Situational

Praying for Our Students, Day 2

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV)

              Justin’s mom was diagnosed with cancer when he started third grade. She had always been the room mom for her son’s class and didn’t let treatments stand in the way. Every day that she felt up to it, she came to school with her son and helped in his classroom.

              The summer between third and fourth grade, Justin’s mom grew weaker. She fought until she couldn’t and passed away two weeks before school started. The night of open house, I met a red-eyed father who told me the story, and he introduced me to his son, Justin. We shook hands and he forced a smile. I told them how the class would run and encouraged them to reach out about any and everything.

              Justin forgot his homework all the time. He could never remember his pencil or find his notebooks and folders. After two weeks of major disorganization and much frustration, I called his dad. “Hey there. I wanted to touch base with you. Justin is struggling to keep up with and find his things each day. He’s never prepared and seems completely lost when I ask him to get his folder or notebook. Any suggestions on what I might do to help him?”

              I could tell his dad was stifling back tears. “I forgot to mention this, but his mom packed and unpacked his backpack for him every day in class. She’s done it since pre-k. This is his first time having to be responsible. I told her she was doing him a major disservice, but she insisted that he let her love him the way she wanted while she was still alive. So I didn’t argue.”

              Tears welled in my eyes. “Thank you for sharing that. This has to be so hard on both of you. I’ll make sure to teach him how to do it for himself.”

              “Can you do one more thing for me?” his dad asked.

              “Anything,” I responded.

              “Please make sure he gets plenty of hugs,” he struggled with those words.

              “Of course I will.”        

We never know who God will place in our class. I had no idea that he would send me a Jaden whose dad was in prison or a Justin whose mom had just died. He might send us a housefire victim who lost their pets and all belongings. Maybe we will have a child who is undergoing serious treatment for an illness. Or a sibling pair who has moved between foster parents for too many years. One thing I can guarantee is that God will place each child in our class on purpose.

              Think about the students in your class. How well do you know their backstory? What conversation should take place that have not happened yet? What information would be helpful to you as a teacher about your students? Ask God to lead you to a greater understanding for each of these students under your care and begin intentionally praying for each of the situations he sheds light upon.

Do the Heart Work

1.      How can you help a student more effectively by knowing their situation and backstory?

2.      What possible situations or circumstances cause you anxiety?

3.      How can you pray specifically for the situations facing your students?

Digging Deeper

Read Acts 16:16-24 (NIV)

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Paul and Silas were thrown in prison for evicting a demon from a slave girl. This young lady was not being raised by her family, instead she had been sold to these self-centered, self-seeking men who profited from her abilities to tell the future. They were using this young person. While we don’t know how old she actually was, I want you to use this story to think about the reality that we don’t always know the whole story. And all caregivers do not actually show care for the people in their care.

If You Get Spare Time 

              Which of your students makes you wonder what is happening behind the scenes? Spend time getting to know your students deeper than you currently do. You don’t want to make them uncomfortable, but the more we know about their situations, the better we can pray and the more sensitive and proactive we can be.