Tag: Prayers for Teachers

Provision for Students’ Needs

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we are all in great need of You and Your grace (1 Sam 2:7-8), for nothing good comes apart from You (Ps 16:2). We humbly ask for Your powerful guidance as we proceed from day to day (Ps 143:10). 

Lord, open our eyes to see the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of our students (2 Pet 1:3) and give us hearts to pray and serve them well, for it is You alone who have the power to meet these needs (Phil 4:19). Energize our minds to stay current with planning and grading and to provide feedback and accountability (Ps 3:3-5). As we work with our students each week, give us a passion for getting to know each one, finding the weak and strengthening them, providing for the sick, binding up the injured, and building relationships with those who stray (Ez 34:1-10). Make us mindful of resources we can provide to those in physical, mental, and emotional need. Even more, let us pray diligently for their spiritual need because Your eternal storehouses have full provision for our every need (Mat 14:13-21; Mat 15:29-39; Num 27:15-18). 

Lord, strengthen our faith and direct our thinking so that we show each of our students, and their families, Your love, compassion, mercy, and care, so that You may be glorified in the work we do as Christian teachers (Mat 5:16; Rom 4:20). Their private lives are often invisible to us and when we are intentional to reach out, we learn of their struggles and can serve them better (1 King 17:8-16). In all these things, Lord, let us seek to do Your work, by Your power, by meeting the needs of our students and even their families (Neh 9:5-6). Let Your power work consistently through us for the greatest kingdom outcomes. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.

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All for God’s Glory

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we look to You and express our desire to give You the honor and the glory You deserve in our daily work as teachers. Let our prayer come before You as sweet incense and let our worship bless Your Name (Ps141:2). Let us constantly renew our minds through Your Word, being transformed and thereby serving You well. When we step into our daily position as teachers, we ask You to keep our focus on You, so that we may discern what is good and acceptable and perfect, everything according to Your will (Rom 12:2). Lord, help us keep our eyes on You, being patient with Your processes in our lives and the lives of our students. 

As we look to You alone for the strength, creativity, and classroom management needed in our spaces, we thank You that You will renew our strength, flying high, running with energy, and walking the distance with endurance (Is 40:31). Lord, we pray for Christian teachers everywhere to be intentionally and consistently focused on You, pressing on toward the goal which is the prize of our upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14). May Your glory O LORD endure forever (Ps 104:31). 

Let us have hearts and minds set on You, singing praise to You and meditating on You consistently (Ps 104:33-34). Our eyes are toward You, O GOD, our Lord (Ps 141:8). All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD. Let us bless You in our lesson planning, instructions, and conversations, shining as lights in the darkness that the glory of Your kingdom and power may be perceived by our students and fellow staff members. Let our focus be so completely on You that our students realize Your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor of Your everlasting kingdom (Ps 145:10-13). 

O great Lord, You alone are greatly to be praised. May we work out our salvation through faithfulness in our work, recognizing that it is You who works in us both to will and to work for Your good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13). Let us do our work with the singular purpose of making a difference in Your kingdom, aligning ourselves with Your mission. Thank You, Lord, God. Amen.

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Prayer for Renewal

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we pray for every Christian teacher who is experiencing distress. Classroom environments as well as work with staff periodically place us in difficult circumstances. At times we feel confined but we need You to speak truth to each one of us. We can rest assured that You are in charge, even in tough situations. Remind us that it is good that You reveal our limitations and simultaneously prove Your limitless abilities. No person or problem can separate us from the love of Christ (Rom 8:35,37-39). For those experiencing distress due to their own sin, Lord I pray that You reveal their sin to them, bring them to repentance, and let them experience freedom and joy again.

Lord, let Your Word provide renewal for the minds of every Christian teacher. Let each one wait on You and renew their strength, mounting to new heights as an eagle with great wings (Is 40:31). Lord, You allow the difficult things that come into each of our lives but also give us the grace to honor You in obedience as we navigate each moment, running and not growing weary, walking for the distance but not growing faint. In this strength that You provide, Lord, let us glorify You in our classrooms and prepare the hearts of our students by leading them to truth by our example.

Lord, we pray for the times when our jobs seem unachievable and we feel remorse because we cannot bring each student to the place of learning we want for them. In these times, remind each of us that You cause all things to work together for good to those who love You and who are called according to Your purpose. When life’s varying situations appear to be moving backward, let us trust that You are causing even the difficult things to work for good (Rom 8:28).

Finally, Lord, for those who are considering moving from their current position because the stress has overwhelmed them, we pray for wisdom, discernment, discretion, good judgment, and self-control. We pray that You create a space for them to continue to serve You for Your glory and that You lead them to glorify You as they make decisions. May You be honored and glorified in the lives of our Christian teachers, Lord. Amen.

