Prayer the Teacher's Aid by F. G.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 5, 1907

Prayer the Teacher's Aid

By F. G.

MARTIN LUTHER held prayer to be the better part of study. And so it is. But prayer is also the better part of teaching. It is a part too often neglected by our teachers. God can do more by far by the operation of his Holy Spirit than can we by all our greatest efforts. Why not then avail ourselves of his proffered help? Secret prayer—talking alone with God concerning our needs and the needs of our pupils—how valuable it is! Before we can properly teach, we must be taught, and taught daily by the Great Teacher, “Christ is daily in our school-rooms” to help, but we too often grieve him by our lack of preparation for our work, our lack of patience with the dull and erring, our lack of conscientious work.

‘Now the necessity of prayer as the greatest aid in our work must be felt by us as teachers. Wherever two or more teachers are associated, there ought to be a daily prayer season. When it can be arranged, it will be found to be of great help to have a few minutes of prayer each morning before the chapel exercises. The united prayer of the teachers for the blessing of Heaven to rest upon the one who is to lead in the chapel exercises and upon the students, is certain to bear good results. These daily, united prayers for the unconverted are able to move the arm of an all-powerful God. God always answers such prayers. He sends his Holy Spirit and the angels direct from his presence to bless the reading of his Word and the prayer to the good of the unconverted ones. He does all that a loving Heavenly Father can do, and yet reserve to the student his individual right of choice. He always is moved by the earnest prayer of his children.

If it is necessary and valuable to have daily prayer before the chapel exercises, it is doubly so before the social meeting. At the chapel exercises and the social meetings there is given a special opportunity for God's Spirit to work upon the hearts of the students. Every social meeting should be of great value to the school, and for this to be so, the Lord should be sought most earnestly. At the prayer service before the social meeting the interests of individual students may be considered, and united and intelligent prayer may be offered for them. There is far more danger of our spending too little rather than too much time in seeking God. It may often happen that if we spend more time in prayer for our students, we shall spend less time in considering disciplinary matters. Teachers must take time to be holy. We have a most solemn work committed to us. Often parents who have taken too much time in being worldly send their children to us for help, and we must be prepared to help them. If we could only realize that the tools for our work are not carnal, but spiritual, we would spend more time in getting spiritual life.

It may be safe to say that the measure of prayerfulness on the part of teachers this coming year will be the measure of the success of the work of each teacher. F. G.