Sometimes I get frustrated that the Bible gives us such little explicit instruction on the task of raising children. Honestly, there are few things that matter more than raising up the next generation to love the Lord. I have been a little weepy at the thought of my firstborn starting first grade this week. His love for life and zeal for God is amazing (and encourages me daily), but there is still so much I feel like we need to teach him.
As I was pondering all of this over the weekend, I began thinking about Jesus and how Mary must have felt when he was growing up. Obviously Jesus was the perfect Son of God and would never sin even in his youth…but I find comfort in knowing that even so, Mary and Joseph probably discussed the best ways to bring him up just like my husband and I do about our very imperfect children. The Bible tell us so little about Jesus’s childhood. But there is one tiny verse that encompasses the monumental years of his youth that I have been dwelling on:
“And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
-Luke 2:52
As school begins once again, this is the verse I am praying for my children, specifically for my oldest. It includes three of the most important aspects of a child’s life: mind, body, and spirit. Each of these aspects come with their own strengths and weaknesses, with obstacles and challenges to overcome in every facet of life.
In Wisdom
Lord, I pray that you will allow Caleb to grow in wisdom this year. I pray that he will learn everything he is expected to know academically. I pray that he will be successful in his studies and that he will be a diligent worker in what is asked of him. Most of all, Lord, I pray that you would allow Him to grow in YOUR wisdom. Help him to learn more about your character through his interactions with others. Help the scriptures and stories we have been sharing with him from your Word to be a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. Give us, his parents, the wisdom to help him discern between right and wrong in the situations he is faced with this year. Above all else, help him learn to love You more.
In Stature
Lord, I thank you for the lives of our children. I thank you that they are healthy. I pray that you will protect their bodies and help them to continue to grow strong. Protect them from illness and harm, Lord.
As school begins, I pray that Caleb will know that he is created in your image. I pray that he will know that is “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I pray that he will know that You created him exactly the way that you want him to be. At times, words from others can be cruel. Protect his heart and help him to rest in the truth that he is a priceless gift to us and, most importantly, to You…so much so that you sent your son for him.
In Favor with God and Man
Lord, I pray that you would allow Caleb to be a light for you. I pray that he would be obedient to his teachers and kind to his classmates. I pray that he will show kindness and compassion to everyone, but especially those who are treated poorly by others. Give him the strength to stand up for the outcasts. I pray that he will have integrity to do the right thing even when no one is looking. Help him to surround himself with people who will help him grow closer to you. I pray that he will be both a leader and a follower– a follower of yours but a leader for his peers. Help his words and actions to be pleasing to you.
All this I ask in the name of your son Jesus. Amen.
No matter whether your child will be attending public school, private school, or will be homeschooled, I think this prayer is all-encompassing for what we desire for our kids. And I fully realize I am asking God for a lot…I certainly don’t expect my children to be perfect. In fact, I need to pray much of this same prayer for myself. But this is what I most desire for the lives of my children.
When we place the well being of our children in God’s very capable hands through prayer, we are surrendering control to Him. I’m not sure there is anything else as equally scary, freeing, and comforting as this. All I know is that He is certainly more capable than I am!
PS- I thought I would create a printable scripture card for those of us who wish to consistently pray this prayer for our kids throughout the year. Stick it on your bathroom mirror or in the visor on your car…any place that you will see it regularly. There are 4 identical cards on a page…you can print one for yourself and give the others to friends/neighbors if you would like.
Click on the image below to access the printable file:
Is your child heading off to school soon? What else would you add to this prayer?
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One of the best ways you can prepare your children this year as they go back to school is through prayer. And praying Scripture over them is one of the most powerful ways to pray.
