THE PRAYING TEACHER

I’m a teacher in a public elementary school. As a follower of Christ, I have always felt working in a public school is my mission field. I feel the Lord has called me to do what I can to reach my students with the love of Jesus. The children who go through my class each year are prayed for and loved by Jesus through me.

This year, I have some children with some difficult behavior problems and even harder home lives. They have my heart. During my devotion time as I was praying for my students, God brought to mind Psalm 139. The Lord reminded me that each student is fearfully and wonderfully made. Each one is special and loved by Him.

One of those students the Lord has particularly placed on my heart asks me regularly if I believe in demons. She says she sees demons in her room at night who talk to her, and she is scared. For several weeks, I chose a scripture and prayed over her. I prayed over her desk before school started and would breathe prayers over her as I roamed the room during class time. It was all I could do.

As a public school teacher, I am not allowed to openly share about Jesus. But I can pray.

She came to me one day out of the blue and said, “do you know what is stronger than anything in the world?” I was waiting for the name of a popular superhero or sports figure. She said, “Jesus is stronger than anything.” I asked her how she knew that and if she learned it at church. She replied, “No, I just know it in my heart; it’s in me.” I nearly cried as she said those words. The scripture I had been praying over her was Ephesians 6:10 which says, “finally be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”

I feel like God was telling me that He can speak to her through His Spirit even when I can’t. Be encouraged that we don’t have to speak His name for Him to be known. We simply need to be obedient to Him.