July marks the return to school for students and educators of all age groups.

Behind every homework assignment, lesson, and even CCA achievement, is a teacher. 

As educators of all levels return to teaching in the midst of the ongoing pandemic, we can show our support in a multitude of ways, including praying for them. Here are some prayers for the teachers in your children’s lives.

1. Wisdom to teach during the pandemic

“Lord Jesus, we enter Your gates with thanksgiving in our hearts. We give You thanks and praise for who You are, for You are our faithful God. You never forsake us and You will be with us even to the end (Matthew 28:20).

We believe You are with us even during the pandemic.

We are not a people of fear but the children of the Almighty God and we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and we walk in the authority and power of the great I AM.

Lord, may You who are a Master Teacher, bless all teachers who are continuing to soldier on in teaching and shaping our children through the challenges of the pandemic.

May you deepen their passion for sowing into young lives, energise them with purpose, and strengthen them with a vision of the good they do.

For our teachers who are struggling to adapt to technology for their lessons, or have difficulty in planning and executing lessons, we pray that you will grant them fresh ideas and an understanding of how to deliver lessons that are impactful and enriching.

James 1:5 says that You give wisdom generously to those who ask. As our teachers turn to You for wisdom in all aspects of their lives, may they hope in You, Lord. And may Your peace and presence lift their stress, replacing it with patience, endurance and grace to fulfil their calling in unexpected and joyful ways.

We commit our teachers into Your hands, Lord, that they may both give, as well as receive, wisdom, knowledge and understanding (Proverbs 2:6).

We ask that you encircle each teacher with colleagues, friends and family members who will daily encourage, share knowledge and support them in ways big and small, so their load is lightened and their burdens shared.

May laughter light their lives, may the work of their hands be appreciated, and may Your peace that passes understanding fill their souls that all might see Your light and glorify our Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)

In our Lord’s most precious name,

Amen

2. Strength to sustain

Dear Lord, we remember our educators who, after a long day of classes, still have to finish marking homework, plan lessons and take care of a multitude of details before they can call it a day. 

We lift up those who are weary. May they draw strength from Your Word, Lord, remembering that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. (Philippians 4:13)

Would you anoint them, Lord, to speak knowledge and wisdom to the next generation. 

Would you energise them, Lord, as they drink from Your spring of living water (John 4:10).

Would you renew in them, Lord, the endurance to run the race You have set before them, that they might not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31).

For teachers who may be fearful, we pray that You remove their spirit of fear as they proclaim Habakkuk 3:19 that the Sovereign Lord is their strength.

We remember the words of Reverend Edmund Chan, who said: “Restedness is not about resting from work, rather about working from rest. It is about being rooted in God’s revealed truth and having a God-given purpose that is stewarded in a God-directed schedule, so as to re-engage our lives with passion and power.

“Don’t just hit the pause button but find that purpose button!”

We ask, Lord, that teachers might find true rest during the global Covid-19 pandemic – not simply by pausing or stopping work – but in finding deeper rest through the fulfilment of their purpose.  

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen

It takes work to rest: Reverend Edmund Chan on the “strange principle” of rest during Covid-19

3. Love for students

Lord Jesus, we thank You for the calling you have placed in teachers to grow and care for the next generation.

May You inspire teachers to show love as You first loved them. (1 John 4:19)

May You ignite in them a passion to share an ongoing love for learning.

May You grant grace to them to be alert and wise to the deeper needs of those You have given them to steward. 

Lord, in this pandemic, we commit every educator and student’s health to You. Thank You for the good planning and execution of plans in school settings that have been implemented, from daily screening through temperature checks while ensuring lessons stay engaging and meaningful.

Would you grant wisdom to educators, Lord, as they continue to be alert to harm and implement solutions to keep everyone in the schools and tuition centres safe and protected from Covid-19. 

You are our refuge and fortress, a God who commands Your angels to guard us from harm. (Psalm 91)

May our educators and school staff cling on to that promise and be comforted that you are watching over them and their students.

Cover our schoolchildren with these prayers, urge parents and educators

Even as the educators pour themselves and their gifts into their students, may You grant them a sensitivity to Your voice and hand on their lives.

May You equip them to do their job with excellence, grant them grace to cover imperfections in their students as well as themselves, and confidence in all You have called them to.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

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