Given everything now going on around us, there are enough reasons to feel discouraged. But I’ve been inspired and encouraged hearing the stories of intercessors, ordinary people like you and me, who stepped out in obedience and faith. IFA has been following the story of Bibles in Schools, a ministry whose mission is to see Bibles placed on the shelves of school libraries across the nation. I spoke with founder and Executive Director Hannah Sailsbury, who relates how God has been pleased to bless that ministry, thanks in no small part to your faithful prayers.

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Praise Reports

• A school librarian reached out to Bibles in Schools after moving to another district and school. Here too, she requested these Bibles because she recalls how much the kids at the previous school had loved them.
• A librarian in Massachusetts called and said no Bibles had been checked out of the library of his local high school within the past five years. But when he put copies of The Action Bible on the shelves, they were checked out immediately! 
• A student from Florida wrote to say he wanted to get involved: “Hi, my name is Matthew. I am in 7th grade. I am working on a writing assignment about one of my core beliefs. My core belief is that Bibles should be read and available to all children in schools. In my research, I found your website. How can I get this started in Tampa?”
• The ministry reached out by email to all the librarians in one Virginia county but got no response. The town sheriff, however, promptly contacted a school board member. Within hours, the ministry received a call saying that the board would accept Bibles for all the schools. There are 19 schools in that district! Those Bibles were hand-delivered to the libraries.
• A grandmother in Virginia went to her grandson’s school to say she wanted a Bible made available for him to read. A Bible was provided there.
• And it’s not only schools that derive benefit: One representative of a Texas juvenile detention center phoned to show gratitude for the Bibles distributed by Bibles in Schools. She noted that in her 11 years with that center (which can house about 125 juveniles), no one ever donated Bibles. 

Aren’t these stories amazing? From one student’s insistence that Bibles should be made available in all schools, to the requests of numerous librarians and parents for Bibles — all of it is such a blessing! My heart is moved to know that so many young people now have access to Bibles, because owning our Bibles is something we may tend to take for granted. My heart was especially moved for the troubled youth in that Texas juvenile detention facility: By means of this simple donation of Bibles, a transformation can and will come, because “the word of God is living and active” (see Hebrews 4:12). With every Bible that is donated and then read by young people, seeds of truth get planted in hearts and lives.

… so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:11).

How You Can Pray

A new school year is upon us. Here are some ways you can intercede for this ministry:

Although Bibles have been donated in all 50 states, there remain many needs. The percentage of schools accepting Bibles is low. Texas has a 23% acceptance rate, based on those schools that have been reached so far. Alabama has only a 9% acceptance rate among the schools to which the ministry has reached out. In fact, one superintendent in Alabama has actually mandated that his staff accept no Bibles. Clearly, there remain pockets of spiritual resistance. 

Pray that the Lord would soften the stony hearts of many administrators — from superintendents and board members to librarians and teachers. 

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

Pray for Christian parents, teachers, librarians, and superintendents to stand boldly for the word of God and not cave in to the pressures. 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10 NIV).

Pray for supernatural connections, such as the involvement of that police officer in Virginia. To be sure, that was a divinely providential answer to prayer: Bibles in Schools had been denied, but a “chance” meeting with this officer at a prayer breakfast led to his contacting the school board member. Only God can orchestrate such divine encounters.

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! (Isaiah 65:24 NLT).

Pray for transformation in our schools, so that God’s word and truth would become a lamp to our feet and light for our path. 

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 NIV).

Let’s Be Prepared

Hannah shared one urgent word of caution: Some states are no longer accepting donations, which does make it more difficult for libraries to accept Bibles. “Right now, books in libraries are a hot topic, especially pornographic books,” Hannah said. “Utah actually removed all Bibles from public libraries — citing them as ‘pornographic.’ Thankfully, the district overturned this ruling and put the Bibles back on the shelf. I’m sure this will increase, and we expect to see people fight to get Bibles removed.” 

Become a part of the efforts to get Bibles placed into our school districts. It’s imperative that we pray for the schools, for the administrators, and especially for the students — so that we might, by God’s sovereign power, make an impact and get as many Bibles into our schools as we can. To get involved, visit BiblesInSchools.org and follow Bibles in Schools updates on Facebook and Instagram.

Let’s pray together now:

Father, we thank You for the advances being made in getting copies of Your printed word into the schools. Thank You for the boldness of so many parents, teachers, and administrators who are speaking up. We thank You for divine encounters and connections, and we pray that You would continue to connect Bibles in Schools with the right people, at the right time. Move upon the hearts of those who resist the distributing of Bibles to children. We know we’re not warring against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, and hosts of spiritual wickedness in high places. Fling wide open the gates of heaven within those states, counties, and districts that are resisting. We praise You and rejoice, because we know there’s nothing impossible for You. Continue to send forth Your light and truth with every Bible that gets donated. We’re praying that every seed planted in the schools and youth facilities through these donated Bibles will produce a 100-fold increase. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Please share this article about the wonderful ministry of Bibles in Schools.

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo credit: Bibles in Schools.