A Prayer for Our Children at the Start of a New School Year
It’s a new school year again. That means getting back into the routine of busy mornings rushing off to school, busy afternoons filled with homework, and busy evenings driving to sports and other activities. It means a return to worries about how our children are doing academically and socially. It means uncertainty about new classmates, new teachers, and new expectations.
A new school year also means opportunities for growth and maturity. Our children will learn new things. Their eyes will be opened to a greater understanding of the world and their place in it. They will have opportunities to practice what they learn and apply it to their life. They’ll have circumstances in which they can live out their faith and shine a light of truth. They’ll learn to glorify God in how they interact with teachers, friends, and those who are unkind. And as parents, we get the joy of watching that growth unfold throughout the year.
The best way to start off a new school year is with prayer. I recently participated in a prayer walk around my child’s school, praying for him, his teachers, his fellow students, and all they will learn this year. I brought my worries and concerns before the Lord, entrusting them into his sovereign care. I prayed for opportunities for my son’s growth and that he would mature academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
As you consider the new school year for your children, turn to the Lord in prayer.
A Prayer for Our Children at the Start of a New School Year
Father in Heaven,
I can’t believe a new school year is already here. Summer went by so fast! I thank you for the fun we had this summer. I thank you for the time of rest and refreshment and just the joy of being together as a family.
I praise you as the Giver of all good things. I praise you for you are the King and ruler over all things. You are above all things, watching over and sustaining all you have made. You know all things. You know the end from the beginning. You know what this new school year holds for my children and you know just what we need to navigate it.
I bring before you all my worries and uncertainties for my children. I pray for their academic needs, that you would provide them what they need to learn and grow this year. I pray that you would help their teachers to quickly identify and intervene in any challenges they may face in their learning. I pray their teachers would push them when needed, give grace at the right time, and always help them remain engaged. I pray they would enjoy the learning process and that they would be excited about what they learn. Above all, I pray you would help them to grow in their discernment so that they would be able to identify truth from falsehood. Help them to always seek you as the source of all truth.
I also pray for each of their teachers. I pray for those teachers who have faith in Christ, that you would strengthen and sustain them in their faith this year. I pray you would encourage them and meet their needs. I pray also for those teachers who are not believers, that you would bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I pray for the school as a whole, that it would be a safe and enjoyable place for students to learn this year.
Father, I also worry about my children’s friendships. I pray you would provide friends who are a positive influence in their life and that my children would likewise be a good influence on their friends. Help them not to be easily influenced by negative peer pressure. Help them to stand firm in what is good and right and honoring to you. Help me, as a parent, to have insight and discernment to know when my children are having problems with peers and to know the best way to respond.
The school year can be so busy and hectic. I pray for wisdom as we make decisions about what activities to add to our calendar. I pray we wouldn’t participate in activities just to be busy or just because everyone else is doing those activities. Help us to seek to glorify you as we make plans for our children this year.
Above all, I pray for my children’s spiritual growth this year. For my children who don’t have a saving faith, I pray you would open their eyes and hearts so that they would see their need for you and come you in faith. For my children who do know you, I pray you would continue your work in them, changing and transforming them into the likeness of your Son. Help them to grow in their faith and love for you.
As unexpected and stressful circumstances come upon us this year, I pray we would seek you first. I pray we would trust you and your sovereign plan for our lives. I pray we would place our hope in Christ and who he is for us.
Be with my children this year. Bless their efforts in school. Help them to grow and mature and thrive. Protect them from evil and sustain them by your grace.
Please hear all these cries of my heart. Because of Jesus and in His name I pray, amen.
Blessings,
Christina Fox
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