What is prayer? Prayer is a means to connect with other people and with our creator. Students in public schools should never be forced to pray, but they should be encouraged to pray. Earnest prayer, especially between prayerful adults and youth, does not have to be, and seldom is, denominational, or dogmatic, or even religious. It is simply a means to show people that other people care and love them, and that God cares and loves them, too.
How would the self-destructive behaviors, including suicide and drug abuse, be impacted by the experience of prayer and the knowledge of being prayed for?
Where is the evidence that teachers and coaches will bestow some favor to students who participate in prayer or be prejudiced against those who do not? In my thirty plus years of coaching, I have known hundreds of coaches, some of whom were prayerful people, many who were not. Not one, not a single coach, ever favored a player who prayed over a player who did not. That very notion is anathema to a prayerful person. Only a person who doesn’t understand the power of prayer and the uplifting effect of being prayed for, would think that prayer-related prejudice exists. It doesn’t.
Prayer is stepping away from self-absorption and trying to connect to the heart of God. It is a means to put other people before self, to show empathy, compassion, and unconditional love. By preventing prayer in public schools, we are preventing students from receiving life-sustaining encouragement and support.
How much harm are we doing to the students who aren’t exposed to or who aren’t taught to pray outside of school, by not encouraging prayer in school? Whose responsibility is it to teach young people how to pray and to make sure that every single young person knows that someone is praying for them and that their very creator wants to have a relationship with them through prayer?
If it is first the responsibility of parents, what do we do for youth who have parents who don’t pray, or those who don’t have any parents at all? Are we saying, as a community, that “this isn’t our job?” Really? Is that the best we can do?
If it is the responsibility of our churches, what do we do for the unchurched? We are all responsible to help develop a strong and supportive connectedness in our communities. Prayer is the conduit for making these connections. Prayer changes the tone of every conversation and interaction. It should be encouraged in schools, in business meetings, before community gatherings, sporting events, and every time people gather.
There are no right or wrong prayers. God knows our hearts and never stumbles over our choice of words. Something like this might seem reasonable…
Gracious God, thank you for your presence with us today. Help each one of us to be the best we can be and help each one of us to love others as you love us. Amen.
Perhaps we should encourage every student to lead a heartfelt school prayer. Wouldn’t that be a great learning experience for each student! And it just might change or even save the life of a fellow student.