Christians in public schools have been under siege and afraid to express any expression of our faith. This self-induced fear came as we watched our friends and neighbors suffer consequences of lawsuits by offended minorities, intimidation for expression of faith, and reprimands from school authorities. These adverse actions followed the 1962 Supreme Court ruling removing prayer from the classroom. The benign prayer known as the Regent’s Prayer was the offense. The simple prayer said, “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee, and we beg Thy blessing upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country.” Afraid of retribution, the Christian resolve and influence faded into non-existence. On the outside, we watched as the institution of public schools year after year failed in its ability to educate our nation’s students to the pre-Regent’s Prayer standards.

Pray through the President’s Statement on School Prayer. Download it HERE with prayer points.

On Thursday, January 16, 2020, President Trump busted the anti-prayer bubble of open resistance to expression of faith, when he reissued the prayer directives set forth mainly under President Clinton, and last issued in 2003 under President Bush. President Trump added nothing to the already existing directives, but what he did was spiritually significant. In the past, directives were issued from the State Department of Education and distributed to every public school board across the nation, where they quickly found their way to perhaps a slight mention in a school board meeting, but no notice was given to parents or the students. Basically, the directives were ignored and round-filed. That’s what was set to happen this time, except President Trump had an “intervention!” He said, “I want to have a press conference in the Oval Office and make the announcement.” The President gathered teachers and students around him who had experienced negative reactions on occasions when they had openly expressed faith within the public school arena. Instead of being ignored, major news outlets picked up the story and made the proclamation spread across the country like wildfire. No more reliance on weak-willed school boards to pass the information along to the parents.

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Having been involved for over a year in an intercessory group that prays once a week for the Department of Education. I can tell you this one event was an absolute miracle and was pushed forward in prayer at every step of the way!

William Wilberforce, who is credited with a major moral change in England in the late 1700s, convinced King George to sign an edict declaring England a moral nation. At the time, England was steeped in child labor, slavery, and almost every vice known to man. The first-year King George signed the edict, the public exposure it received was minimal. Realizing no change in the country, Wilberforce asked the King to issue the same edict the second year. This time Wilberforce distributed a copy of the edict to every church in England and asked that the Clergy read the edict the same time it was read in the House of Commons. What happened was a miracle. The people across the country begin a process of transformation as the Clergy encouraged their congregants to live lives of holiness and service. England was forever changed.

President Trump has given us each of us as Christians an infusion of boldness to stand up in the face of opposition. 

Let’s pray Acts 28:31: “Now we proclaim the kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”  

Encourage your friends and family to exercise the religious freedom we have to pray in schools–share this article.

Nancy Huff is an educator with a mission to equip believers to pray strategically for the Cultural Mountain of Education. She has authored Taking the Mountain of Education: A Strategic Prayer Guide to Transform America’s Schools. She leads prayer groups to pray at key educational locations across the US. Currently, Nancy serves as the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network (HAPN) Lead Prayer Coordinator for the Mountain of Education. For additional information go to: https://takingthemountainofeducation.com/author/nancyahuff/