Jesus is our Savior – Planted by Streams

Prayers for the End of the Year

Praise

Dear Lord, our shield, we exalt Your Name. You are great and beyond measure. We turn to You in worship for Your holiness. In Your perfection, You are set apart from sin and provided salvation for Your people when nothing less would do. We are humbled by Your eternal love and provision for us.

Prayer

We pray for teachers who You established to accomplish Your work in the lives of others. Students, parents, and administrators often panic toward the end of the year when grades get posted and there is little time left for recovery. They often blame teachers for the problem when the responsibility belongs elsewhere. Lord, You know first-hand how difficult our lives become when others rise against us. And in Your compassion, You have provided for us. Remind Your servants that You are a shield about them, their glory, the lifter of their head. Keep their minds on the truth that, when they cry to You, You answer from Your holy hill. Let each one rest in You during these times of stress. Let them sleep and rest well, sustained by You and free from fear of those who oppose them.

Cause Your servants to know that You attend to their prayers, and You set examples in Scripture that we should call on You for salvation because You defend us completely. Salvation belongs to You, LORD. May Your blessings be on Your people. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Read Psalm 3

Keep Your Joy in Teaching

Featured Joy Bennett

Dear LORD, as Christian teachers, we are susceptible to losing our joy for many reasons: problems with our work-life blend; interactions with difficult people (staff, students, parents, family, or friends), challenges at home, health issues, time constraints, unrealistic expectations from supervisors, frequent challenges and changes in systems, or sins and misjudgments in our own lives. But, Lord, we praise You for Your sacrificial love on our behalf. There is none like You. By Your sacrifice, Lord, we can have Your Spirit and the fruit of Your Spirit including joy (Gal 5:22).

Lord, please renew our souls and sustain our joy as we work in our schools each day. Let us be filled with the hope that You promise to act in every circumstance to bring about good for those who love You and who are called according to Your purpose (Rom 8:28). As we expect good outcomes in every situation, because of Your all-knowing faithfulness and goodness, cause joy to spring up within us.

Lord, we desire that You will work through us for Your glory in our students and we trust that You shine the light of Your presence and love through us each day, whether we feel strong or weak. We praise You for this promise and the joy that it brings. Let us live in the knowledge of Your work in us and walk in God-glorifying joy because of it.

Lord, we recognize that You are the only source of true joy and this comes from our awareness of Your grace and favor – You lean toward us in all Your goodness. We praise You that this joy opposes sorrow and is a result of faith. It is a result of our blessedness as we are seated in heavenly places (Eph 2:1-10). For this reason, all of Your blessings are upon us. Let us be radiant with cheerfulness and calm delight.

We especially praise You that Your work on the cross, on our behalf, is coupled with Your gift of the Holy Spirit as our helper in every moment. Your endless gifts in our moment of salvation result in rest, freedom, and spiritual healing. What joy! You give us a sense of acceptance with God, communion with You, and stillness before You as we recognize Your all-bright and beautiful character. Indeed, we have clear consciences and a quiet peace within our hearts as we trust You.

Lord, we also experience joy when You are the object of our worship and the reason for our work. Because You have brought us spiritual health, we may work as the body of Christ which brings gladness. Keep our eyes on You, the light of our eternal hope, and our deep, abiding joy.

Our gifts through Your work on the cross include even more. Lord, we praise You for the joy that You remove the fears before us, and our inner strife. In You, we can be free from the conflict between our consciences and our inclinations. In You, we can walk in power over our will and our passions. In You, we can experience the joy of the Lord as we become free from the sins that tear our hearts down and make sorrow and agitation. In You, our sense of sin is removed and our angry, stinging consciences are healed.

Lord, how we praise You for the joy we have in Christ Jesus. Let our joy overflow to everyone we work with. Let it energize our planning and grading, our counsel and instruction. Let Your joy be a light in our lives, attracting others to worship You as we celebrate Your presence and Your work within us. Let us be powerful witnesses for You as we live as Your holy servants, who enjoy the power of the Holy Spirit working through us, stamping out grief, and making the joy of the Lord our strength (Neh 8:10). We pray these things in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Discernment in Working with Parents

March 21, 2024May 16, 2024 Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, as Christian teachers, we have many opportunities to set a godly example for the parents we work with. We praise You that You are our advocate, and we seek to imitate You by advocating for our students’ parents (Rom 8:26, 24b; Heb 4:14). We also look to You, our omniscient God who knows all we need at all times (Pv 5:21) and ask that You allow us to see and act on Your provision, for nothing good comes apart from You (Ps 16:2). In addition, we rejoice in You our mediator, Lord Jesus, and ask that You enable us to imitate you as we mediate for parents with their students (1 Tim 2:5-6; Heb 8:6, 9:15), helping their children to grow in wisdom, that they may be prepared to receive Your gospel by faith when You so choose.

