The environment and climate necessary for effective teaching and learning is increasingly undermined by a culture of chaos such as laziness, lies, stealing, bullying, vandalism, unruliness, intolerance and other forms of school-based violence.

Educators experience substantially higher rates of depression than the overall population. Teaching is considered as stressful as working as an emergency room doctor; two-thirds of children in the U.S. are impacted by trauma, which can alter brain connectivity, function and structure — and physical and mental health into adulthood.

Feelings of grief and loss, irritability and anxiety become magnified as a result of having less daylight; In a school, the change of seasons means less time outdoors, arriving at work in the dark and leaving in the dark and less sunlight in your classroom, which may be overheated or too cold. Seasonal Effective Disorder

Using the Adoration Confession Thanksgiving Supplication (ACTS) Prayer Model, this week’s Supplication prayer will focus on lawlessness/criminal activity in communities by students, mental health issues-teachers/students and seasonal effective depression.

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Teachers Who Pray: Weekly Pray Call On Lawlessness/Criminal Activity In Communities By Students, Mental Health Issues-Teachers/Students And Seasonal Affective Depression/SAD

Prayer Of Adoration

We are created in your image and after your likeness, Lord. What a great honor. How humbling it is. What a great privilege to know that we are created like our Heavenly Father and that no matter what our life circumstances, our circumstances with school, with work and with life, we know that all things work together for our good because of you, your goodness and mindfulness of us. Thank you that you said in your words that you are not slack concerning your promise. You said that you are our shepherd and we shall not want. I thank you that we are surrounded, encompassed and engulfed by you and your goodness. We call ourselves to remember all of the precious and great things that you have said about who you are and as a result who we are in you because our lives are hidden in you.

Our lives are hidden in Christ and we can find safety and security. We can be revived and refreshed as we hide in you because you are our peace, our provider, protector, healer and deliverer. You are the lover of our soul. You are our everlasting Father. You are our companion. You are our strength. We’re humbled at all that you are to know that you have completely covered every area of our life because of your divine and holy character.

Our lives are hidden in Christ, Lord, and we can find safety and security and we can be revived and refreshed as we hide in you because you are our peace Click To Tweet

I thank you that whatever deficits or things we encounter that there is no deficit because you are Father who fill every void, every lack and every weakness. You’ve taken every infirmity and every weakness in us and blade it upon Christ Lord so that we can be complete and whole. I glorify your name for who you are, for all that you are to us, in us and for us. I thank you in your sweet and precious name, Jesus. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

Prayer of confession. Father God, we come boldly to your throne with this prayer of confession. We boldly confess our sins. We see in your word that when we confess our sins to you, you forgive us. We confess that we don’t always put and/or keep you first in our lives. We confess that at times we are so consumed with what is going on around us and in us that we forget to seek you first. We confess that at times we walk in disobedience saying, thinking and doing things that we know we should not do. We confess that we are not always doers of the word as you have called us to be. We confess we don’t always put our trust in you, your will, word or timing. We ask for forgiveness of these sins. We repent changing our way of thinking and choosing to live for you. We thank you for your forgiveness and ask you to show us any other sins we need to confess to you. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Prayer Of Thanksgiving

Prayer of Thanksgiving. Hallelujah. Honor to God. Thank you for your kindness, your mercy, for the cross, for the price you paid, for salvation, unending grace, your promises, your favor and for your love. There is no one like you. All our hope is in you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us. To your name, we give all the glory to your name and all the praise. James 1:5, “When we don’t know what we’re doing, we are to pray to God for help.” Lord, thank you for the godly wisdom to lead our classroom. Thank you for the wisdom to make the correct instructional decisions and plan our lessons effectively. Thank you for wisdom in dealing with conflicts in our classroom and for wisdom in dealing with issues that may come up with colleagues or the administration.

