Intro to Section 2: Refocus and Refresh
For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance]. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?”
Esther 4:14 AMP
Every year my parents host a week long "Grandparents Camp". (Hallelujah, thank You Jesus!)
I'm talking the whole nine yards; a camp theme, t-shirts, arts and crafts, (no archery - I don't trust my middle child) field trips, life skill lessons and best of all daily bible study! This year's focus is on Queen Esther, so my daughters and my niece are wearing tiaras, getting beauty treatments and learning about some local famous women among other things that kids only get to do when they are with their Grandma and Papa!
If you know the story of the young Jewish girl Esther, you know that she was chosen from a national casting call for the role of Queen of Persia. She made the royal cut and was chosen queen, but was told to keep silent about her nationality by her uncle and guardian, Mordecai. She later finds out from her uncle, that her husband's highest ranking noble, Haman, has masterminded a plot to annihilate all the Jews living in the kingdom of Persia (This reads like a HBO movie) and has deceitfully led the King to approve its edict. Although she's the Queen of Persia, Esther is hesitant to retaliate and feels helpless. In desperation, her uncle Mordecai sends her this message...
For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance]. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?”
If you've been journeying with me in prayer, we've already completed seven days together of "preparing our hearts". Why start with the heart? It's what God sees. I can talk a good game about being concerned, but truthfully, it's so much easier for me to take a standoffish attitude about what's going on in education. Let me explain. I often take a finger pointing approach because, I didn't make the policies that decreased funding. I didn't allow kids to get away with disrespect by tying the school's hands when it comes to parental accountability. I'm not the one changing curriculums and ideas like folks change underwear.
But in a way, I did... I am... because
I didn't fight on my knees hard enough for a change to occur.
My name is Mordecai and I want you to know that we have been called into the field of education for such a time as this.
There is an enemy who seeks to destroy institution of family and education and we can no longer remain silent.
I,... you,...we...cannot continue to mumble and complain while things fall apart around us brick by brick. Maybe life is good in your school system or at your school, or in your classroom, but what about everyone else? Maybe you're apart of the spiraling school system with a bleak future...what are you going to do about it? What are we going to do about it?
Join me. Invite your coworkers. Invite your church. Let's get together and strategically pray for things to turn around. Let's refocus on our assignment and get refreshed in His grace together as we pray through Section Two of our Forty Days of Prayer for Education.
Pray is powerful enough to change lives. It is communication to the Almighty God who loves you and I. Praying positions us to live in a way that seeing His handiworks and hearing His directives becomes our daily expectation. Nothing is too hard for God. Our situation is not hopeless and we are not called just to wait it out until it's our time to go to heaven or He returns (which ever comes first). Let's pray expectantly, strategically and consistently. Let's do this together.