Here are five back to school prayers you can pray for your kids and grandkids:
Table of contents
1. Prayer for Peace
Lord, I pray that my kids (grandkids) will experience the peace of God this year that exceeds all understanding. I pray they will not worry about things they cannot control, but that You will guard their hearts and minds and keep them trusting in You. I pray they will not only enjoy the peace of God, but peace with God. I pray they will develop a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving as they look to You daily for their needs. I pray that You will give them the capacity for joy that bubbles up from Your peace.
(Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 5:1)
2. Prayer for Protection
Lord, I pray Your emotional, physical, and spiritual protection over my kids (grandkids). Keep evil far from them, and help them to trust You as their refuge and strength. I pray You will guard their minds from harmful instruction, and grant them discernment to recognize truth. I pray You will make them strong and courageous in the presence of danger, recognizing that You have overcome and will set right all injustice and wrong one day. Help them to find rest in Your shadow, as they live in the spiritual shelter You provide for them. Let them know that the only safe place is inJesus,and that their home on earth is only temporary.
(2 Thessalonians 3:3; Psalm 46:1; John 17:15; Psalm 91)
3. Prayer for Purity
Lord, I pray that You will create in my kids (grandkids) a clean heart and that You would constantly renew a right spirit within them, keeping their thoughts and actions pure and motivated by love. Guard them from temptation, and let them know You are always faithful to give them a way out and help to endure. May the words of their mouths and the meditations of their hearts always please you and edify others.
(Psalm 51:10; Matthew 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 19:14)
4. Prayer for Passion
Lord, I pray that my kids (grandkids) will develop a passion for the things of God. I pray they will hunger and thirst for You and Your Word and will love You with all of their heart, soul, and mind. Give them compassionate and generous hearts to love others as much as You love them. I pray they will always work and study with excellence, but that You will help them desire a servant spirit of greatness, rather than a worldly lust for success. I pray they will fall in love with Jesus over and over again.
(Psalm 42:1; Matthew 22:37-39; John 13:34-35)
5. Prayer for Perspective
Lord, I pray that my kids (grandkids) will develop an eternal perspective and purpose, not an earthly one. Help them to see life–and every challenge–through Your eyes, eager and unafraid to share with others the good news of Jesus wherever they go. I pray that they will set their minds on things above, not just what’s going on here, and that they will be rooted and grounded in Your love. I pray they will come to understand the extent of Your own love for them–that it surpasses all the head knowledge they will acquire in school. I pray they will be filled up with You from morning ’til night.
(Galatians 2:20; Matthew 28:18-20; Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:1-2; Ephesians 3:17-20)
Other Prayers for Your Kids
These are only sample prayers, and hopefully easy ones to remember. They are by no means exhaustive. Find your own Scripture promise or principle and pray those things daily for your kids or grandkids. But don’t confine your praying to the first few weeks of school. Your children and grandchildren need your prayers all year long–as long as you or they live. It’s the best protection You can give Your children or grandchildren! When we pray Scripture, God listens! And we can always know those prayers are in His will.
It’s Your Turn
What will you pray for your kids (grandkids) as they go back to school? Share your comments with us.
*For more from Rebecca, please visit www.rebeccabarlowjordan.com. To sign up for Rebecca’s new encouraging blog/newsletter, or to purchase her newest devotional books from Zondervan – Day-votions™ for Women, Day-votions™ for Mothers, and Day-votions™ for Grandmothers – please click here
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It’s that time of year again – time for us moms to buy our kids fresh new school supplies, time to purchase exciting new curriculum and books for the upcoming school year, and don’t forget that amazing new fall wardrobe that will be way too warm to wear for another couple of months. 😀
These are just a few of the basic essentials that our children need when heading back to school – whether it’s homeschool, public school, or private school.
But let’s not forget the most important essential for our kids: prayer.
Nothing can take the place of a mother covering her children in prayer on a consistent basis.
James 5:16 (AMP) says, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man {or mom} makes tremendous power available – dynamic in its working.”
Whose prayers will be more earnest and heartfelt for your children than your own?
