“None of you should look out just for your own good. Each of you should also look out for the good of others. As you deal with one another, you should think and act as Jesus did.” -Philippians 2:4-5 (NIRV)

Uniting diverse individuals remains a challenge. Educators face this daily. Administrators must harmonize the teaching staff, student body, and community. When will educators align with their administrators? Despite differences, we are all part of the same team. Understand your administrator’s perspective and ask God to change your attitude. Pray for their well-being and support their efforts. Genuine interest in their vision and well-being is essential for unity.

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Prayercast: Connections Among Christians In Schools; God’s Provision For Student Teachers; Sowing Generously Into Students And Colleagues; Deliverance And Healing For Students In Juvenile Detention Centers

Prayer Of Adoration: Praising God’s Unchanging Love

Lord, we just thank you, first of all, for another day. Every day, Lord, we have the privilege of saying that this is the day that you have made. We will rejoice and be glad in it, Lord. What an honor and a privilege, Lord, that no matter what the day brings, no matter what we encounter throughout the course of our day. It does not change who you are. It does not change your goodness. It does not change your character. It does not change how much you love us.

Nothing about you changes, Lord God. What an honor, Lord, and what a blessed gift that we have in you, Father, that you are unchanging and your love for us never ends and never wavers, Lord. We just adore you, Lord, because you are almighty, Father. You are our lover. You are our keeper. You are our peace. You are our strength. You are a good shepherd, Lord. You are all that we need, Father. You are even our ability, Lord, to do all that we do, educators in the various arenas where we get to walk in this office of an educator, Father.

We thank you, Lord God, that our ability is not in ourselves, but our ability is in you. We know that as long as we keep our gaze and our adoration toward you, you will lead us and guide us into victory. You will lead us and guide us into truth. You will use us, Lord, as your dear vessels, Father, to do and to perpetuate your kingdom coming and your will being done in our lives, in our classrooms and in all that we embark on, Lord.

Our ability is not in ourselves but in You, Lord. As long as we keep our gaze and adoration towards You, we know You will lead us into victory and truth. Share on X

We thank you, Father, for your infallible character, Lord, that we can have confidence in knowing that you don’t make a mistake. We don’t have to second-guess your judgments or your word. Your character is perfect. You are holy and set apart. Lord, when we feel like we don’t meet the standard, we can again look to you, who is the author and the finisher of our faith, Lord God. We stand in awe of all that you are and all that you do, Lord. All that you do in us and through us, Father.

We are amazed, Father, and even sometimes speechless because what human words can describe your matchless character. The beauty of who you are, Lord. What human words can encapsulate or even describe all that you are, Father? We stand in, and we adore you, Lord God, because you are faithful. You are just and you are true, Lord. We thank you that we have the privilege of calling you Father.

No matter what we were born into, Father, or our life circumstances, we are never alone. We are not orphans, but we have a Father who is well-acquainted with everything that we face, Lord. This is mind-boggling to me, Lord, but I just thank you for it, even if I don’t fully understand it because you are just that great. We thank you for it, Lord God. We adore you and we praise you, Lord, in your sweet, holy name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession: Seeking Forgiveness And Renewal In Christ

Prayer of Confession. Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you to confess our sins to each other and to you, and to pray for each other so that we may be healed. Your word tells us that the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. We acknowledge our sins to you because you are faithful and just, and you will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Your word tells us that when we conceal our sins, we do not prosper, but when we do confess and renounce our sins. We find mercy.

When we become aware that we are guilty of missing the mark, we must confess in what ways we have sinned. Father, these are just a few of the areas we will confess. We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times that we did not think of others more than we thought of ourselves. We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times that we looked out for our own interests instead of those of the students and other people we serve as educators.

We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times that we put our trust in our skills, our abilities, relationships with administration, expertise, training, professional development, college degrees, and graduate degrees instead of putting our trust in you, Lord. We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times that we chose to fret and be fearful instead of having faith in the fact that you are our heavenly Father who watches out for us.

We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times that we feared what parents or even students would say when we needed to administer consequences for times when students did not meet expectations, break rules, or sinned against other children, adults in the building, or even you. We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times when our supervisors and our coaches gave us recommendations for instructional improvement and modifications that would help students. In our hearts, we said, “This is too difficult for me to implement. I don’t feel like changing. I refuse to try.”

Lord, help us model the types of mindsets that we are asking. We often pray that our students will demonstrate and we ask them to demonstrate. Help us be motivated. Help us have a work ethic that reflects our desire to work heartily as for you, O Lord. Rather than for men, knowing that from you we receive our reward. Your word tells us that it is the Lord Christ whom we serve. We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times that we were impatient, unloving, unkind, or reluctant to offer grace to our students, their family members, our co-workers, or our supervisors.

We pray that you forgive us and help us repent of the times we choose to lean on our own understanding instead of acknowledging you and calling out to you when we are confused, stuck, frustrated, annoyed, afraid, unsure, and aggravated. Father, we come near to you, and we know that you will come near to us. We wash our hands of these sins, and we ask for help to purify our hearts and help us choose not to be double-minded. We rejoice that as we repent and turn to you, Lord, you take away our sins and that we can experience a time of refreshing in you. We praise you, Lord Jesus, and we pray in your name. Amen.

