Saviour, through the salvation won by the Lord Jesus Christ, in the power given by the Holy Spirit.

Amen

[1] Ps 97:2.

[2] Genesis 18:25.

[3] Romans 13:1-7.

[4] 1 Tim 2:1-4.

[5] Titus 2:10.

[6] 1 Peter 2:19-23.

Note: Image in post can be found here (credits and license listed in caption).

A Prayer from and for Geoscientists

geology photo
Picture by User 272447 at Pixabay.com, shared under Simplified Pixabay License: https://pixabay.com/service/license/

We continue our series of prayers for field areas today. Our hope is that each prayer will encourage those in a particular subject area in the specificity of their daily work, while also giving those in other fields a glimpse into how their colleagues are glorifying God in different areas of inquiry. If you’re inspired by the series and want to contribute a prayer, you can submit a prayer for those in your field area and a short bio here. For others in the series, click here.

Oh Lord our God,

We are amazed that you chose us to be your beloved children, to go and do works in your name (Eph. 2:10);

We acknowledge the person and Godship of Jesus as the creative master as well as the ultimate redeemer of all Creation, both spiritual and material;

We are humbled by the way You created us like you, and yet so small and weak in comparison;

We are thrilled to observe and study the beautiful parts of Your Creation and the ways that these components all operate together to sustain life;

We are called to serve You and Your Kingdom with the gifts of mind and heart entrusted in us;

We seek to know Your will in the service as Kingdom agents;

We desire that Science be a powerful, ordained tool in understanding Creation;

We specifically ask for your wisdom in taking knowledge of the Earth and making it known to all people, dispelling human distrust and distortions of Science.

We pray for protection from the evils resident in our own self-interests as well as in the human institutions that are motivated by the plans of the Evil One;

We need discernment in making good plans for projects that glorify You;

We pray for strength to endure the inevitable frustrations of science practice;

We seek godly personal and working relationships with peoples from all the diversity on Earth;

We crave the unity of the Holy Spirit as our guide in confronting complex challenges;

We particularly yearn to see our fields of study and practice bring real healing to our only habitat, so badly degraded by human ignorance and sin;

We ask your blessing on those who work on the Land and its precious design to bear the fruit of life and beauty; on those who work for the protection and essential values of Water, on and below land, in the air, and in the seas; on those who study aspects of Creation that are potentially hazardous, especially when poorly understood; on those striving to learn about the intimate connections among all living things in harmony with the inanimate Creation; and on those so much needed to winningly communicate the underappreciated Holy importance of Earth as in our greater mandate to be stewards of all your treasures.

Environmental Science: A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Image courtesy of Free-Photos at Pixabay, used under Simplified Pixabay License

We continue our series of prayers for field areas today. Our hope is that each prayer will encourage those in a particular subject area in the specificity of their daily work, while also giving those in other fields a glimpse into how their colleagues are glorifying God in different areas of inquiry. If you’re inspired by the series and want to contribute a prayer, you can submit a prayer for those in your field area and a short bio here. For others in the series, click here.

The earth is a marvel, Lord. Sky and sea, forest, and breeze; the flowing streams and the whirling wings all sing your praise. And so, we do.

We give you thanks at the rising of the sun. Give us strength for the day that lies ahead. Of course, we know that this “rising of the sun” hides another reality. The earth is in constant motion, but we never feel it. Teach us the deeper mystery of creation. Remind us that there is always more to the story than what appears. Thank you for the sustaining power that this daily cycle elides.

Our gaze ranges from the ground up and we see order and chaos, and looking deeper, order again and then chaos endlessly chasing one another. We wonder at your power, sustaining us moment by moment in this place. Everywhere we look is another mystery, another marvel. “How does it work?” we wonder. We study hard and it is a joy to catch a glimpse of your plan. Thank you, Lord, for sound minds and the rich work of discovery that we are blessed to pursue.