A couple of years ago, I wrote the following Scripture-based prayers to help moms (and dads) pray over their children. (Homeschool moms, if you’d like the whole shebang, then click here for the Ultimate List of Prayers for Your Homeschool.)
Whether you educate your children at home or send them off to school each day, the following prayers will be a good starting point.
10 Back-to-School Prayers for Your Kids
Please Note: This is not a legalistic list of prayers you must pray every day. Instead, it is meant to give you a scripturally sound springboard for praying over your own kids.
Remember that the Greater One lives inside you (1 John 4:4). He knows your children and the situations they face each day, and He has all the answers. Never ever ignore or disregard His leading, His wisdom, or His inspiration by praying out of your own knowledge and mental ability. Always acknowledge His lordship and guidance.
Take these scriptural prayers, along with the leading of the Holy Spirit, and pray them over your children as often as you feel led.
1. Learning
Father, I pray that You help our children to grasp hold of what they need to know and learn. I ask You to give them the aptitude for understanding and wisdom. Thank You that they have the mind of Christ and that their memory is blessed. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Daniel 1:17, 20 AMP; 1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV; Proverbs 10:7 KJV)
2. Knowledge & Understanding
Father, I ask You to help my children become well versed in every branch of learning, gifted with knowledge and good sense, and to be quick to understand. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Daniel 1:4 NLT, NKJ)
3. Wisdom & Discernment
Father, I pray that my children become skillful in all wisdom and discernment, and competent to stand and serve in places of leadership and authority. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Daniel 1:4 AMP)
4. Ability
Father, I ask You to give my children ability, understanding, intelligence, and knowledge. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Exodus 31:3 AMP)
5. Favor
Father, just as Jesus grew in favor with You and with man, I ask that my children would grow in favor with You and with man. I thank You that they are surrounded with Your favor everywhere they go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Luke 2:52 NIV; Psalm 5:12 NIV)
6. Strength
Father, I pray that my children will realize and understand that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Philippians 4:13 KJV)
7. Peace
Father, I pray that all my children will be disciples taught of You and obedient to Your will, and that their peace and undisturbed composure will be great. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Isaiah 54:13 AMP)
8. No Fear
Father, I ask you to help my children realize that You have not given them a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)
9. Safety & Protection
Father, I thank You that my children dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. You are their refuge, their fortress, their God, in You will they trust. No evil shall befall them, neither shall any plague come near their dwelling. You give Your angels charge over them to keep them in all their ways. They call upon You and You answer them. You are with them in trouble and deliver them. With long life You satisfy them and show them Your salvation! In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Psalm 91 KJV)
10. Godly Friendships/Relationships
Father, I ask You for godly, loyal friends for my children. Friends who love purity, who are pure in heart, and gracious in speech, friends that will sharpen them and love them at all times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Proverbs 17:17 KJV, NLT; Proverbs 22:11 AMP; Proverbs 27:17 KJV)
Want more prayers to pray over your kids? Click here.
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Wondering how you can pray for your kids as we head back to school and all throughout the school year? Start with these 4 critical back-to-school prayers.
A new school year is right around the corner, and we are potentially facing some big changes for our family.
Like you, I want my kids to transition well into a new school year. I want my kids to love learning, to excel in their endeavors, and have an enjoyable year. I want my kids to like their teacher and get along well with other kids. I want them to have ease and safety and be A-okay.
I really do want my kids to have an easy life — so much so, that sometimes I forget the importance of allowing my kids to experience natural consequences, the growth that comes through facing life’s struggles, and the satisfaction of success after failure.
The protective Mama in me wants to control my children’s circumstances and grant them a trouble-free year, but far more than that, I desire God’s plans for my children, even if that means unexpected circumstances, unwanted struggles, and new experiences.
I don’t want to control or manipulate, demand or impose. I might think I know what is best for my children, but God is the One who sees their hearts and knows their feelings. He is the One who understands them better than they do themselves and loves them more deeply than I ever can. He has a plan, and He knows what He is doing.
