Culture Change Through Prayer

On my way to work this morning, I noticed something I haven’t in the past few months … kiddos waiting at the curb for their school bus. We all know what that means – school is back in session. Happy August! Instead of having fun in the sun, most children (and parents) have returned to packing backpacks and learning how to navigate school stress, schedules, and scenes. And lest we forget, attacks from Satan.

Just by turning on the news, we – as adults – are bombarded by the overwhelming weight of worldwide chaos. But in today’s culture, America’s children are forced to face issues that should never be mentioned to a child. The radical Left-wing agenda has put our nation’s children on the battlefield.

As Christians, we must join them.

Together, through prayer, we can link arms and pray for the hearts, teachers, and lives of America’s school children. Longtime educator and author Cheryl Sacks has made this opportunity easy with her newest edition of Reclaim a Generation.

Last year, in the August edition of The Stand print, I had the opportunity to interview Stacks concerning Volume 1 of her Reclaim a Generation prayer guide. The short guide included 21 days filled with insights on how to pray for students, teachers, and schoolwide revival. (To read last year’s article, click here and view page 35.)

And just this February, revival did break out on the campus of Asbury University. Who’s to say the Lord won’t do the same on local elementary or high school campuses? I certainly won’t!  

This year, Stacks released Reclaim a Generation: Volume 2. Written like Volume 1, Sacks breaks the 21 days down into three-week segments and includes a daily devotional about the weekly topic. In this volume, the three-week topics are titled: “Step onto the Battleground for Our Schools,” “Those Who Mold Our Students,” and “Ignite Spiritual Awakening on Campuses.”

“Many parents feel helpless in the face of a clear assault on our children through anti-God, anti-family, anti-biblical worldview curriculum and policies in schools,” Sacks told The Stand last fall. “What these parents often fail to remember is that prayer is one of our most powerful weapons to fight against the schemes of the enemy who is bent on destroying our children and the next generation of families.”

In each devotional, Sacks ensures parents and other prayer warriors are equipped and armed as they pray for students nationwide. Daily, readers can find a passage of Scripture, specific prayer concerns, and a guided prayer.

For example, on Day 8, Sacks encourages readers to pray for the friends of their students. In this short devotional, she covers the importance of choosing godly friends in a culture far from godliness. Likewise, she mentions the struggle of making friends and calls for prayer for students facing that challenge. For scriptural wisdom, she also includes passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV), which says, Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.

If we want to see our culture change, we must pray for tomorrow’s leaders.