"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results."
—James 5:16 (NLT)

At my college, Wednesdays are SuperTaco days. There's usually a rush around noon as classes let out and everybody streams toward the student union to fill up on crispy taco salads layered with lettuce, meat, cheese and guacamole.

But last year, Wednesdays meant more to me than just the chance to chow down on Mexican food. Every Wednesday for two semesters, my friend Lane and I set aside two hours to talk, eat and pray.

Early in my sophomore year, Lane and I decided to become regular prayer partners. Over taco salads we'd exchange prayer requests and talk about things we were thankful for. After lunch, she and I would find a place where we could pray together.

Sometimes we'd spend most of our time in prayer; other times, we'd get caught up in sharing prayer requests and have to shorten our prayers to make it to class. But whether we prayed for five minutes or half an hour, we knew God was listening.

Along with showing me the importance of sharing prayers with a friend, my meetings with Lane taught me a lot about being accountable to someone. No matter what temptations or struggles we faced, we knew we could talk about them if needed and then take them to the Lord.

Lane graduated last spring, but that doesn't mean I've gone without a prayer partner. Now, my roommate Julie and I spend time each week praying together. Sure, we're busy, but we don't allow our schedules or other plans to get in the way of our prayer times.

I'm so glad I've had friends like Julie and Lane to pray with. When I graduate and forget many things about college life, I know I'll always remember those special times I spent praying with them. And I'll never forget how vital it is to have someone who will regularly ask me, "So, how can I pray for you?"

Christy is a college junior majoring in journalism.

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