We rejoice that as we repent and turn to You, Lord, You take away our sins and that we can experience a refreshing time in You. Share on X

Prayer Of Thanksgiving: Grateful For God’s Love And Blessings

This prayer of Thanksgiving will be in singular first person. Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving me first so that I love others. Lord, I don’t always take time to really and truly accept your love, so I come to your presence with gratitude. I kneel at your feet. I open my heart as I open my palms face up to you, my God, my Lord, my Father, my Creator, and I receive your love and peace. I sit in your presence, Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, my Jesus, and I breathe in your love and joy. I receive your love with a thankful heart.

Lord, I sit in the presence of the Holy Spirit, my Transformer, the Sanctifier, and I gratefully receive your love and your renewal. My Lord, my God, thank you. Thank you for loving me so much that you set me aside for your joy before the foundations of the earth were laid. You accept every part of me. You approve of me. You gave me purpose. You are a good Father. Lord, you graciously filled me with your love. You renew my heart. You redirect my mind to you. You refresh my spirit, and you fill my cup to overflowing.

I thank you for quality time over this break to spend with family and friends. I joyfully reflect on the five love languages, quality time, gift-giving, words of affirmation, works of service, and physical touch. I look forward to sharing moments with family and friends. I thank you for the opportunity to reframe my mindset from the hustle and bustle of creating the perfect holiday festivities and changing it to looking forward to sharing the love you’ve given me with others, with my family, my friends, but also my community and those I see as I walk into the supermarket.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve others. Thank you for the opportunity to lift others with kind words and conversations and to spend time together laughing, reminiscing, and enjoying each other’s company, to give thoughtful something to someone close or give something special to someone in need.

Thank you for the opportunity to embrace someone who needs comfort. Lord, you are the awesome Creator, the loving Father. I pray for everyone to experience an agape type of love this season, through family and friends, through co-workers and community, for all of whom I am grateful to you for placing in my life so that I can pour your love into them as you have first loved me. Amen.

Prayer Of Supplication: Seeking God’s Guidance, Protection, And Provision

Prayer of supplication. We praise you, O Lord, for the extra time with family and friends you have provided for teachers and students as we celebrate the delightful and overflowing provisions that come from you. Bless our Thanksgiving gatherings, and use us, your beloved children, to be your beautiful, gracious representatives in our homes and in our schools. Lord, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to love you and others with great joy.

Lord, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to love You and others with great joy. Share on X

We ask that you connect us with fellow Christians in our schools. We are bold in praying, do not give up meeting together, and build each other up. Father, we also ask that you connect Christian students with each other, like an intricate dot-to-dot masterpiece. O Lord, you can connect us to be the living, breathing body of Christ in our schools. Hallelujah, Lord. O omnipotent one, you see every heart and know each struggle and every need. Thank you, loving Father.

We pray both for teachers who are working toward recertification and for apprentice teachers working toward their degrees. O God, give them the monetary resources, time, and knowledge to accomplish the credit hours they need. Sustain them, Lord, with your peace and patience, as this can be a frustrating and challenging process. Father, we pray for the safety of our students as they are out of school for Thanksgiving. Lord, please put your hand of protection over them. Keep them from abuse and neglect, and shield their eyes and ears from things that would harm their minds and spirits.

Finally, loving Father, we ask that you spur on the hearts of teachers to sow generously into their students and colleagues giving of themselves without holding back because they know that your resources, power, goodness, forgiveness, and your love for us are limitless and without end. We ask for peace and grace on every campus, and we complete this prayer with the words of Paul, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.”

Prayer For Educators, Students, And Healing In The Justice System

Amen. Hallelujah. Heavenly Father, as we continue in our prayer, we lift up the educators from the superintendents to the paraprofessionals, O God. Even those that are caretakers in the schools, Lord. We pray for those that are suffering, O God, in secret and having their own personal struggles with their children, their spouses, and even with their health. Lord, have mercy and hear their cries, and comfort them.

O Father God, as they struggle in secret. O Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, we lift up the students, O God, and the teachers, O Lord, specifically those that are in juvenile facilities. Some, it’s their first time that they will be away from their families, O God, because of that which they have done and it is not going away. It is not that you did something wrong in their own time-out, Lord. They now have a record as criminals and are spending time, O Lord.

We’re praying for those teachers, spouses, parents, and guardians, O Lord, that cried out for justice, and now their children are caught up in the justice system. O Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, we thank you that you are merciful. We thank you that you are kind. We thank you that you are gracious. We thank you that you are loving. We thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit, the power of your word, O God, that is the saving of souls.

The power of your word and the reason, O God, O hallelujah, that you came into this earth for the sinner, the sick, the hurting, and for those, O God, that have found themselves overtaken by the lies and the deception of Satan. I speak to the hearts of those that are in prison, these students, O God, these teachers. Those that may not be behind bars but are hiding in shame, guilt, and pride.

We ask you for deliverance. We ask you for the power of your Holy Spirit, and we ask you to give us the tongue of the Lord. We ask you, O God, to give us grace, wisdom, and discernment, that we will see, O God, with the eyes of you. O hallelujah, that we will hear with the ears of you. That we may know what they are not saying. When they hear us speak, they will know that it is your Holy Spirit and cry out to you for mercy, in repentance, and receive the power, the redemption power of your Holy Word by your Holy Spirit, in your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ’s name.

We ask You, God, to give us grace, wisdom, and discernment, so that we may see with Your eyes and hear with Your ears. Share on X

We thank you as we cry out for deliverance. It is according to your will, and you shall do it. Your word shall not return void. Touch their hearts, Lord. Soften them, O God. That they will receive your messengers, your people, your teachers, those that you have sent for such a time as this, and strategically place us where we can do your good will and your good pleasure to glorify your good name in the earth. In Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.