10. Unusual Circumstances

On rare occasions, a student may request prayer for something we know is wrong, immoral, or against the will of God. Instead of refusing to pray for them, we pray for the Lord to meet the needs of that person according to His love for them.

1. When a student requests prayer for something immoral

For example, if Kevin says,

“Can you pray that I hook up with this girl Janet? She’s hot and I want to have sex with her.”

Sometimes this is simply a student testing or teasing us to see our reaction.

Turn it around gently and say:

“I can pray for God to meet your needs in this area.”

Then pray something like:

“Heavenly Father, thank You that You love Kevin and want to reveal Yourself to him. I pray the longing in his heart will be fulfilled with a relationship with You. Let him know You love him right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

2. When a student reveals they are a victim of physical or sexual abuse

The proper course of action is to encourage the student to report this to a school authority such as a counselor, administrator, or trusted teacher.

All school employees are mandated reporters and are required to report this to the proper governmental agencies.

You can pray with the student for courage to report this and for the comfort and presence of Jesus to be with them.

We are not able to do more than pray at this point.

3. When a student wants to argue theology or doctrine

Experience has shown that this is almost always unfruitful and tends to hinder the outreach.

Most of these students belong to a religious sect or group and simply want to start an argument. If you are sharing the Gospel and genuine questions arise, that is different.

But what we’re addressing here is confrontation — someone trying to debate specific doctrines or interpretations.

It is best not to engage.

Kindly say:

“We’re not here to argue or debate — we’re here to pray.”

Even if you “win” the argument, you usually lose the moment. Your time is taken away, and opportunities with other students are lost.

Our purpose is to pray for and love the students we encounter. We cannot do that well if we get sidetracked by distractions.

4. When parents or school staff challenge your right to be there

This is unlikely, but it may happen.

We need to handle this with wisdom and humility.

If you are not on school property (and you should not be), you have the right to be on the sidewalk or other public property.

But asserting your rights is not the first thing to say.

It is best to calmly explain:

• You are simply offering prayer to students who want it

• You are a group of Christians from various local churches

• You refer students to the campus Christian club sponsored by the faculty advisor

• You are not handing out literature

• You are not recruiting for any church

• You are only there to pray for students who request prayer

If needed, you can direct the parent or staff member to the website for more information.

Avoid making a scene or escalating the situation.

Stay friendly, respectful, and humble.