Protecting Our Schools from Violence

Praying for the safety and security of our schools is a unifying opportunity to engage our community in prayer. We all remember the tragic school shootings our nation has been through and desire to avoid these occurrences in our own communities. With these fears in their hearts, many parents send their kids to school each day wondering if they’ll be safe in their classrooms.

We may feel helpless, wondering what else we can “do.” Remember that prayer is not inaction; it is our greatest action. When we pray, we are not simply asking God to protect our children and schools from violent attacks—we are actually battling the evil forces behind these kinds of attacks. Prayer is our greatest weapon against evil.

We cannot wait until tragedy strikes to decide to pray. This is not the time for passivity! We can cover our local schools all year long, from the very beginning of the year to the end, with prayers of protection for our students, our teachers, and our emergency responders.

Let’s declare Psalm 91 over our campuses and over the entire school year:

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ “Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

“You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’” (Psalm 91, NIV)

Let’s Pray

• Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for the security of our students, asking You to protect them from harm and evil.
• Grant strategy and wisdom to our teachers, principals, and school administrators, that they may be able to set the right security protocols, to prevent tragedy from occurring. Alert them to every potential threat, to prevent every act of violence, apprehending those who are planning such evil.
• We lift up our local law enforcement and first responders, that they too may be alert against potential threats, and that You will position them at the right place and time to stop any potential threats. In Jesus’ name, we pray for angelic security forces over our campuses, and we declare that the Holy Spirit will be a wall of fire around our schools, and the glory in their midst (see Zech. 2:5)!
• We declare that every scheme of the enemy hidden in darkness will be brought out into the light. Expose every plan of violence, terror, and wickedness, and prevent them from being carried out on our school campuses (see Matt. 10:26).
• Lord, we ask that Your presence would rest on our schools and create an atmosphere of safety, protection, and life. We know that in the presence of the Good Shepherd, there is perfect peace. We ask You to quiet our children’s hearts and give them rest, just as sheep in green pastures (see Psalm 23).
• We ask that You radically encounter those who plot evil, who have allowed the seeds of anger, violence, hatred, and death to take root in their hearts. We pray that your Holy Spirit would dispel the darkness in their hearts—that the power of Your love would soften their hearts and draw them to repentance!
• Lord, we speak Your peace and protection over all of our school campuses (kindergarten to universities) this entire school year.

–Cheryl Sacks. Taken from Reclaim a Generation Volume 2: 21 Days of Prayer for Schools. Join the growing army of intercessors who are praying for the schools in their neighborhoods and communities using this prayer guide. Help us Reclaim this Generation!

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