Yea,
cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.
Yea,
humble yourselves and continue in prayer unto him.
Cry
unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all
your flocks.
Cry
unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household,
both morning, mid-day, and evening.
Yea,
cry unto him against the power of your enemies.
Yea,
cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy
to all righteousness.
Cry
unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye
may prosper in them.
Cry
over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.
But this is not all;
ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and
your secret places, and in your wilderness.
Yea, and when you do
not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full,
drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your
welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are
around you.
As teachers and leaders
in the Church, we are to lead in example through
our gospel-applied living. Otherwise truly we live
as hypocrites, essentially saying, “Do as I say,
not as I do.”
What we do in private
may not be shouted upon the rooftops until much
later, but so much of what we do in our private
hours lingers on our face while we are in public.
Have you ever been in a room when a stranger walks
in? You aren’t quite sure what is so special about
that person or what he does with his waking hours,
but upon his countenance and around his being exists
a presence of goodness that is undeniable. You can
see it in his eyes, you hear it in his voice, you
feel it in the way he treats you.
On some level, you
just know this person knows Christ; for it is when
we sup with the Lord individually that we carry
away with us a portion of His grace. We can feel
it, perhaps not be able to completely define it,
but we can feel it.
This is how I want
to be. This is how I want to live — and it starts
by making time in my day for prayer. I love the
song, “The Perfect Prayer,” written by Ty Lacy &
Steve Siler. The lyrics of this song serve to remind
us that we don’t need to worry if our prayer is
perfectly worded. All prayers are accepted of the
Lord if they are sincere. The Lord wants to hear
from us and we need to talk with him; in so doing,
His presence and strength are with us more fully.
Without His strength, we may be deceived by the
destroyer.
Lucifer is powerful,
but he is unable to do anything other than yield
to those who know the Master. We get to know the
Lord whilst communicating with him in the private
corridors of prayer.
There is much to pray
about as seminary teachers in this deep form of
communion. We can thank the Lord for the privilege
of witnessing of Him to our youth. We can thank
the Lord for freedom to teach. We can praise
Him for giving us the strength and the bodies to
do so. We can petition assistance in our lesson
preparations. We can pray for an individual student
in specific ways. We can pray that our class as
a whole feels the spirit, being moved by it as they
walk into the classroom. We can ask that our young
men and women develop a love and sense of camaraderie
for each other. We can pray to better know the Lord’s
perspective on our students.
The difference between
a gospel instructor who has found power through
prayer and one who has not is remarkable. When we
live the doctrine of sincere prayer, our students
will hear and feel of our experiences, they will
experience our testimonies and profound fervor that
prayer really works. And if we personally are not
there yet in this knowledge, we keep praying until
the moment arrives when we know with assurance that
the Lord hears our prayers and responds appropriately.
>One of the best ways
to follow this is to record our desires we’ve prayed
for and then record the answers that come over time;
doing so opens one’s eyes quickly that indeed the
Lord waits, hears, and answers His children’s prayers.
How often do we think
to pray for the students who are the troublemakers
― those who resist us in class? Do we pray
to have a softened heart towards the student who
refuses to participate and for the student who delights
in making others laugh (or rebel) rather than do
the work assigned? How often do we include them
with our personal needs while praying? If a student
is irritating, prayer is the order of the day. If
a student is selfish, prayer is the order of the
day. If a student is defiant, prayer is the order
of the day.
When I pray for the
needy amongst my flock, the Lord will hear and will
bless them beyond measure with what they (and I)
truly need. We as teachers cannot always know what
lurks within a truant child’s heart, but we certainly
can pray to the One who does. We can also petition
that the Lord will bless us with wisdom beyond our
years so that we can extend that wisdom through
our interactions with those specific youth who challenge
us most. We can seek to serve them more than most,
for service will bring love into our hearts. With
love, we can see more clearly and wisely. Thus,
we can pray to be filled with compassion and charity
— the love never fails.
Prayer is an amazing
gift the Lord has given all of us — but could anyone
need it more than a seminary teacher? Let us teach
it not only to our young men and women, but avail
ourselves of its privileges as well. The Lord has
given us the gift of prayer so that we might use
it to our help and advantage. It has been said that
more is wrought in this world through prayer than
we can ever know. It is intended to be an integral
part of our teaching efforts. Then truly as powerful
shepherds, our service and performance will be consecrated
to the welfare of our souls and the welfare of the
youth we serve.
Watch for C.S. Bezas’
new book, Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers,
available in LDS bookstores September 2006.
