Has God ever told you to do something and you had no idea why?

Recently He asked me to attend the National Day of Prayer Community Prayer Event. I tried to resist the nudge, but couldn’t. Even as I sat alone, about five rows back at an auditorium at Anza Trails School in Sahuarita, I wondered why I was there.

After a couple worship songs, pastors stood to introduce and pray for community leaders. The first was Allen Guest, “Big Al,” the safety officer at Sahuarita High School. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he was prayed for. He shared that, in addition to a frightening incident in February, the spring has been very difficult, with students making adult-like, horrible choices. After reading Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is formed against you will stand…” he admitted, “I needed to be here tonight.”

Then someone prayed for the local Superintendent of Schools, Dr Valenzuela. Goose bumps prickled my arms as I began to sense why I was there. You see, I’m a member of a Moms in Prayer group and each week we join together to pray for our children or grandchildren and their schools.

After the meeting I waited around to speak with Big Al and let him know that two groups of Moms in Prayer pray for our schools on Mondays and Tuesdays. He shared that he is running into really bad drugs, generational offenders, and the difficulties of single parent families. He gave me his phone number so we can encourage him and so that he can send prayer requests to us. He said again, “I needed to be here tonight. This is SO heavy on me.” This morning he texted, “Lift us up!”

As I drove out of the nearly empty parking lot that night, a man walked out the back door of the school building. “Dr. V?” I called through the car window. It really was Superintendent Valenzuela. I told him, too, that two groups of Moms in Prayer pray for the schools each Monday and Tuesday during the school year. He lifted his hands toward the sky and then into an umbrella shape over his head. “I didn’t know that,” he said incredulously. “But I’ve sensed it. We are so blessed here.” And then he stated, “We live in an evil world and we face evil every day. Keep praying – and PRAY HARD!”

Mothers and Grandmothers, we have a critical role in praying for our own children and grandchildren and their schools. Our scope expands to ALL the local schools around us. Some days, it seems impossible to make an impact in the education system and in our evil world. But our task is vital. Please – let us not grow weary in well doing. We are in a battle.

NOTE – Moms in Prayer International gathers mothers and grandmothers for prayer in 150 countries. Our purpose is:

• To stand in the gap for our children through prayer
• To pray that our children will receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, then stand boldly in their faith
• To pray for teachers and school staff
• To pray that teachers, administrators, staff, and students would come to faith in Jesus Christ
• To pray that our schools will be directed by biblical values and high moral standards
• To be an encouragement and positive support to our schools
• To provide support and encouragement to moms who carry heavy burdens for their children

For more information and to become part of a local group, see www.MomsInPrayer.org.