Happy Teacher Appreciation Day! Today is set aside in the United States as a day to honor and thank our teachers. Today, as you remember influential teachers in your life or the lives of your children, take a moment to pray for our nation’s teachers.
...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
It has been estimated that there are well over 500,000 Christian teachers in public schools. Many of them have felt intimidated by court rulings against religious expression and at times have been silenced by our culture’s ambivalence toward moral absolutes. However, limitations don’t change the fact that the Spirit of God resides within them and is working through them – through caring interactions with students and living out their faith day by day; through effective teaching that enables students to develop their unique, God-given gifts; through teaching commonly accepted values, such as honesty, respect, and caring for others; and through teaching about religion within the curriculum. Pray that Christian teachers will have a tremendous impact on the lives of their students and positively influence the cultures, values, and spiritual environments of their schools.
Lord, I ask You to inspire all Christians in education to be Your shining light in schools by being role models and mentors for the younger generations. I pray for teachers to have the wisdom, knowledge, and skills to teach students and make their classrooms places where students learn not only knowledge, but also morality and integrity. I pray that teachers and school administrative leaders would fear You and understand that they have a great responsibility as they train our nation’s future leaders. Holy Spirit, fill the lives of the teachers with Your presence, and by their shining examples, I ask You to draw young people to follow Jesus. Amen.
What kind of school did you attend? Did you have teachers who impacted you for the better? Share a story about your favorite teacher in a comment.
Race is a loaded topic, isn’t it? I have to admit, this has been one of the more difficult blog posts for me to write. Race is a topic that’s easily swept under the rug. There are too many bad memories in our collective human history, too many racial injustices that are still happening around the globe. It’s easier to pretend those things aren’t happening, but as Martin Luther King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Injustice matters to God, and as His children, it should matter to us.
I’m Caucasian, of mixed European descent, and grew up in a small Midwestern town of mostly white people. Before I went to college, I thought the existence of Martin Luther King Jr Day and the passage of the Civil Rights Act meant that racism was defeated. I couldn’t imagine racial discrimination happening in today’s world.
I attended a college that was still predominantly white, but more diverse than my hometown. Through meeting people of many different races, I learned that racism still exists. All of my friends were able to tell me stories of being discriminated against, of feeling inferior because they weren’t white. I also learned about systemic racism, about the root causes behind why so many non-white races are still segregated in poor parts of inner cities. I began to take notice of how many affluent neighborhoods near my college consisted of almost all white people and how poorer neighborhoods in our nearby city consisted of almost all black people.
During college, I joined a multiethnic choir that sang exclusively black gospel music. Through that experience, I learned a lot about the African American community that I hadn’t encountered before. Every year, we sang at a Martin Luther King Jr Day celebration. While our classmates and roommates enjoyed a day off, we spent hours rehearsing, singing, and listening to speeches about racial reconciliation. At the time, I didn’t realize the impact of those events. To me, it was just another task in my busy life. Now that I am out of school, I am so grateful for the way God used those times to change my worldview.
When my husband and I were looking for a new church to join together, I told him that one of my primary concerns was to find a church that was multiethnic and multicultural. I had grown up in and attended too many churches that did not properly reflect the diversity of the body of Christ, and my experiences in college made it impossible for me to imagine attending a segregated church in our diverse area. Thanks be to God, we have found a great church with excellent preaching, caring leaders, and a diverse community. It reminds me quite a bit of the churches highlighted in this video from the 700 Club:
While we are making progress as a Church in racial reconciliation, there is still much work to be done. There are still many stereotypes that rage around the world about people of all colors, nationalities, and religions. As followers of Christ, we should be at the forefront of loving anyone and everyone, no matter how different they may seem to us.
Join with me in praying this prayer from our new book, A Time for Prayer:
LORD, we live in a diverse country with blends of many cultures, faiths, and values. I pray that the power of your Holy Spirit would move among us and tear down the barriers that divide us. May You breathe upon us and instill in us a desire for unity and agreement through a spirit of mutual respect and brotherly love. Forgive us for any discrimination or cynicism or cruelty or superior attitudes we may have harbored in our hearts. I ask You to help my own heart to be free to bring peace to others, to work together with others who don’t share my perspective, and to make a difference in the world. Help me, Father, to be a force for unity. Amen.
This weekend, we are proud to officially release our newest book, A Time for Prayer, written and compiled by Lance Wubbels. Since the book is hot off the press, even I haven’t had a chance to look through too much of it, but I look forward to sharing some favorite quotes with you over the coming weeks. For now, enjoy our short movie version of the book, and remember to bring all your cares and worries to the feet of Jesus. Let’s not forget to soak in His presence this year!
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18
Wow. What a mandate! This week, as we release our newest book at Inspired Faith, A Time for Prayer, I am sobered by the responsibility we have as believers to pray. So often in my Christian life, I turn to prayer as a last resort. When my words and actions fail, I resign myself to prayer.
What a different picture Ephesians 6 paints! Our real battle is not against flesh and blood, but against unseen forces of evil. How do we fight spirits? It’s not just a matter of working harder in our ministries, in our families, in our workplaces. We need God’s armor if we want to stand firmly through all battles the enemy has prepared for us.
Even though I am tempted to view prayer as a lesser action when problems come, the truth is that prayer reminds me from where my help comes! Prayer reminds me to put down my own feeble armor and to take up God’s armor. And I believe prayer accomplishes God’s will. Intercession is not just something we do for each other when nothing else seems to work and we still feel the need to do something. Intercession is our job as believers.
In the book of Job, God commands Job to intercede for his friends. Then He will forgive their folly. In James, we are told to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. Then He will heal us. Christianity is not a solo endeavor, and the responsibility, the privilege of intercession reminds us of that.
Is prayer difficult for you? What misconceptions have you carried about the purpose and effectiveness of prayer? When have you seen prayer answered in your life or the lives of loved ones? Do you get discouraged when prayers don’t seem to be answered?