Give us grace Lord to recognize our ignorance. Amid the thrill of discovery temper our passions and protect us from the temptation to control, to exploit and so destroy the beauty your world reveals. Let our attitude be that of Job as we join him in saying, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

We are grieved, Lord, by the hurts that come on the earth. Even more grievous are the hurts we inflict on our fellow humans. These are persistent, intergenerational, and deeply structural. Moses set before us “life and prosperity, death and destruction.” Help us choose life. As we pursue our vocational calling to study, understand and manage the complexities of earth systems, encourage us that this is not too difficult for us, or beyond our reach. Thank you for the insight that when we care for the earth, we care for each other.

Teach us to number our days. Show us the beauty of simplicity and complexity that surround us daily. Help us in using our insights to serve each other, to care for the creation, and as we love one another, to show to everyone how much you love us all.

Amen

A Prayer for Chemists

chemistry photo

We continue our series of prayers for field areas today. Our hope is that each prayer will encourage those in a particular subject area in the specificity of their daily work, while also giving those in other fields a glimpse into how their colleagues are glorifying God in different areas of inquiry. If you’re inspired by the series and want to contribute a prayer, you can submit a prayer for those in your field area and a short bio here. For others in the series, click here.

Father, God, you are the maker of all the universe contains. Each quark, atom, and molecule is but a note in the symphony that is your grand design of all matter. We marvel at how you have imbued order to these seemingly innumerable particles, and even more that you invite us to participate in discovering this grand design. To study chemistry is to glimpse how your hand shapes the smallest of material elements into the entirety of the visible world, both microscopic and macroscopic.

As we seek to discover the laws that govern the behavior of protons and electrons, substrates and catalysts, we humbly request your wisdom, guidance, and protection.

We pray for divine inspiration as we scour the literature for new areas of study, or ways to advance the state of the art.

We seek direction as we attempt to uncover JUST the right conditions for a successful experiment.

We ask for a spirit of cooperation between researchers, since we all desire the betterment of humanity through our work.

We plead for a hedge of protection around all who labor in the lab, as we handle potentially hazardous substances and equipment with the caution and respect they require.

We ask that you would help us to be good stewards of the matter you have entrusted to us, not wanting to contribute to the destruction of the natural world in any way, even as we work to manipulate the very building blocks of life.

We seek clarity of expression as we report our results, humility to accept suggestions from reviewers, and the realization that our quest for truth is never finished.

Above all, we pray for joy in the journey. May we continually be filled with awe-struck reverence of our role as creators, uncovering merely a glimpse of the mind of the Creator.

A Prayer for Media Scholars and Professors

tablet photo
Photo by Free-Photos, licensed for reuse under Pixabay License, https://pixabay.com/service/license/

We continue our series of prayers for field areas today. Our hope is that each prayer will encourage those in a particular subject area in the specificity of their daily work, while also giving those in other fields a glimpse into how their colleagues are glorifying God in different areas of inquiry. If you’re inspired by the series and want to contribute a prayer, you can submit a prayer for those in your field area and a short bio here. For others in the series, click here.

Father bless those who are called to study and create media.

Guide them so they may speak, write and present words of truth, from a heart of love and humility. Give them eyes to see, and ears to hear, what you want to say through them.

Guide media scholars as they teach students how to analyze media processes and structures shaping our society. Show them how to understand and reveal the influence of print, broadcast and digital media in the times in which we live. And equip them to reveal that which is hidden, so with humble hearts they may speak and write words that set people free.

Lead those who are called to teach others how to communicate through the tools and technologies of contemporary media. May they model clear, caring and honest communication to future media producers, journalists and digital creatives. Sharpen their minds, that by your spirit they may discern what information is true and worthy of being reported and published.

May your media scholars and producers share not just interesting insights and knowledge, but ideas that lead to wisdom, which can bring forth life and transform our culture. Let their messages be heard through the cacophony of competing voices. And by your spirit, empower them to produce and share stories that bring hope and healing to the brokenness in our land.

Amen