About Arise&Pray SMU
Arise and Pray SMU is 40 days of prayer meetings focused on drawing the presence and power of God to SMU. Jesus demonstrated that God’s presence and power come in two ways: asking the Father and reaching out to people.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name, Your kingdom come,Your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). Our desire is to see the kingdom of God come to SMU, so we are gathering over these forty days to pray for this to happen.
Our goal is to empower Christians in the SMU and Highland Park communities, as well as key individuals in the Dallas area to host regular prayer meetings for SMU in residence halls, schools, classrooms, offices, homes, prayer circles, workplaces, etc., over the course of the 40 days.
Find a prayer meeting on campus here.
Email us at ariseandpraysmu@gmail.com if you want to organize a prayer meeting and advertise it on our website.
Jesus also sent his followers into cities saying to them “heal those in it who are sick, and say ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:9). So we are challenging Christians at SMU to “Take Ten to Find the One” (click here to learn more). Jesus stopped for the one outcast, broken-hearted woman at the well (John 4), the one overlooked, disabled man on the street (John 5), the ones disenfranchised, ignored, even harshly ridiculed by the religious community. He spoke a message of hope, supernaturally healed their ailments, and showed them love. None were too sinful or too broken for Jesus. He has sent and empowered His Church to stop for the one in front of them who needs love, hope, healing, even a simple prayer, so we are responding to this call.
A single group of Christians cannot do this alone, so we are uniting with the Christian community at SMU, to see His kingdom come and His will be done on our campus. Join us over these next 40 days!
Matthew Esquivel
Matthew surrendered his life to Jesus his junior year of high school, and soon after attended Southern Methodist University in 2008 as a music major. During his time at SMU, God stirred his heart to see his generation transformed by Jesus.
After graduating in 2008, he attended ministry school and entered full-time campus ministry at his Alma Mater, where he was involved in campus evangelism, discipleship, and organizing prayer for his campus ministry. In the spring of 2011, Matthew began working as a full-time intercessor and the Director of University Ministries for the Dallas House of Prayer. In that role, he has devoted his time to prayer, teaching, and pastoring young adults, as well as partnering with various ministries to build and strengthen a culture of prayer and passion for Jesus on universities across Texas.
Matthew serves as the director of the SMU Arise and Pray initiative, mobilizing the Christian community at SMU and throughout Dallas to pray for God’s kingdom to come to SMU. His passion is to love, know, and pursue God; to bring restoration and freedom to the broken and oppressed; and to prepare the next generation for the return of Jesus.
