The Praying Teacher

As a young boy I remember visiting my neighbor who happened to be my Sunday School teacher. It was a time when there was only one bread winner in the house so she prepared her lesson during the day when I was out and about in the neighborhood. Her door was always open for me to come in and we had that kind of relationship. It was rare for me to come into their home and not see the Bible open with a Leader Guide beside it as she prepared to teach. She would take the time to teach me then and there. That lesson was coming alive in her life and she wanted to share with me what God was doing in her. I think I learned more from her as she was preparing than when she was presenting the lesson on Sunday. Her initial focus was not her students but herself. As teachers we must allow God to work in us before He works through us. This does not mean we will be perfect, but it does mean that we will be available for God to use us as we teach. Here are some ways you can pray as you prepare yourself and your lesson.

• Pray that God would make known the sin in your life and then confess it. A clean heart allows for God to have every part of us as we teach. (Ps. 51:10)
• Pray that God would teach you the lesson through His Holy Spirit as you prepare. (Jn. 14:26) Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would remind them of the things He had taught them. If we pray to that end He will remind us as well.
• Pray for God to change your heart through His Word to be more like Him. A changed life is a reflection of a changed heart. As we grow, our students need to see life change in us.
• Pray for a passion to teach that comes from your life being changed by Him. We need to have examples of how God has worked in our lives through our preparation of the lesson.
• Pray for each one on your roll (ministry list) and how God can use His Word in their lives as well. The spiritual lives of our people are just as important if not more so than the physical needs that they might have.
• Pray for an open heart and mind to use the best teaching styles for that lesson. We want our group to experience the life change that we have, so we need them to learn. The way that God will teach them is not necessarily the way that he has taught you. Be open to a different teaching style.