God has a plan for my children — for their good and His glory, and I want to join God in the work HE is doing in my children’s hearts and lives.
As parents, it is so important to cover our children in prayer. As we transition into a new school year, I will be praying over these 4 critical areas in our kids’ lives.
4 critical areas of prayer for our children as they head back to school this fall
Faith
One of my deepest desires is for God to be working in the hearts of my kids, drawing them to Himself, compelling them by His love, convicting them of wrong, comforting them through struggles, strengthening them in all of life’s varied circumstances. I desire for my children to know and walk in the truth!
For two of my kids, that means that I pray regularly for their salvation first, and then, along with my other two, I pray that my children will know they are loved and live a life of love (Ephesians 5:1-2). I also pray for my kids to know, love, and obey God’s Word and that they will be sensitive and responsive to the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.
One of my deepest longings for my children comes from Ephesians 4 —
- Prayer: By the riches of Your glory, Lord, strengthen ______ with power through Your Spirit in her inner being so that You may dwell in her heart through faith. May she continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and may she be rooted and grounded in love, knowing the extravagant dimensions of Your love for her, this love that surpasses understanding, and may______ be filled with all the fullness of You! (Ephesians 4:16-19, 2 Peter 3:18)
Character
Good character comes through training and practice, and we work toward that in our family, but more than having “good” kids or moral human beings, I want my kids to be changed from the inside out! I so desire God’s Spirit to transform the hearts and lives of my kids, making His fruit evident in their lives as they remain in Him.
- Prayer: This is my prayer, God: that ______’s love will abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that he may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. May ______ not look at the things that man looks at, but open his eyes to see the world through Your eyes and respond to it with Your wisdom and love. May ______ trust in you with all of his heart, not relying on his own understanding but acknowledging You in all his ways and walking the straight paths You have prepared for him. (Philippians 1:9-11, 1 Samuel 16:7, Proverbs 3:5-6)
Relationships
Our relationships with others affect our hearts and our minds — our very lives, in fact. We pray for our children to have healthy relationships, and we must guard carefully the influences to which we submit. There are times, however, when we have little choice over those who are in authority over us or our children. In those times, especially, we must pray specifically that our kids will be protected, discerning, and cling to truth.
- Prayer: Lord, I pray that ______ will show proper respect to everyone. Strengthen her and help her to love others, fear You, and honor those in authority over her. But, Lord, protect ______, too. Don’t let any teacher or authority figure take her captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Rather may ______ be discerning and destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (1 Peter 2:17, Colossians 2:8, 2 Corinthians 10:5)
Pray with us as we make our children’s friendships a matter of prayer, too!
Safety
We all want our kids to be safe, but even more than I desire physical safety for my children, I long for spiritual safety. I want my kids to be saved by the blood of Jesus and to walk through all of life’s circumstances with Him.
In this world, my kids will have trouble (John 16:33). They will face disappointments and challenges and temptations, and even persecution. Of course I want my kids to be safe physically, and I do pray regularly for their physical safety, but even more so, I want my kids to be saved and to know the presence, peace and power of our Savior Jesus Christ as they walk through these challenges.
- Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you have redeemed ______ and called him by name. He is Yours! When______ passes through the waters — through ups and downs and struggles and suffering, through disappointments and betrayals and bullies and pressures, through insecurities and fears and temptations and heartbreak — be with him! When he passes through the rivers, do not let them sweep over him. When he walks through the fire, do not let him be burned. May ______ take refuge in YOU and be glad. Let him ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over my boy, that he may rejoice in you! (Isaiah 43:1-2, Psalm 5:11)
We have an incredible opportunity to strengthen and support our kids by praying for them! Join us as we pray God’s Word for our kids daily through the month of September.
Praying with you!
Make sure to join us as we pray Scripture daily for our kids throughout the month of September!
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