An Occasion for Prayer

Rightfully understood, all times are times that followers of Christ are called to prayer. Maybe the shortest verse on the subject is one you will recall. It’s 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that simply states: “Pray without ceasing” (NASB). It is only two words in the original Greek. That is pretty direct; if you and I are to pray without stopping, then all times are times that we are called to prayer.

Maybe another verse from Ephesians 6 will draw you in a little more. Verse 18 reads “pray at all times in the Spirit” (NASB). Paul goes on to highlight the focus of the prayer to which he has just called the Church at Ephesus as being the forward movement of the bold proclamation of the Gospel. However, the words he uses are for us to pray at all times. ALL times. ALL TIMES.

This is not meant to serve as an evaluation of the quality (or quantity) of your prayer life. While that may be part of the outcome of this post, it is not the direct intent. I believe that we should constantly evaluate our prayer lives to see how God is growing our relationship with Him, how we are witnessing His answer to our prayers, and how we are moving from structured patterns that may bog us down to fruitful conversations of joy with our Creator and Savior.

No, this is a call to a specific occasion for prayer. Tomorrow will be the first day of school for Coweta County and Monday is the first day for Fulton County and Fayette County; Landmark returns on Wednesday the 8^th. I am asking you to pray for our schools this week. I am calling you to a specific occasion for prayer and asking you to pray in this way with me:

• For the first day. This is a day of chaos and emotion. This is a day of excitement and separation. This is a day of dread and confusion. It is never the same experience for each teacher, student, parent, or administrator. But, it is a day where you and I can cover our schools in prayer and ask that God provide a smooth start to a new year. It is a time where the men reading can join me in putting hands and feet to our prayer at Campbell Elementary next Monday at 6:45. You can read about that here.
  
• For the Students. These children will come from countless backgrounds. Some will support at home to learn and to grow in their education. Some will bring behavioral challenges to their classrooms. Some will be tempted to look down on others. Some will add drama. Some will be hanging onto life by a thin thread. Pray that God will place a teacher or a friend in each of these lives that will impact and make a dynamic difference. Ask God to surround these kids with His love and guidance. For those who are lower income, that He will use churches like ours to carry the Gospel to them as we carry a backpack of food. For those who tend to pick on others, that God would give them compassion to be a friend. For those who struggle in education, that God would open their minds to new ways to learn, that He would prompt their parents to encourage their learning, that He would give sight to school personnel to step in and guide, and that He would take one of us from right here and place us in that student’s life in order to invest in his or her future.
• For the teachers. These men and women have a ton on them. Long days, kids, abnormal lesson plans, kids, low parental support (for many), kids, state standards, kids, national CORE standards, kids, meeting after meeting, kids, parent, and even the kids! All of these things add up and provide great stress. Many who started out loving the ability to teach have become jaded and cynical to their job. Many are struggling financially, in their home life, and in building community so they become isolated. Pray that God would guide them by His Spirit. For those who are believers, ask that God would show them His peace and power in a way that they can bridge into the lives of their unbelieving co-workers. Ask God to provide community support for our educators this year. Pray that He would give them a new passion for what they do as they shape and mold the lives of these students. Ask God to give them grace as they deal with parents. And on the days that the roughest kid is at his or her worst, ask that God would give these teachers His mercy and compassion for them. Also, ask God how you can demonstrate His love in the life of a teacher this year.
  
• For the administrators and school staff. From principals to counselors to cafeteria workers, our schools have so many important people pouring into the lives of these kids who may not be in the classroom from bell to bell. Administrators implementing a vision for how to carry these kids forward; counselors that evaluate the growth of the kids and help provide a plan forward; resource officers building relationships and providing a safe environment for our students; custodial staff keeping the building in good condition so that the school day can carry on; and the list can go on and on. Please pray that God would use each of these individuals as they shape lives. Ask God to give our principals a dynamic vision for how to touch each teacher and each student in a way that will not be burdensome, but will be for their growth and development. Seek ways that God would use you in this school in this year.
• For the security of the school. We have all watched the news year after year as young people make the heinous decision to carry weapons into the schools and wreak havoc. Please pray that God would protect out schools. Ask that God would provide barriers to any individual seeking to carry out an attack on our schools. This is not just a prayer for our local schools, but all across the nation. Ask that God’s grace would be with our teachers and school officials to protect our students, should an event arise. Pray that God would protect the extra activities as well: after school events, sporting events, music and drama events, etc.

You may have other areas of prayer that you can offer for our schools. In our church, we have teachers at 4 local schools and a counselor at another. Please pray for these women in their positions this year, as well as their colleagues. While I cannot list every school that we may reach, please consider these local Fairburn schools in conjunction with two where our people work:

• Campbell Elementary School, Fairburn
• Evoline C. West Elementary School, Fairburn
• Bear Creek Middle School, Fairburn
• Creekside High School, Fairburn
• Renaissance Elementary, Fairburn
• Renaissance Middle, Fairburn
• Langston Hughes High School, Fairburn
• S.L. Lewis Elementary, Union City
• Chattahoochee Hills Charter, Chattahoochee Hills
• Landmark Christian School, Fairburn

I believe that when God’s people pray, we see God act. May we watch Him act in our schools this year as we seek His face.