Teaching Bible Study Series — Pray for Who?

A quick look and the finale of my study of 1 Timothy

Do you pray? If so, who and what do you pray for? I know most of the time when I am asked this question, the answer if mostly for stuff in MY life. For my life to be a bit easier, for things to work out the way that I think they should. Maybe you feel like prayer is pointless. Why would God listen to me? We are probably all guilty of some of these lines of thought. My goal for this post is to challenge you to think of prayer a little differently.

1 Timothy 2:1–7

To end our time reading through Timothy, I thought no better spot than here where Paul talks about prayer, one of the most important part of any Christian’s Life.

Prayer

Before we dive into the scripture though, I want you to ask yourself. Define prayer. What does that word mean to you? Why do you do it (or not do it)? For me, it has always been what keeps the relationship between God and me going. It is what reminds me that He is there, and listening. Now this post isn’t going to include any miraculous story about how I prayed for a million dollars and the next day I won the lottery. No, this is a post about how prayer is much more simple than that. Prayer is what God wants us to do because he wants to be with us.

For any relationship to succeed, you need to communicate. This is exactly what prayer is. James says in James 5:13 “Is anyone among you in trouble? let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”. Philippians 4:6 says “Do no be anxious about any, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.”

We consistently see throughout the bible that we are told to pray. Pray in times of happiness, sadness, and stress. Whatever it is, we are to bring it to God. If the bible is God’s word to us, prayer is our word to him. God wants to know how we are doing, what is going on in our lives. It is our way of communicating back with God. We have heard his word through the bible, now he can hear ours through prayer, and he wants to hear us. God says in Jeremiah 29:12–13…

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Back to Timothy

Now, with all that being said, let’s apply it to others.

In this chapter in Timothy, Paul says something we might not like to hear.

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people…

(1 Timothy 2:1)

We are being asked by Paul to pray for everyone. Not just our family, our friends, our loved ones…everyone. The person you don’t know, even your worst enemy. Paul specifically mentions kings in the very next verse. We can think of this as the government. Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, you are asked to pray for your leaders. This can be very hard to hear. Our day and age we are told if you spend time helping or thinking about those you hate or disagree with, you are wasting you time. We are consistently told to not forgive those who have wronged us. Most of the time in Hollywood we see forgiveness as a sign of weakness. So for someone to ask you to go out and pray for someone you may not like, to wish good upon them, which seems to be a step ahead of forgiving them, could prove to be difficult.

Teaching

Now how does this applying to teaching you might ask? Well this is why I decided to end the study here. The rest of Timothy is great, but I just felt that as we go into the classroom, there isn’t much more I could add after this idea of prayer. Below are 3 different ways we can incorporate prayer into our teaching lives.

1. The Student

Let us give some context to teaching and prayer. I want you to image a deeply impoverished area. Generationally impoverished. The child in your class knows nothing more than a one parent household who has lived off of food stamps or welfare for most of their life. Now I know most churches at some point in their history have prayed for an area like this, but think about your area specifically. Think about a specific child in that school. Have they been prayed for before? Has someone sat down, said “Dear Lord”, and then continued to pray for that child and that child alone? The chances are pretty high that this is has not happened.

2. The Staff

In addition to this thought of each child not being prayed for, this idea of prayer for our fellow teachers and principals should not be lost on us. Whether we agree with the ways things are ran around us does not matter. If we are continually prayer for everyone, that includes our co-workers.

If we are praying for our peers, then this invited God into more than just your own classroom. We should be praying that we all succeed in the school. That the school is an overall more loving area for the students to come into and learn from.

3. The Community

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

(1 John 4:7)

If we are working in such tough areas, a consistent prayer for that area is imperative. I know personally where I work is in dire need of prayer. Of some kind of godliness. Now this is not me saying “I am holier than though”, it is me saying that these people in these areas need hope, love, faith, in something other than themselves and those around them. Where better to find any of this than through Christ.

Final Thoughts

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Isaiah 41:10)

As we go out into the world of teaching, there will be rough patches. This goes for anyones career and life. We are never told that our lives in Christ are going to be easy. In fact it is quite the opposite. James says in his opening chapter to enjoy the trials you meet, because they will make you stronger. This could not apply more to your life as an educator. We will be facing many trials of many kinds, but remember what Paul has said to Timothy, and to us. “Remain”. If you think things are getting tough, that’s probably because you’re doing it right. “Fight the good fight”. When we step through those doors, we are going to battle. We are being entrusted with the education and lives of these young people, and it was never said that it would be easy. Finally, pray for all people. No matter who you are around, pray. Pray for you kids, because it’s likely no one else is. Pray for your co-workers to invite the Lord into your school. Pray for your community, so that hope, love, and peace might find its way there.

Cory Schepp