oración concerniente a los mentores de Israel

Did you see the prayer letter about schools I sent out at the end of the Israeli school year in June?

If you missed it, it was all about the standoff between the government and the teachers’ unions that resulted in a very dysfunctional closing out of the last school year. The issue at hand was, of course, the ridiculously low wages of teachers (many who must work additional evening jobs to support their families). The larger issue at hand is not the teachers who are waiting for a pay raise, but rather the thousands of teachers who are no longer waiting and have moved on to other career choices. This issue has caused a massive teacher shortage and as a result, new “teachers” are being hired who have little or no proper education and training.

In the meantime, the standoff continues. We’re up against the deadline of September 1st, the beginning of the school year, and no one knows yet if and when schools will open their doors. Reaching a compromise on anything is especially tricky since Israel is up against another round of elections November 1st—meaning every decision has significant political ramifications. (We’ll be praying for the upcoming elections in the coming weeks.)

If we consider the fact that most of Israel’s children spend more time with their teachers than they do their parents, we realize that the public education system has more impact on Israel’s population and culture than any other entity. Our children’s teachers are in large part also their mentors.

• Father, You are the Great Instructor of life.

• Your ways are sure. We ask that Israel will follow in them.

• We believe You provide for Israel’s needs and Israel needs educators. Therefore, we believe there are enough funds available to properly fund our educators. We ask that You expose and adjust anywhere funds are being wasted or used wrongly and reallocate them to the education system.

• So much of Israel’s future depends on their education today. Do not let this matter pass before You unattended.

• We ask that anywhere Israel’s teachers are teaching against Your ways—that You will correct their error.

• You created many in Israel with a gift and a love for teaching. Provide them now with the ability to fulfill their calling as teachers.

• Connect struggling children with godly teachers who can guide them through difficult times.

• When it comes to the field of teachers, among the wheat are weeds. Root out teachers who are abusive to students. Union rules can be complicated to navigate. Make the process simple and easy for overseers to remove problematic teachers. Israeli children should have a safe place to learn.

• Violence and verbal aggression among students—especially after the COVID lockdowns— has been prevalent in Israeli schools and even kindergartens. Give the heads of each school wisdom in how to handle each situation, both in protecting the victims and showing the aggressors how to communicate their frustrations differently.

• We ask for a blessing on the homes of Israeli children. Many have parents who want to be good parents but struggle with overwork and their own personal baggage. Heal the hearts of Israeli parents from their own brokenness so they can pass on blessings to the next generation.

• A good percentage of Israelis today grew up in a kibbutz—in collective homes without their parents. These Israelis, who are now parents themselves, must become something they have never properly experienced. You are a Father to the fatherless, and so we ask that You show them how to parent.

• Show Israelis—who love to demonstrate their self-reliance—that we are dependent on You for so many things. We are lost without You.

• Yeshua, You know Jewish believers are often persecuted in schools across Israel for standing up for You. We ask for special favor on Israeli children who know and love You.

• Even with the few hours in a day, the home is the anchor of every child’s life. May the homes and families of those who call on Your name be known for the peace that passes all understanding that dwells among them.

• We ask for all this believing it is Your will for Your people Israel to prosper and for the next generation of Israelis to be closer to You than the last. And so let Israel become a praise among the nations because of You, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, Who dwells among them.