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Commitment to Serve Amidst Apathy

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, You designed the earth and humanity to be fruitful and productive. We long for You to make things return to Your perfect design.  Meanwhile, many of our students struggle more and more with a lack of motivation to participate in educational efforts. Lord, we ask You to give them a sense of curiosity. Open their hearts to wisdom and let them learn from us. Let our students have softened hearts and let them gain knowledge so they will become active members of society. 

Meanwhile, Lord, do not let the apathy of our students reduce our commitment to serve You on this mission field. Let us extend Your love and thoughtful care to all students, especially those who are resistant. Please fill us with Your patience also, giving us the grace to wait as for rains upon crops, establishing our hearts in trust of Your perfect timing for each concern, keeping us steadfast, and allowing us to imitate Your compassion and mercy toward each student. In these things, we know our labor for Your glory is never in vain.

Finally, Lord, let us prepare thoughtful lessons, considering how to stir up one another to love and good works. Let us, by our example of a godly life, faithfully point their hearts to desire Your ways that they may have hearts of flesh and not hearts of stone, rightly prepared to receive the gospel when You determine the time.  Thank you, Lord, that You care deeply for all people.  Let us do the same and give You the honor You deserve. Amen. (Lk 8:18; Mt 5:48; Jas 5:7-11; 1 Cor 15:58; Eph 5:1; Heb 10:24; Ez 36:26).

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Words of Love Have the Power to Heal

Joy Bennett

Precious LORD, thank You for the gift of speech.  Lord, as we speak each day, we recognize our words hold the power to heal, to love, to encourage.  

But we also face temptations to use our words in destructive ways.  Please help us to be intentional in blessing others with our words.  Let them be governed by gentle honesty and compassion.  Help us use our words to pray well for our students and to point them to ethical and moral behavior through our instruction. 

Let our speech be gracious at all times, giving gifts and building others up. Along with encouragement toward others, we know that our speech must sometimes be seasoned with salt and that can look two different ways: at times, we need to speak savory, deep words.  At other times, our words must fit the metaphor of salt which kills the ground as we provide correction to our students or point out errors to those around us.  Lord God, give us the courage to trust You with the outcome in difficult times like this, knowing that You honor our obedience when we act accordingly. 

Finally, Lord, let us know the best answer to give others when we are asked about our faith. In our hearts, let us honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us; yet doing it with gentleness and respect. Go before us each day, Lord, and let our words be Your words for Your glory. Amen. (Rom 12:3-8; 1 Thess 5:11; Col 4; 1 Pet 3:15).

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Healthy Teachers Gain Strength from God

Joy Bennett

Faithful Lord, we look to You for the provision of everything we need. Each year, teachers give hours upon hours of their time and often neglect their own needs. We pray for their spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health. Where there is sin, we pray You to grant them repentance. 

Where there is any suffering and need for healing, we pray that You intimately speak to that person’s heart, helping them understand that You truly experienced all of the worldly suffering we will ever experience and You know exactly what we are going through. In the fellowship of their suffering, may they freshly appreciate Your nearness and comfort, and may their souls, minds, emotions, and bodies be healed by the power of Your Holy Spirit in the process. 

Lord, we ask for Your mercy in suffering and that You become a refuge for those in need. Let their souls trust in You and experience Your strength on their behalf. We praise You, Lord, for Your faithfulness to Your people in every hour of need. Let each one glorify You and submit their bodies to You as temples of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen. (Mal 4:2; Ps 57:1; Ps 6:2; 1 Cor 6:19).

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God’s Will in Schools

Joy Bennett

Dear Lord, we thank You that You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever-present. Thank You that Your love and mercy are never separate from the hard things that You allow in our lives and schools.

Lord, we lift every teacher, student, and administrator in our schools and ask that Your perfect will be accomplished in each of these areas. Lord, give teachers creative ideas for incorporating truth into their classrooms, thus softening their students’ hearts for preparation to receive the gospel when You present it to them. We ask for Your power to be magnified so that countless hearts turn to You in faith. 

We ask that You infuse Your people with wisdom in their interactions with unbelievers. Pour out Your favor on Your people and be exalted, Lord.

We ask that Your presence be such a divine comfort to Your servants in each role that they would have increased freedom to minister according to Your purposes in each school. Lord, let Your people be a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, shining brightly, illuminating sin for the sake of drawing people to repentance and salvation. Lord, open the eyes of Your people to see the needs of others they can pray for. And, let Your people find one another and build one another up in Your Word and in prayer for the mission field of education. Thank You, Lord Jesus. Amen. Josh 4:24; Prov 5:21; Ps 46:1; Jer 31:3; Lam 3:22-23; Mt 5:14

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