Come to Him

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.  For the Lord is a faithful God.  Blessed are those who wait for his help. . . . He will be gracious if you ask for help.  He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.  Isaiah 30: 18-19

I was struggling with classroom management.  My class seemed out of control.  They talked incessantly.  Some appeared to sit upside down in their desk more than right side up.  It was the stuff teacher nightmares are made of.  And it was all too real for me.

I tried every discipline measure I knew at the time: fuss at them, write their names on the board, sit them in time out, force them to write paragraphs of "I will behave better."

Nothing worked.  I was miserable, growing grumpier day after day.

When I began opening my classroom mornings with prayer over my students, silently calling their names to the Lord one by one and asking for His help, I began to see a difference.  In myself and in my students.  He turned my cries for help into songs of praises.

We may not have public prayer in public schools, but we do have prayer in public school.  By turning our moment of silence into a moment of silent prayer, I can offer Him thanksgiving and request His help with the challenges I face each day.

In a Nutshell
Our Lord is waiting for us to come to him with our challenges so he can help us.

Father, You are gracious to respond to our cries for help.  You are waiting to show us Your love and compassion. You are a faithful God.  I thank you and praise you! Forgive me for times when I've tried to go it alone, when I've not sought your help.  Your Word tells me you are waiting to hear from me because You want to show me your love and compassion.  Thank You, Father, for this promise.  Hear my pleas for my students and my co-workers today.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.