“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV)
(I copy this story from a post online, but I wrote the prayer.)
“When I was a HS sophomore – decades ago! – my World History teacher was Mrs. Holloway, but we all called her Granny Holloway. She was a slight woman, scarcely 5 feet tall, seemingly fragile, but full of vim and vinegar….you know the type. She could speak for hours about the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Inquisition, the Industrial Revolution, and the World Wars. She never sat while she lectured, never stood at a lectern, but moved around the room making eye contact with all of her students. She was demanding too, and I can’t remember how many papers were sent back to me because she would note “you can do better than this, Miss Schaal.”
“One day during class, an office aid interrupted her lecture to hand her a note. She read it silently, apologized, and said she needed to leave the room. We knew it had to be important because Granny Holloway stopped lectures for no one.
“We sat in the room talking to one another when the door opened, and in walked Mrs. Abels, another teacher in our HS. She explained to us that Granny had been faced with an emergency, a serious one, and it was questionable if she would even be returning to finish out the semester. We were stunned. Would we get a chance to tell her goodbye? Would we get updates, so we would know she was ok? Mrs. Abels assured us that we need not worry, that Granny was safe but needed time away, and that the best thing we could do for her, and the best way we could show our devotion to her, was to be cooperative with her replacement. Mrs. Abels confirmed that she had been asked and had agreed to step in as Granny’s replacement.
“Cheer up, she told us, this could be a good thing. Other teachers still believed in endless homework and projects with deadlines and hard work. She would not bring that into our class. She believed in clean slates. If there were grades that we did not like, she could give us a chance to bring them up. She asked us what suggestions we had to make the semester a better learning experience. Someone mentioned that lectures were boring and we wanted more films. Done, she said. Someone else mentioned that a free day now and then would help us if we needed to catch up on work in other classes. She didn’t see a problem with that. She asked us how we felt about an end-of-semester party. Um, yeah, sounded very good to us. And on and on. Mrs. Abels listened intently and agreed to all of our suggestions, continually emphasizing that her concern was that we have a good learning experience and enjoy the semester. She also reminded us that we were lucky to not be sent out to other classes where we would be working to catch up, and that of course this was all for Granny.
“Near the end of the period, shortly before the bell rang, the door opened and Granny sauntered in with her usual Granny Holloway attitude. “How did they do?,” she asked. “Marvelous,” said Mrs. Abels. “They were completely in my hands.”
“I can’t remember a lesson all through 12 years of public school that made such an impression on me, and has stayed with me.” -Stacey Schaal Shuman
“Do not blame Caesar, blame the people of Rome who have so enthusiastically acclaimed and adored him and rejoiced in their loss of freedom and danced in his path and gave him triumphal processions. Blame the people who hail him when he speaks in the Forum of the ‘new, wonderful good society’ which shall now be Rome, interpreted to mean ‘more money, more ease, more security, more living fatly at the expense of the industrious.'” Marcus Tullius Cicero
God,
You are enthroned as the Holy One; the one we praise. The generations before us have put their trust in you for deliverance; they cried out to you and were saved. Today we cry out to you to save this nation from the ungodly and wicked ideas that have infected her. We pray that your good Wisdom would be poured out on her people so that this nation can make decisions that protect the nation and her ability to positively influence others around the world. Thank you for the lessons you teach us in a variety of contexts. Help us to have ears to hear them, spiritual understanding to process them, and faith and courage to do what we need to do. Help us not to be deceived by the wolves in sheep clothing among us that are trying to convince that darkness is Light and lies are Truth. Let us be awake and sober, aware of the prowling lion of the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Protect our nation from those whose smooth but deceitful words try to steer her toward the lies of the enemy. In the name of Jesus we declare that AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED from socialism, communism, and war. We say NO MORE to the wicked spirits of fear, strife, division, anger, and everything else that seeks to destroy the social fabric of this nation. We release a spirit of unity into the atmosphere above this nation – a unity that is centered around godly principles of peace, mutual respect, personal responsibility, and self-governance. Even in the blessing of the diverse peoples in this nation, may we be united in our focus to protect the soul of this nation, her history, and her eternal principles. We ask this in the strong name of Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.
“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.” (Psalm 22:3-5 NIV)
“Listen carefully: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be wise as serpents, and innocent as doves [have no self-serving agenda].” (Matthew 10:16 AMP)
“Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!” (John 8:43-45 NIV)
“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 NIV)
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)