What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
These words of the first verse of the old hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” contain an apt description of the privilege we have as God’s people to constantly approach the Throne of Grace in prayer. We are at the start of another school year. What better time to exercise this privilege of prayer than as we commit another year to the Lord “with Christ at the Center”?
On Monday, August 12, a group of twenty or so faculty and staff members gathered together to have a prayer walk. We started in prayer together and then dispersed around the building and grounds. Each person had names of fellow faculty and staff members and names of students to pray for by name. Together, we prayed for our whole student body and the teachers and staff who serve at Concordia.
Will you join with us in committing this year to the Lord in prayer? In addition to the names given to each person on the prayer walk, a sheet with the following information was shared, too.
Thank you for your prayers! Feel free to let the Spirit lead as you pray for the people and ministry of Concordia. If some guides are useful, though, consider the following topics and verses.
*Pray for God’s presence in our school and in the words and actions of the people here.
Psalm 105:4 --
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
*Pray for God’s forgiveness for our sinful condition and actions. Pray for His grace that we may forgive each other readily, too.
Colossians 1:13-14 --
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
*Pray for God’s strength to equip us for the work to which He has called us. . .students and adults alike.
Psalm 18:31-32 --
For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless.
*Pray for the joy of the Lord to fill our hearts and our halls even in the midst of the challenges, tiredness, and heartache that are a part of this world.
Psalm 20:4-5 --
May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!
Thank you for supporting Concordia Lutheran High School with your prayers. Prayer is a powerful way that you, as a part of the Concordia family, can support the daily ministry here. Please consider praying regularly for our students and their families and for our faculty and staff that Concordia can continue to be a place of educational excellence with Christ at the center.
Mindy Walz,
English Teacher