A Reflection on my Last Day of Prayer as a Senior
Each semester, students have the day off of classes for Day of Prayer (DoP), one of Covenant’s oldest and most cherished traditions. The day, which typically begins with a sunrise service and concludes with a worship night led by the chapel band, is an opportunity for students to set aside time for prayer and rest. As a soon-to-be graduating senior, this tradition has been particularly meaningful and formative during my time at Covenant.
Peaceful Traditions
Many students feel that Day of Prayer comes precisely in the semester when we need to pause and reset. There are several intentional traditions that frame the day. Many halls have special DoP traditions, often involving cooking or getting breakfast together after the sunrise service.
When I lived in a dorm, it was so peaceful to prepare breakfast with my hallmates or carpool to a restaurant together. My memories from those mornings are of listening to worship music and chatting in the commons while cooking eggs and sleepily brewing tea before a mid-morning nap. Living off-campus this year, I’ve been able to continue these traditions with my housemates by hosting people at our house for breakfast in the fall and going to a local cafe in the spring. Rather than diminishing the experience, living off campus has allowed me to build meaningful relationships with a new group of people. Regardless of the day’s activities, DoP has consistently been a chance to nourish relationships and soul.
Spiritual Formation
Day of Prayer has also been spiritually formative for me. During my sophomore year, I decided to commit to engaging in all the available Day of Prayer activities and found the practice to be soul-enriching. Sometimes, the blessing of DoP is having an open afternoon to catch up on schoolwork. But I’ve also seen the fruit that comes from committing the day fully to rest and prayer when possible.
On DoP, the chapel is open for a few hours in the afternoon for students to drop by and follow guided prayer prompts, kneel before the cross, leave a prayer request, or engage in personal prayer. During the most recent DoP, my last as a senior, I openly lifted up some of my anxieties about the future to God and left with a sense of peace, not because all my concerns were resolved, but because God met me in that place of vulnerability. This year, I found myself thinking about how to integrate similar intentional practices of prayer into my life after I graduate. Even if I cannot set aside an entire day, I hope to make space for more of the intentional moments spent in rest and prayer that have been so vital during my time at Covenant.
God has used Covenant’s Day of Prayer tradition as a time of sweet rest and intentionality, from shared meals with friends to time spent alone in prayer. I continue to look back on moments I’ve had during DoP as tangible experiences of God’s love and presence over my years at Covenant.