On my very first Day of Prayer in 2018, I begrudgingly got out of bed when my alarm woke me at 6:15 a.m. I brushed my teeth and threw on clothes, still half asleep, and contemplated going back to bed. It was the middle of my first semester of college, and a morning to sleep in sounded overwhelmingly tempting. Upperclassmen on my hall had been telling me all week that I didn't want to miss the sunrise service, and even if I tried to, they would drag me out of bed and force me to join them. Just a little over an hour after getting up, I was thanking all of my upperclassmen friends because they were right when they told me this was an experience I did not want to sleep through. 

An Unforgettable Sunrise

I walked onto the Rock City overlook, donut and hot chocolate in hand, and joined classmates, professors, and Covenant staff in a time of worship and group prayer. I could feel all around me a sense of building excitement and anticipation. All of a sudden, the entire scene flooded with light as the sun appeared on the horizon. A burst of cheers went up all around me, and I just stood there, speechless and dumbfounded at the beautiful moment. With an unobstructed view from our position on Lookout Mountain, the breathtaking sunrise was unlike anything I’d seen before.

However, what was truly beautiful to me was not the sunrise; it was the community around me. I had never seen or experienced a group of people so infatuated with God’s goodness and faithfulness. There was no mistaking that this group of people loved the Lord, and the air around us seemed to overflow with this love.

A Day Full of Rest and Reflection

Back on my hall after the sunrise service, my resident assistant whipped up pancakes in the commons, and we all sat around laughing and sipping coffee, talking over what we planned to do with our day off from classes. Taking a nap was a common answer, so after a time of prayer with the girls on my hall, I retired to my room for some much-needed rest.

Needless to say, Day of Prayer has become my absolute favorite day of the school year. I am now like the upperclassmen of my freshman year, telling first-year students that this is something they definitely cannot skip. I love everything about DOP: hall breakfast, the time of prayer in the chapel, Carter tower tours, and especially the break from class. Most of all, I love the sunrise service because semester after semester, it reminds me of what a gift Covenant College is in my life.

God has placed me in a community of people that love me and love each other so well, but most importantly, He has blessed me with a community that loves Him. I look around each DOP and see athletes, artists, musicians, missionaries, scientists, writers, preachers, and so much more. From the outside, our community couldn’t seem more different, but what makes our college special is that no matter how different you are from the person standing next to you, you both know that you are family. We are each members of an eternal family in Christ, and I think Day of Prayer is a small glimpse into what our heavenly lives will look like.

Four Years of Christ-Centered Community

As a senior, I write this with tears in my eyes because I have only one Day of Prayer left as a Covenant student. I look back on the sunrise services I’ve attended, some with rain, some with fog, one on campus during COVID-19, but every single one filled with an abundance of joy. If I could give one piece of advice to current Covenant students, it is to not let your time on the mountain pass you by. God is doing something special in the Covenant community, and moments such as Day of Prayer are encouraging reminders of His faithfulness and His love for this college. Immerse yourself in life here because I guarantee you will see God forming Covenant College into a closer reflection of His kingdom. 

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