Lent 2023: The Chase

Lent has come to a close, and we now have the opportunity to look back at some of the amazing things that have come out of the Lenten season. One such example: Students in Wesley House, HPUMC’s college ministry, took part in The Chase, a 40-day intentional prayer journey during Lent.

The discipline of consistent prayer can be challenging for all of us, and The Chase pushes students to pursue a daily prayer rhythm and a more intimate relationship with Jesus! This year, we committed to morning and evening prayers. In the morning, we began with The Lord’s Prayer, starting our day with the words that Jesus gave us. In the evening, we reflected on our day through The Examen.

Not only does The Chase encourage each member to dig deep individually, it also creates the opportunity for Wesley House students to cover one another in prayer. Each member of The Chase is assigned a few fellow Wesley students to pray for each day, and each student at Wesley House is prayed for daily by one of their peers.

This year, the theme was “The Language of Prayer.” When we were dreaming up our goals for The Chase this year, we not only wanted to walk alongside students as they sought to pray more frequently, but also help them develop some language for honest, authentic prayers. We couldn’t think of a more perfect place to turn than the Book of Psalms.

The Psalms are important and powerful tools for prayer because, through the Psalms, human words of prayer to God transform into God’s biblical words to humans. He gives us words to speak to him about our experiences and emotions!

Students who join us for The Chase receive special content throughout the 40 days to strengthen their prayer life and deepen their connection to God! This year, students received five devotionals based on five different psalms and what they teach us about prayer.

We studied a variety of psalms together, allowing the psalmists to show us how to pray through pain, anger, doubt, moments of confession, and fear. We learned so much about what it truly looks like to walk in conversation with God through any circumstance.

The Chase ends with a special opportunity for connection between students. Each member of The Chase is asked to write a note to those that they prayed for over their 40-day journey, letting them know that they have been prayed for and offering encouragement.

This year’s Lenten season allowed college students in The Chase to dive deeper into their faith and connect with and encourage others.

Learn more about Wesley House, the college ministry of HPUMC, at hpumc.org/college.