Day 3: Schools and Students Taught by the Lord
Bible passage: Isaiah 54:13; Proverbs 1:7; Deuteronomy 6:4–9; Daniel 1:3–20
Children in the Temple
Today is Sunday 5th of April 2020, Palm Sunday. Welcome to Day 3 of our 7 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Today we pray for education.
On the first Palm Sunday, after Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem, children were shouting His praise in the Temple. The religious leaders were indignant. Jesus answered them from the Psalms: God has taught children and infants to give Him praise (Matthew 21:15–16).
Children matter to God, and so does what they are taught. What we learn when we are young shapes who we become. This spring, with schools closed to most pupils and exams cancelled, children, parents and teachers all need our prayers.
Where Wisdom Begins
The Fear of the Lord
Proverbs opens with a statement about all learning. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). Education is more than passing on facts. It forms character. Knowledge without reverence for God can produce clever people, but it cannot produce wise ones.
The First School Is the Home
Moses told Israel to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and strength, and then to pass His commands on to their children. They were to talk about them at home and on the road, at bedtime and first thing in the morning (Deuteronomy 6:4–7).
God gave the first responsibility for teaching children to parents. Many parents have discovered that afresh in the last few weeks. A school can do a great deal, but it cannot take the place of a home where God is loved and spoken about.
A Promise for Our Children
Through Isaiah, God makes a promise to His people. “I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace.” Isaiah 54:13 (NLT)
We can pray that promise over every child we know.
Faithful in the Classroom
Daniel and his three friends were young men when they were taken to Babylon and enrolled in the king’s academy to learn the language and literature of a pagan empire (Daniel 1:3–4). They did not hide, and they did not give in. They studied hard, and they stayed faithful to God.
God gave them an unusual ability to understand every aspect of literature and wisdom (Daniel 1:17). When the king examined them, he found them ten times more capable than anyone else (Daniel 1:20). That is a pattern for every Christian student and teacher: excellent work and steady faith.
Prayer Points for Today
Pupils and students. Pray for peace over disrupted studies and cancelled exams, and that every young person would reach their full potential.
Protection. Pray for children who are bullied or under pressure, and for those struggling with anxiety.
Teachers and school staff. Pray for patience, creativity and strength, and for Christian teachers to be salt and light.
Parents. Pray for those teaching their children at home, and for homes where God’s Word is spoken about every day.
The gospel. Pray that children would hear about Jesus at an early age, and that schools with a Christian foundation would hold to it.
Identity. Pray that young people would know that they are made by God, in His image and for a purpose.
Decision makers. Pray for wisdom for those who lead our schools, colleges and universities and who set policy for them.
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You for every child and young person in our church and our community. Teach them Yourself, and give them great peace. Strengthen teachers and parents in these unusual days. Give our students wisdom and understanding, as You gave Daniel, and the courage to stay faithful to You. Let a generation grow up knowing and loving Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Keep going
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