Galatians 5:25, “Lord, we live and walk in your spirit using the guidance of your spirit to work out its implication in every detail of our lives.” Thank you we do not walk in the flesh in our classroom, but by your Holy Spirit which has front-row seats. Thank you for our healing and hearing that is sharp and kind enough to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit when we are teaching and interacting with our students, colleagues, and administrators. Our desire is that the Holy Spirit guide us continually throughout each day in all our endeavors. Thank you for guiding us to discern how to best teach our students. Galatians 5:22 through 23, “Thank you for the gifts you bring into our lives.” Thank you that others may know that we are followers of Christ by our fruit. Thank you that we walk in love and possess true joy.

Galatians 5:25 - If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Click To Tweet

Thank you for a peaceful classroom and to operate with patience. Thank you that we are able to interact with our students with gentleness, goodness, and remain faith-filled in spite of any circumstances or difficulties. Thank you for helping us to be humble and teachable at all times. Thank you for our affection for others, cheerfulness about life and our inner serenity. Thank you that we have developed a willingness to stick with things and find ourselves involved in loyal commitments to our students and school environments. Thank you that we operate with unconditional love towards our students regardless of what behaviors they exhibit. Thank you that we do not allow circumstances to determine our mood, but to dwell in the joy that comes from being rooted and grounded in you. Thank you for your patience when dealing with our students. Thank you for being slow to speak and quick to hear.

Thank you for thinking before we react and operating in selflessness. Thank you for helping us not to carry out the desire of the sinful nature which responds impulsively without regard for God’s purpose. Thank you for a classroom with a peaceful and productive environment. Thank you for seeing our students through your eyes that each child is precious, unique and carefully designed by you and seeing them as human beings that need unconditional love, support, and encouragement.

Thank you for helping us to teach with grace. We know that no matter what we do, your love for us never ceases or changes. Thank you for helping us to remember that no matter what, the way that we treat our students should never change. Even when our students fall short of our spec expectations, help us to see the vision of you on the cross sacrificing your all for us in spite of how we fall short every day. Thank you for helping us to be responsive, compassionate, and tender toward all of our students. Thank you that through you, we can be the teachers you created us to be. Thank you that while we are in our classroom, we take the focus off of us and place it on you putting on the mind of Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5. Thank you Lord for renewing our mind each day with your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer Of Supplication

Prayer of supplication. Abba, Father, you are our all-knowing shepherd who sees into every heart and is aware of our every need. We bring to you now all those who are participating in corrupt and illegal activities that harm others and create senseless violence and even death. Father God, we ask you to turn their hearts and minds to you. We ask that you send your Holy Spirit into their hearts to stir up repentance, faith, and complete trust in you.

Only you can do this and we believe that you will. Protect and hide our students in the shadow of your wings, those students who are caught up in families who are involved in illegal or abusive cycles. Keep our students from harm and shield their eyes and their hearts from sinful influences. Use us as teachers and mentors to speak hope into the brokenness of their homes. We also lift up any staff and community members who have chosen to engage in habits that are not pleasing to you, are unhealthy and sinful and bring despair and loneliness to their minds and their bodies.

Only you can expose things done in darkness at the right time, and only you are able to bind up the brokenhearted and make bodies, minds and spirits whole. We pray against temptation. We pray that our students walk away from people who are influencing them or asking them to do things that are wrong. Give them strength.

We pray for students, staff and family members who are struggling with their mental health. Our provider, pull them up from the mire and the mess that’s in their heads and shines your light into their dark places. We cry out to you for help in this because only you can rescue them. We pray against any hold that Satan has on them, and we declare from your word that you give us a spirit of love and a sound mind. Do not allow them to be conformed by the lies of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewal of their minds and commit them to mature Christians to walk alongside them and show them love and encouragement when they are without hope.

Ephesians 1:18-19 - I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power… Click To Tweet

Finally, we pray for ourselves as we engage with our students in school and live in communities that are desperate for you. We know that we are hard-pressed on every side, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not in despair and persecuted but not abandoned. We are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of you so that your life may be revealed in us, for we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake. Therefore, we do not give up. We do not lose heart. We press on because you renew us each day. We pray over you. Ephesians 1:18-19, “I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know the hope of his calling, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Amen.