Lord, when working with parents and their students, we need discernment. Praise You that the Spirit gives us discernment (John 14:17), using the word of God to enable us to stand firm by discriminating between good and evil, truth and lies (Heb 5:12-14; Eph 6:11,17; 1 John 2:20,26-27). As we go about each day, let us cling to You and walk in repentance and righteousness, held up with a willing spirit, so that we may help parents and their students see a godly example in our lives and crave this for themselves (Ps 51:10-13). Likewise, show us how we can empower parents to lead their children in righteousness. For those who are motivated only by worldly success, let us demonstrate the love and light of God that they desire to live according to Your ways (Mat 5:16; Rom 2:14; Mat 5:6). And, as we do this work, let us always remember that parenting is a difficult job and each child is different — parents need sympathy and empathy (Rom 12:16; Phil 2:1-8). Meanwhile, let their trials lead them to seek You with their whole hearts and find You as their Savior. (Mat 4:17; Eze 33:11; Acts 26:18; 1 Pet 3:8-12).

On our mission with You in schools, Lord, let us do Your good work by showing love, compassion, and kindness to everyone (John 13:34, Luk 6:36; Ps 103:8; Eph 4:32). Students need us to love them best by showing we care, even when caring means we must provide appropriate consequences – let us not shrink back from difficult decisions that lead to the best outcome for each one (Ps 119:71). Lord, guide us to follow through with communication which includes constructive and encouraging solutions (Heb 10:24). In the process of our communications, let us provide loving, timely feedback that amounts to the greatest benefit for each child (Ecc 8:11), and guide us to have a heart for collaboration with each parent, planning incentives and consequences together for the benefit of their children and their households. As we work together, let us keep our minds on You, seeking Your wisdom and gaining knowledge (Ps 111:10; Pv 21:11b).

Lord, in all these things, cause Your wondrous works to be remembered and allow the parents we work with to recognize that You are gracious and merciful (Ps 111:4). Finally, let us rest, knowing that that battle is Yours, Lord, and You will see it through in the end (Deut 20:4; 2 Chron 20:15; Pv 21:31).

Prayers for Safety in Schools

March 20, 2024May 16, 2024 Joy Bennett

Oh God Most High (Ps 7:17), our refuge and strength, our very present help in times of trouble, let us be strong in our confidence in You, regardless of the dangers on earth. We praise You, Lord Jesus, for Your saving work on the cross and Your overcoming power in Your Resurrection. We know that we are immortal until You are finished working in us on earth (2 Tim 1:10). You indwell Your people, making Your holy habitation with us and our salvation immovable. You are in our midst, always protecting us, and melting the most severe concerns. LORD of hosts, we praise You for such care. LORD, let us have eyes to see Your mighty works: how You control everything on earth, bringing wars to an end, and crushing the weapons of mankind. Let us also be still, and know that You are God, exalted among the nations, exalted in the earth. Our LORD of all armies and warfare, You are with us, holding us fast in Your ultimate security (Ps 46).

Lord, we ask for Your divine protection over our schools, students, staff, and families. We cry out to You as Your children, those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, abiding in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliver us from all snares, plagues, and threats of destruction. Guard us in all our ways, let us walk in safety and protection. Remind us that, when we hold fast to You in love we are heard by You. You answer us when we call, You are with us in trouble, You rescue us and honor us, and with long life You will satisfy us, showing us Your salvation (Ps 91).

Thank You, Lord, that You go before us, causing us to dwell secure, at ease, and without dread of disaster (Prov 1:33). You are ever-present with Your people, keeping us secure on every side (Ps 139:5). Indeed we can think of no more secure a place than in the cover of Your majestic wings, just as the ark rested protected beneath the cherubim in the holy of holies (2 Chr 5:6-8). May You always be glorified as our protector and peace (Josh 24:17; Eph 2:14). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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