You have asked for prayers for a swift transfer in your teaching position. The church will indeed lift this before the throne of grace, for we are commanded to bear one another’s burdens, and the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of thee.” Yet as you desire our intercession, remember that the power of prayer is not a magic charm, but is mighty when joined to a life that pleases God. Consider the words of the apostle: the prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Would you have your request speedily granted? Then speedily examine your own soul. Do not only cry out for the transfer, but cry out for a heart conformed to Christ. Take your model not from the world’s anxiety, but from the Teacher who said, “Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.”
Think of the disciples in the wilderness when they saw the hungry multitude. They looked at the bare hills and said, “Whence should we have so many loaves?” Their eyes were fixed on the lack, and they forgot the power of the One who stood before them. The Lord allowed their perplexity that they might learn to entreat Him with urgency. So now, your present need is a wilderness where faith is tested. You long to move from one place to another; perhaps the delay or the difficulty is permitted so that you might learn to trust not in your own schemes, but in the Master who ordains every season and boundary. Do not say in your heart, “He does not know my situation” or “He is delaying too long.” He is not asleep, nor does He need to be awakened by your impatience. When He said of Lazarus, “He is dead,” it was that He might do a greater work. Wait for His hour.
I observe that many today pray as though they were instructing God, setting deadlines and dictating outcomes. But the prayers that prevailed in Scripture came from hearts bowed in humility. Jacob said, “Except the Fear of my father had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away empty.” God defended a whole city for David’s sake, but only when the people themselves turned from iniquity. Remember that even the righteous Job prayed for his friends and they were forgiven, yet the same Job could not have saved a nation hardened in sin. Therefore, while we pray for you, you must also labor to walk uprightly and to desire above all things to hear the voice of the Bridegroom. That voice is heard in the Scriptures, where He teaches you not to fret about tomorrow. The transfer you seek is a small thing to Him who commands the winds and waves, but your soul’s steadfastness is of infinite weight.
Do not fix your hope on the new place as though it were a treasure that cannot be stolen. What is any earthly position but dust and a shadow? Today it is yours, and tomorrow you leave it behind at death’s summons. Lay up treasure in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts. If the transfer comes quickly, receive it with thanksgiving and serve Christ there with greater zeal, being an example to your students not in words only but in deeds. If it tarries, do not murmur, but consider that the Father is pruning your patience and teaching you to stand and hear His voice with joy, even in uncertainty. The apostles were living laws, not because their circumstances were always easy, but because in every state they showed forth the life of Christ. Poverty, riches, marriage, virginity, ruling a people or teaching children, each can be a path to holiness if you take the proper model.
Therefore, let us pray not only for a swift transfer, but for a faithful heart. Commend yourself and your request to God, and then leave the timing to Him who knows what is best for your salvation and for the little ones you instruct. We will join you in this petition, but with this understanding: that you seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and trust that all else shall be added in its proper season.