Teaching at a Christian school is new territory for me. I was a public school teacher for 31 years, retired at the end of the last school year and became a STEM Makerspace Facilitator at a private school as of August 1. Adjusting to a new school takes some time, but I feel right at home. I miss the amazing school that I left while also holding space in my heart to fall in love with my new environment.

I am allowed to pray with students and share Bible verses in my private school. One day last week, while a Kindergarten class arrived to my classroom known as the STEM Makerspace, my computer turned off which caused my projection screen to not be ready so my lesson slides weren’t there. I decided to restart the computer while the children sat looking at me patiently for a minute or so. I was multitasking while talking to them and logging back in to the computer. While I was filling in the moments that followed, I commented, “What are we going to do now?” as I was getting my lesson slides to reappear on screen. A Kindergarten student raised his hand so I called on him and he said very calmly and concisely, “Well, we could pray.”

I suddenly realized he was responding to my question of “What are we going to do now?” His comment was not something that I had ever heard a child say in a classroom. My heart immediately sensed that this was a big moment so I said, “Yes, we should pray. Let’s bow our heads.” I proceeded to say a short prayer of thankfulness to God for the day, for helping us and for protection over the students, the school and the workers who are still completing construction outside of our window on additions to the building. Then, I showed the slides from my computer and the lesson began. In reality, though, I think God had a better lesson for me and for the kids about seeking Him.

My student’s words have continued to replay in my mind. “We could pray.” Three words that came from a five year old child are helping me look to Jesus at all times in all circumstances.

In my student’s mind, prayer became the first option that popped into his head as he heard me stating, “What are we going to do now?” In my mind I was just making the comment after seeing a blank, black screen in front of the class. I immediately knew what to do to reboot the comptuer but my student saw that that I needed a solution about the computer not working. My words were filling in some space while I got the computer to display my slides again, but the child offered a solution that was much better. He had it in his heart to seek God.

“We could pray.”

I’m convinced that hearing someone pray aloud about a situation is comforting to a child. Perhaps my student’s parents had modeled the idea of praying at any moment so he felt comfortable sharing his idea in our class. Or maybe his classroom teacher had prayed for the class aloud and the child felt at the moment of need in my class that prayer would help. Prayer was not an after thought to my student but became his vision for how to lead us through the question I had asked, “What are we going to do now?”

Whatever the case, I’m so glad I was able to stop and pray. Prayer reveals our response to our needs. In 2 Chronicles Jehoshophat prayed with these words, “We don’t know what to do but our eyes are on you.” This glimpse into a difficult situation of a multitude surrounding Jehoshophat lets us know that hope begins when our eyes look toward our Heavenly Father and when our words state our intentions. We must look to God, believe in his plans for us and align our will to His through our words in prayer.

The Bible tells us that the prayer of a faith filled person will accomplish a lot. It will let God know that the praying person is looking to God as the author and completer of the story, that there’s nothing too hard for God and that with God all things are possible. If any of us gets to the place of wondering what will we will do now or next, I hope we’ll seek God.

Our school’s theme verse this year is Jeremiah 29:13: You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I can already see a child seeking God and leading the rest of us to also look to Jesus.

Prayer to a faith filled child in my class just made sense. As adults, I wonder if we think and ponder at times to the point that the idea of praying is an add on not the beginning. In my classroom that Friday, my class had just begun with the Kindergarteners but the little child heard my question and decided prayer was the best option.

“We could pray.”

Let’s take these three words and do them.

Heavenly Father,

I come to you now in faith. I thank you for hearing me and for caring so much. You created the plans for my life and know how to open doors that will lead me into truth and give me wisdom. I thank you for allowing me to hear a child this week to remind me to pray not just about the major moments in life but in the daily things that cause frustration. Thank you for your help when I need to know what to do next. You are my Provider and Shield. I love you, Lord, and honor you.

I ask you to help me know how to let my students see my reliance on you. Please protect the minds and hearts of my students and my family so that they will see you, trust you and become daily in tune with you. Let us cast our cares on you and listen to you through your Word. You are faithful and will never leave us. Thank you for Jesus and for taking our sins on the cross. I praise you for the great gift of salvation.

In the strong and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.