Shifting the Spiritual Atmosphere - Church Prayer Leaders Network

“For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and My blessing on your descendants; And they will spring up among the grass, like poplars by streams of water.” (Isaiah 44:3-4, NASB)

It’s been a rocky couple of years in schools, filled with unprecedented and confusing changes and rules for students across the globe, heated protests by parents, large numbers of teachers leaving their jobs because of pandemic-related teaching challenges or refusing vaccine mandates, and crushing restrictions on the children themselves.

No one knows with certainty what will happen in the days to come, but our prayer is that God will bring peace and calm to students in this new reality.

This year, students may be needing additional spiritual, mental, and emotional support (in addition to academics). They may feel extra shy, anxious, or unsure of their environment. For two years they have been hearing all kinds of talk of vaccines, variants, masking, and quarantines.

While some states, counties, and districts are moving away from these measures, others are still experiencing them in various degrees. Parents may be worrying about their student’s growth and emotional and academic well-being, as well as fear for their health.

The school climate for our students is still tenuous. Our prayers will aim to shift that climate of uncertainty for our students, starting with the spiritual atmosphere.

Let’s begin our prayer focus with inviting the transforming presence of God’s Spirit into our schools during this upcoming school year—to drive out any fear and uncertainty and replace it with a climate of peace and joy, one where our children will thrive and flourish.

In an atmosphere that trusts God and welcomes His peace and presence, our children will be able to overcome the obstacles and reach their full God-given potential.

Let’s Pray

Father, thank You for this incredible promise—that You will refresh the driest places!

Where the environment has been spiritually dry and cold in our schools, we ask for streams of the Holy Spirit, the Water of Life, to pour into their hallways and classrooms.
Where there is fear and uncertainty, we declare in Jesus’ name there will be peace, confidence, and stability.
We believe You will rain down an outpouring of Your presence that will shift the spiritual atmosphere on every school campus in our state, and cause our children to thrive and flourish like strong trees growing by the riverside.
We ask for an unprecedented, tangible presence of the Holy Spirit in our schools, displacing the darkness and flooding the atmosphere of the classrooms with Your goodness and power!
We pray that Christian students would be emboldened to share their faith in You, and courageous in their witness despite any opposition. Let them see undeniable demonstrations of Your power that will strengthen their faith.
Empower all Christians there—students, teachers, and administrators—to truly be light and salt, in Jesus’ name. We ask that You touch them so powerfully that they would acknowledge publicly that they belong to You.

Cheryl Sacks in Reclaim a Generation: 21 Days of Prayer for Schools (PrayerShop 2022). Reclaim a Generation is available in both print and e-book formats.