Our Greatest Need

pray without ceasing - I Thess. 5:17

What does a Christian school need to succeed?  Is it money?  More students?  Wise leadership?  Active parent volunteers?  Students with a solid Christian foundation when they arrive?  High rates of college acceptance?  Great victories on the athletic fields?  More public exposure?  Of course, all of these things would be wonderful for any school, and HCA (and Mr. Robinson) have fallen into these lines of thought on several occasions over the years.  It is so easy to do. 

And, make no mistake about it, there are great material needs at HCA.  Our teachers deserve more pay than they receive.  We need updated curriculum in many areas.  We need athletic fields of our own.  Mrs. Lambert and Mrs. Sturgess would love to own their very own kiln for the art classes.  A working kitchen would be great.  We will need more classrooms, athletic fields, and parking spaces as we grow into the future.  All of this relates to dollar signs. 

However, while more of any of these things would be great, we have to be careful that they do not become what drives us.  Jesus asks us the haunting question, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his own soul?" (Matt. 16:26).  We all intrinsically know that there are much more important and pressing things in this world, but we don't often act that way do we?  Again, I am as guilty as anyone.   

John D. Rockefeller is the richest man in the history of the world (at least in modern times).  When you take into account the value of the dollar in his day, he was about 10 times richer than Bill Gates is today.  His personal wealth was nearly 2% of the total gross domestic product of the entire United States of America!  He could have anything he wanted at any time he wanted it, but when someone once asked him "How much is enough?", he famously answered "Just a little bit more".  When "stuff" or acclaim are our goals, there really is no limit, is there?

There are certainly things of great value that we are to dwell on as we walk this path of life.  God clearly tells us that He has blessed us with with a spouse (Prov. 5:18), blessed with children (Psalm 127:3), blessed with friends (Prov. 17:17), blessed with food, clothing, and basic necessities (Matt. 5:25-34), and blessed with knowledge, which begins with a healthly fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7).  These are the things that we need to focus on, treasure in life, protect, and be thankful for. 

Parent prayer groups in front of the school

This morning, we were so blessed to be able to thank God for His lovingkindness toward each one of us.  Almost 100 parents met together as school began to lift up prayers of thanksgiving and to form a "hedge of protection" around our kids and their school.  HCA will always be a target of spiritual attack if we continue to strive to know God and to be obedient to His calling.  These attacks necessitate an effective defense.  Without it, we will lose the battle, and nothing else will matter. 

As Paul commands us in Ephesians,

"in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one...With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints" (6:16,18)

The "hedge of protection" surrounds the building

If you were here, thank you for your time sacrifice and for the specific prayers of protection for HCA.  It is our greatest need.  If you were unable to be here, please rest in the fact that your child was covered by a multitude of prayers this morning, and that we will try to have more of these types of gatherings in the future.  Until then, please be on your knees, pleading to God to continue to protect His school and our children, and for us to keep the right values and perspective as we move forward together. 

There will be a time to give to the school materially...don't worry.  But the prayers of the righteous can accomplish great things, meaning every day is the right day to pray for our kids and their teachers.  They are certainly worth the effort.