Be a Watchman for Our Children

Noah Webster, the historic American patriot and originator of the classic Merriam-Webster Dictionary, once said “The education of youth should be watched with the most scrupulous attention . . . [It] lays the foundations on which both law and gospel rest for success.” I wonder what Webster would think if he were to show up in American schools today?

I believe he would be shocked and saddened beyond belief.

We do well to remember that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, asv). What then should Christians do to hold back the onslaught of tyranny surreptitiously directed against our children? Hiding our heads in the sand certainly has not worked.

In the Old Testament, we read about the roles of watchmen—who stood on the walls of cities to sound the alarm about impending enemy attacks—and gatekeepers, who stood at the outer entrance of homes and either admitted or turned away any strangers or visitors who might approach the dwelling while the family was sleeping. God told Isaiah, “Go, set a watchman; let him announce what he sees. When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, let him listen diligently, very diligently” (Isa. 21:6–7, esv).

This is a role that we all can take on, as watchmen and gatekeepers over our schools and homes, to “listen diligently, very diligently.”

Would you be a watchman for the children and schools in your community or neighborhood?

We need to be alert to what is going on in our classrooms and school districts so we can be well-informed and pray specific targeted prayers!

Pray Points:

• • Lord, we confess that we, the generation who has gone before, failed to maintain our post on the wall, leaving the younger generation vulnerable. There were no strongmen at the gates, and the enemy walked right in. God, forgive us.

• • We ask You to raise up spiritual watchmen (fathers, mothers, teachers, school leaders) who will watch, pray, and be a voice for truth in our schools.

• • We commit to fervently pray, actively engage, and become informed about what is going on in our schools and school districts. We commit to sound the alarm when we see things going on in our schools which are harmful to our children.

• • In Jesus’ name, we pray that “nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2, esv). Bring to light every evil plan that would bring destruction to our students and give us the wisdom in how to pray and the courage to speak up and stand against it.

–Adapted from Reclaim a Generation Volume 2: 21 Days of Prayer for Schools by Cheryl Sacks (PrayerShop Publishing 2023). Thousands of churches and individuals are using this prayer guide to pray for their children as they go back to school in August and September. Why not join them!