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Lord, Teach us How to Pray

By December 1, 2021SavED by Grace

Lord, Teach us How to Pray

Ana Maria Rabkin

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1)

The disciples did not ask Jesus how to preach, how to rally a crowd, or even how to perform miracles. Instead, on this occasion, they asked Him to teach them how to pray. This simple request would grant us one of the most profound lessons we could receive as followers of Christ. 

The Lord’s Prayer may often get filed away as traditional or orthodox. Nonetheless, this prayer provides an indispensable framework for our daily lives. We can walk through it on a regular basis to thrive as Christians and as educators. 

In our busyness, it feels like we never have enough time for anything, let alone quality time to pray. I was feeling this recently as I tried to push through my daily quiet time. Though I was sitting before God with my Bible in hand, I could not fight the distracting thoughts around lesson planning, classroom management, relating to my administration, etc. Rather than bringing these to God in prayer, I allowed myself to just think about them. What would start off as a prayer, would trail into spiraling thoughts around my to-do list. Sound familiar? 

Despite this, the Bible clearly exhorts us to pray instead of worry (Phil. 4:6). It is a powerful thing to verbalize our needs to God. What a difference it makes when we enter into a conversation with Jesus and actually finish it. When I move through the structure of the Lord’s Prayer, I feel like I have truly taken time to commune with God and make my requests known. Then, I feel the overwhelming peace of God, which surpasses all understanding and guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7).

Let us walk through this prayer together as found in Matthew 6:9-13.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.

Begin with acknowledging who God is and worship Him! There are endless things to acknowledge. Here is a great place to thank Him for who He is and what He has done.  Acknowledge Him as the master teacher, the ultimate superior, and the wonderful counselor. This acknowledgment is a reminder that we are small and God is great. As we declare and recognize who He is, we are led to the next section of surrender.

 

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Here surrender to God’s will and lay down pride and any dependence on yourself or others. As teachers, we can become so self-reliant and do things in our own strength. Eager to build our own kingdoms, we need to lay down this desire and allow God’s kingdom to come into our lives and into our classrooms. 

 

Give us this day our daily bread.

After having surrendered to God’s will, present your needs and make your requests known. Make it clear that you need God and His help. We are nothing apart from Him. Ask and pray for blessings for specific people and situations. Don’t just think about these things, bring them to the God who holds all things together. Pray about that difficult student you wish wasn’t in your class. Ask Him to give you strategies to reach your English Language Learners. Pray for peace among your coworkers. 

WARNING: This portion may cause you to wander into planning and thinking mode; stop yourself and just bring it to Jesus. 

 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

If you failed to stay focused, but made it to this section you can confess your worry and your overthinking right now. Take time to confess where you have fallen short in your walk with the Lord and as an educator. Confess your eagerness for the weekend, your lack of love, or your giving into cynicism. Admit where you have been wrong, humble yourself, and repent. Choose to let go of unforgiveness towards others, especially your administrators, coworkers, and even students. 

 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Pray for protection over your mind, body, soul, and spirit. Ask that the Lord go before you, behind you, and all around you and your loved ones on this day. Ask for protection against acts of violence or injustices in your school community. 

 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Praise Him again and end by acknowledging His greatness. Seal it all with an “amen” – so be it!

 

My desire is that we, as educators, would tap into the secret of the Lord’s Prayer. May we not be scattered in our thought life. May we not throw our hands in the air and walk away because we just cannot focus. Let us not go hastily from His presence. Jesus has taught us how to pray. Let us be those students that follow what we have been taught by the master teacher. May we pray through to the end.

Ana Maria Rabkin is a teacher in the NYC Department of Education. She holds a license in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL). She has taught kindergarten, 3rd, and 4th grade. Being a Christian from a young age, her life’s goal has been to embrace every place she walks into as her mission field, including her classroom. She has a passion to see people walk in their true identity in Christ and to see teachers who love Jesus live out their power and spiritual authority in the classroom. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband.