Back-to-School Prayers
Intentional Prayer Prompts for a New School Year
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At the start of a new school year, one of the most important rhythms you can cultivate within your home is the discipline of prayer. Prayer is vital for believers. It helps us grow in our relationship with Christ and commune daily with Him.
Scripture calls us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and we should model this before our kids as we lead them to do the same. By making prayer an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day, we can help ensure that our mornings, work, home life, and evenings are saturated with prayer.
While we can pray about anything, here are five specific ways you can intentionally pray for your family as the new school year begins.
Pray for Your Kids’ Relationship with Jesus
As you take the lead at home, ask God to give your children a genuine desire for His Word, a hunger for prayer, and a love for Christ. Teach them how to pray. Encourage them to ask questions and guide conversations that point them to Jesus.
Partner with your church. Rather than simply dropping your kids off for church programs, invest in your local church and find a place to serve. Allow your kids to see you serving and how important the local body of Christ is to you.
As you prioritize your kids’ relationship with Christ at both the church and at home, pray specifically that God will speak to their hearts and draw them to Himself. Pray daily for their salvation and allow God to work and move in them this school year.
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. - 3 John 4
Pray for Godly Friendships
With the start of a new year, your kids may find themselves running in new circles with new friends and reconnecting with old ones (at school or in their extracurricular activities). Ask God to help your kids make wise decisions about their friend group and with whom they will be spending their time. Help your kids learn how to build healthy relationships with others while keeping their eyes fixed on God and living wisely according to His commands.
Pray they will show the love of Christ through their words and actions and for God’s protection from the harmful ways others may treat them. Ask God directly to shield your children from the enemy's attacks, negative influences, and temptations that may arise from peer pressure. Pray that God will help them recognize truth, discern right from wrong, and make decisions that honor Him.
Trust God to put the right people in their lives this school year that will encourage them, build them up, and challenge them in their faith as they seek to follow Jesus.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. - Proverbs 27:17
Pray for Teachers and School Leaders
Even in the midst of a dark and secular world, praise God for Christian leaders who have answered His call to serve in our local schools. Pray for your kids’ teachers this school year and for the challenges they face daily from their students, families, and workplaces.
Ask God to give them wisdom when making hard decisions, for patience when dealing with difficult situations, and for the strength to endure a long (and sometimes mentally exhausting) school year.
Although they may face some limitations in this area, pray that God will give them the opportunity to have a profound spiritual impact on their students' lives. May they shine the light of Jesus and point their students to Him through all they say and do.
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. - 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Pray for Character and Integrity
Your kids have an incredible opportunity to point others to Jesus simply by the way they live. Character matters, and it is sadly lacking in our world today across all generations. In a self-centered and self-interested world, pray that your kids will shine a light on Jesus. Pray that they will be honest and responsible. Ask God to help them do their best in all aspects of life as they seek to glorify Him. Pray that they will exhibit Christlike behavior in all they do.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23
Pray for Gospel Opportunities
If your child has a personal relationship with Christ, ask God to give them opportunities to share their faith with others. Specifically, pray for boldness so that they would speak the truth to their lost friends with kindness and love. Pray that they will represent Christ well not only in their words but also in their actions. Ask God to draw others to Himself through the witness of your child this school year.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 5:16
If you have ever been blessed by the faithful and intentional prayers of others in your life, then you know how impactful it can be. Commit today to pray specifically and intentionally for your kids this school year. It does not have to be complicated. Just be faithful. Pray with your kids and pray over them. Let God work and move in and through their lives.
Next Week: Worship at Home
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Heavenly Father,
As our children return to school, we entrust them to Your loving care. Above everything else, draw their hearts to Jesus Christ. Give them a genuine hunger for Your Word, a desire to pray, and the courage to walk in truth. For those who do not yet know Christ personally, lovingly lead them to repentance and saving faith.
Strengthen them as they learn. When lessons are difficult, give them patience and perseverance. When they make mistakes, keep them from becoming discouraged. Help them remember that their worth is not determined by grades, accomplishments, popularity, or the opinions of others. They are precious because they were created in Your image and are deeply loved by You.
Provide godly friendships that will encourage them, sharpen their faith, and help them make wise decisions. Protect them from harmful influences, temptation, and destructive peer pressure. Teach them to be compassionate friends who notice the lonely, defend the vulnerable, and welcome those who feel forgotten.
Protect every child facing bullying, rejection, or isolation. Calm their anxiety, strengthen their courage, and surround them with trustworthy friends and caring adults. Soften the hearts of those who mistreat others, and replace cruelty with repentance, kindness, and understanding.
Guide children who are struggling with questions about identity. Guard them from confusion, shame, hostility, and despair. Help them understand that they are intentionally created in Your image, fully known by You, and deeply loved. Give Christian students the courage to remain faithful to biblical truth while treating every person with sincere kindness, patience, and dignity.
Strengthen teachers, administrators, counselors, and school leaders. Give them wisdom in difficult decisions, patience in exhausting circumstances, and compassion for every student entrusted to their care. Encourage Christian educators who may feel isolated or afraid. Give them gracious courage to uphold what is right and opportunities to reflect the character of Jesus through their words, conduct, and care for others.
Develop Christlike character within our children. Make them honest when dishonesty appears easier, responsible when others are careless, and kind when cruelty is rewarded. Produce within them the fruit of Your Spirit! Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Give those who know Christ opportunities to share their faith. Grant them boldness without arrogance, conviction without hostility, and compassion without compromise. May their words and actions consistently point others toward Jesus.
Strengthen us as parents and grandparents. Help us model the faith we desire to see in our children. Make our homes places of prayer, biblical truth, patient conversation, forgiveness, and unconditional love. Keep us actively involved in their lives, attentive to their struggles, and faithful in bringing them before You each day.
Lord Jesus, guard our children’s hearts and minds throughout this school year. Keep them close to You, help them walk in truth, and let their lives shine with Your grace and goodness.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
This was great. Love all of the prayers and will definitely be using this as a guide to help our family pray over our children and others. Thank you!