School has
started or will be starting very soon for all of us. It’s time to pray. Our
schools are the most vibrant communities in the nation. Our children represent
the best of us and are image bearers of our Lord. Over this Labor Day weekend,
let’s engage our hearts in a school year passion for the power of prayer – a
true labor of love. Prayer is our gift from God to communicate with the One Who
has made everything and gives us the opportunity to lift those in need to Him. Where else can we find so many needs in one
place as our schools? Prayer for our schools is the greatest gift we can give
as teachers. We’ve all heard about the power of a praying mother for her
children, but can you imagine the impact of a praying teacher for all of
his/her students?
When Jesus’s
disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, He created a pattern of prayer
for all of us in the “Our Father.” In
Matt. 6:9, He taught us to
first say, “Our Father Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy Name….” This power beginning of prayer is to teach us and
remind us that He is the reason for everything we have and to give the proper
awe, respect and love in our prayers for Him before we start making our
requests. So what does it mean to hallow
His Name? His Name is powerful. It is
all encompassing. It is all that is good and wonderful. As we come humbly
before Him, describe Who He is by using a form of “The Teacher’s Prayer.”
Years ago,
Judy Turpen taught us how to pray in the ABCs. She had learned to hallow His
name by attributing an adjective or noun describing Him in alphabetical order.
When I heard that opening of the prayer, I was struck by the simplistic beauty
of designating honor and respect one letter at a time. I have since taught
teachers to pray in this manner and have nicknamed the ABC pattern of hallowing
His Name – The Teacher’s Prayer. I personally prayerwalk each day and begin my
prayers in this manner. It’s creative, invigorating and a challenge to think of
names and adjectives that describe Him each day. Before I ever get to requests
and thanksgiving, I have spent a good deal of time praising His Holy Name. This is an example:
Dear Heavenly Father, hallowed be Thy Name. You are the Authority
over all life, the Amazing Grace for us all, Beautiful Beyond Description, the
Bright Morning Star, Blessed Be Thy Name, Courageous, Counselor, Comforter,
Creative God, Designer, Director, Divine Redeemer, Everlasting, Excellent,
Father, Faithful and Fearless. You are
the God Who is Generous and the Genius of Creation, Holy, Holy, Holy, the Hope
of mankind and High Above us all, Intercessor, Incredible, Intelligent
Designer. You are Jesus, Jehovah and the Jewel of the universe, King of all
Kings, the Key to everything we need, the Lord of all Lords, the Light onto my
path and the Lamp unto my feet. You are
Mighty, Marvelous and Most Holy, the Name above all Names, Near to me and You
will Never leave me nor forsake me. You
are the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Powerful, High Priest. You are the Quintessential Essence of all things and the
Ruler of all. You are all the Riches and
Resources of the earth and the Salvation of all mankind, the Stability of our
times. You are the great Teacher and
Testimony for all to see. You are
Understanding, Unmatched in Your beauty and Ubiquitously mine; Victorious,
Visionary and the Voice we want to hear. You are the Word, Wonderful and
Welcome in my life, the eXpert, eXcellent and eXperienced One. You are Yashua
and we Yield to You; the Zenith of all things and the Zeal for life – Hallowed
be Thy Name.
This prayer
is adaptable to any setting, any situation and makes a great prayer starter
when beginning a prayer group at your school. Why not go around the room and
ask each person to describe God’s name with a letter from the alphabet? It’s
interesting and vibrant because it never comes out the same and awesome in
respect to the One to Whom we prayer. On the Christian
Educators (CEAI) website, we have a pamphlet available with some great
ideas for prayer including praying in the ABCs.
It is a free download and can be shared with others. May God give you
the strength and desire to pray regularly for your students, colleagues,
administration and parents while entering prayer in this most respectful and
complementary way.
Prayerfully yours,
K
Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog
entry by clicking here.
