The Power of Prayer in Preparing Your Classroom
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Hey Reader! This is the season of cleaning and prepping and organizing and getting so excited about new students and families (and new crayola crayons and Elmer’s glue sticks)! You’re attending in-service meetings, and professional development events, and doing some online training to ensure you are as equipped as possible to begin this journey! As you are busy making sure everything in your classroom is just perfect and you’re checking all the boxes for paperwork and training, can I encourage you in one more area of preparation? Have you taken a moment to pray? It’s been heavy on my heart these last couple of weeks that sometimes my own busyness in making preparations for something important becomes my excuse for not having the time to stop and pray. Ouch. It hurts to type that out here for everyone to read. But, if I’m really honest with myself….it’s been happening quite a bit! I’m so crazy busy that “I just don’t have time” to pray. Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus spent significant time in prayer regularly? Even though he was fully God! Mark 1:35 says “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Jesus had a “crazy busy” season just before this verse — He was baptized, spent over a month in the desert being tested by the enemy, then chose his disciples, healed people, drove out demons….all the things! He NEEDED time in a solitary place to meet with His Father in prayer. In Matthew 14, we read about another “crazy busy” season for Jesus — a close friend (John the Baptist) dies. In verse 13, He tries to withdraw to grieve but “Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.” So he had compassion and healed them, and then fed over 5,000 of them with a snack that turned into a full meal complete with leftovers. And again, we see “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” (verse 23) So today…let’s stop. Pause and pray: Lord, would you enter our classrooms and our hallways with your Spirit of peace and love as the first few weeks of school can be so hectic? As your precious children enter our classrooms, would you give us open hearts and eyes to see their full potential as full image-bearers of Christ? Open up their hearts and prepare their minds for discovery and wonder. Protect their bodies from injury and germs. Build a resilient spirit in them as they try hard things and fail and then try again. Awaken in each of them a love for your Word, for each other and for learning. Help us, as the adult, to model good conflict resolution with our coworkers; help us to communicate clearly and kindly with parents and each other. Help us to trust You wholeheartedly to equip us in each moment with exactly what we need to meet each child’s needs. Help us practice patience when we are irritated and hurried. Remind us of your goodness on the hard days. Show us your grace and mercy each day, Lord, and remind us to extend that same mercy and grace to our students. We are ever so grateful for your trust in us in caring for and nurturing these tiny bodies, minds, and souls for your glory. Help us to do it well. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Friends, even Jesus had to “retreat to a solitary place and pray” often! I know that I need to do it much more often, too! In fact, in Matthew 14, after He had prayed, He walked on water!! Imagine what we can do when we’ve been rejuvenated and strengthened by our time in prayer with the Father in the midst of those “crazy busy” seasons!
Cheering you on this week! -Your ECCN team
Colossians 3:16 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” |
