Faith-filled parents are standing their ground in the positions of authority they have been given over their children as God-ordained guardians.

Once dubbed “digital aliens”, they are now heading online to pray, learn, teach and support families during the COVID-19 season.

Use of online chat and conferencing platforms – previously the purview of their digitally native kids – have become second nature to mums and dads seeking fellow intercessors. In their quest to pray neighbours and nation through this season, they are holding true to these Biblical calls:

• 2 Corinthians 1:11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
• Philippians 1:19 I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.
• 1 Timothy 2:1 I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people.

Salt&Light gathered prayers from parents with school-going children, as well as an educator overseeing a large secondary school.

A prayer for Primary school age children and below

“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 age (Matthew 28:20).

We believe You are with us even during these challenging times.

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.

We declare that every child in his or her pure faith has the mind of Christ, is strong, is guarded from fear and negative thoughts of sickness and death.

We draw a circle of protection around every child, from baby to primary-going age. Like the blood of the lambs smeared on the door posts of the Israelites in Egypt, so shall the blood of Christ be the mark on every child and the families they represent. No spirit of death, no spirit of infirmity, no spirit of fear and no spirit of coronavirus shall come near them, their families and schools.

We declare every child experiences the peace of God in their heart, mind and spirit – peace which exceeds anything we can understand. Your peace will guard their hearts and minds as they abide in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

We place every child in Your hands, Lord Jesus; and those children who believe in You – they will stand strong and courageous. They will be salt and light for Christ. They will be bold and not afraid to declare Jesus is their Protector and Messiah.

May they be Your peace and peacemakers among their friends, so others will see Christ in them. When others see death and fear, our children will see hope, peace, joy and love of Christ in and through themselves.

Even in this valley of darkness, we want to proclaim aloud Psalms 23 over the children and over Singapore:

The Lord is my Shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to His name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.
Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:1-6)”

A prayer for young adults and teenagers

“We pray that:

1. Our children will know that epidemic diseases such as what we are witnessing have been foretold by Jesus, who knows the end from the beginning (Matthew 24:7)
2. They will heed the Lord’s admonition to not let their hearts be troubled by news and fake news in times of trouble (Matthew 24:6)
3. They will have the peace that comes from confidence that a good Father tenderly looks after His children, and the strength to exercise wisdom to choose what is right in His sight in order to stay within His protective limits
4. With the certainty of knowing that whatever has been foretold in the Bible has already come to pass, is coming to pass, and will surely come to pass, they will choose to walk in holy fear of God and number their days carefully (Psalm 90:12), putting away vain and childish pursuits (1 Corinthians 13:11), and applying themselves towards the purpose to which God has called them
5. They will be inspired by the fearless faith of people like John G Lake (who buried the dead when others would not during the bubonic plague, and whose protective armour was a life lived in Christ), dying to the fear of death, and ever ready to cross over to the joy of eternity with a good account of their lives
6. We parents may walk in godliness that inspires emulation by our children
7. They may be the love, peace and joy of Christ to those around them in such a time as this, choosing to care, share, encourage, calm and comfort.”

“We pray our young people will heed the Lord’s admonition to not let their hearts be troubled by news and fake news in times of trouble (Matthew 24:6)”: A prayer for our youth.

A prayer for educators and school staff

“Almighty God, we know that in life, there will be peaceful and challenging times. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.” We know that we are now in challenging times but this too will past.

We pray for all staff in the Ministry of Education (MOE) and schools who are managing the current COVID-19 situation while ensuring that education proceeds normally as planned. In doing so, we are also educating our students that life will throw a curve-ball at us from time to time, but we rally together to manage to the best of our abilities and come out stronger.

We are thankful that parents have been mostly cooperative and working alongside the schools in the management of the situation. Such partnerships give us the strength and encouragement to know that we are on the same team, looking after our many, many students from kindergarten to universities.

Every student’s health is our concern and we thank You for the good planning and execution of plans that have been implemented, from daily screening through temperature checks while ensuring lessons stay engaging and meaningful.

We want to specially pray for the students and staff of Victoria Junior College (VJC) where one of their teachers has contracted the virus. Father, be merciful on her, as well as all the other patients who are fighting the virus; we pray that they would recover from this illness. 

We pray for the families affected by the illness. For the students and staff in VJC and all other schools where students are on Leave of Absence or Home Quarantine Order,  we pray that none will succumb to the illness and that death from it does not hit our shores.

Finally, help us hold fast to Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV): “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”