Prayer for Students – Why is it important?
Prayer for students is vitally important in culture today. School campuses are full of temptation and negative influences targeting students. Prayer is a way to influence students to make wise choices and excel in their studies.
There are many topics in the curriculum that will impact their decision making for years to come. Our youth and young adults approach a time of their lives where they will make significant decision about careers, marriage, children, and other life choices.
Can we live without prayer? No. We need communication with God. He can do anything without man, but He will not because He created us to love Him and love others. He establishes His kingdom through us by prayer. Prayer is one way to build our faith and expectations of His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Prayer can greatly impact students’ lives, faith, and outlook on their future.
Prayer for Students – What do I pray?
In my prayer for students, what do I pray for? Get to know students who are in your family, neighborhood, and church. As you interact with them, you will realize the problems and situations that they face. Here are some suggestions for how to pray for them:
- Many struggle with classes or courses. Pray for wisdom as they listen to lectures and complete homework. Pray for good recall during testing.
- Pray for students as they encounter philosophies or theories that are contrary to their beliefs.
- Pray that their parents will provide good guidance and help them make wise decisions.
- The financial burden of tuition and books is costly. Ask God to provide for their needs.
- Pray for those who struggle with balancing a job and class attendance.
- Pray for students to have accountability and encouragement from a group of Christians.
- Pray that God lead them into a relationship with Him and strengthen their faith.
- Follow the guidance given in the Bible. These verses can be prayed for students.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing” (Philippians 2:14-16).
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
Prayer for Students – How do I pray?
How can I implement prayer for students on a regular basis? Here are some practical suggestions.
- Prayer walk on campus – Consider having a prayer walk around the school or university in your community. These campuses usually have parking areas and streets near them. That’s a great place to start. Walk around the area while praying for the students who attend. Pray for success in their studies, for them to make good choices, and to say no to temptation. Pray also for the professors, teachers, and administration.
- Prayer Team – Other Christians may be interested in praying for students in your local area. Think about starting a weekly prayer team for your school.
- Influence specific students – Email short prayers to students you already know. Encourage them in their studies and ask them for ways you can pray for them.
Prayer for students is essential. You have an important role in their lives. Many students leave their faith during these crucial years. With your prayers, their spiritual lives could be enhanced and remain strong.
Learn More!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
– We have all
sinned
and deserve God’s judgment.
God
, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.
Jesus
, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He
died
for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was
buried
, and
rose from the dead
according to the
Bible
. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your
Savior
, declaring, “
Jesus is Lord
,” you will be saved from
judgment
and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today I am deciding to follow JesusYes, I am already a follower of JesusI still have questions
www.allaboutprayer.org
School is an important agent of change in the social, emotional, and spiritual growth of your child. It will bring a host of new influences, opportunities, and temptations for your student. They will meet new friends, be affected by new teachers, and be exposed to new influences both for good and bad.
It’s a sad truth, but many schools and teachers are no longer supportive of traditional Christian values. Some schools are even hostile toward Christians.
Even when our children attend Christian schools, they are still exposed to influences from other students.
The truth is, every day you send your student out into a war zone. Schools are spiritual battlegrounds where a Christian student’s faith is challenged daily. There is no question that Satan targets our Christian students when they are away at school.
If you were to send your son or daughter off to war or deployment, you would pray for their safety, protection, and strength every day.
Every day your student faces temptations, attacks, and challenges that test their commitment to the Lord. Satan is doing everything in his power to destroy your student. The Bible says he comes to kill, steal and destroy. Whether you like it or not, your student is in the cross hairs of the kingdom of darkness.
Their only hope is to continually draw on the strength that God has provided. As a parent, it is your responsibility to continually support your student through prayer.
They need your prayer, encouragement, and support.
Unfortunately, because our students are just going down the road to the high school or middle school, we tend to forget the danger and spiritual battle still exists. However, your student still desperately needs your prayers.
We Know We Should Be Praying,
But How Can We Do It Daily, and Effectively?
How many times have you sat in church or gone to a meeting and made a commitment to pray for your student daily? You raised your hand or signed a card, but it seemed within just a few days you had failed.
- You forgot to pray.
- You got distracted.
- You prayed the same thing every day, so you stopped.
Take the 31 day Praying for Students Challenge
Praying for Students was designed to help you pray more consistently and effectively for your child.
Praying for Students is provided without cost to you, by the “National Prayer Room.”
When you sign up for Praying for Students you will:
- Learn how to pray for your student every day for 31 days.
- Pray 31 different scriptures for your student.
- Be reminded via e-mail to pray for your student every day.
- Receive 31 sample prayers to help get you started.
- Develop the habit of praying daily for your child.
Praying for Students is made available free of charge through the National Prayer Room. The National Prayer Room is a prayer ministry encouraging prayer in the life of believers and mobilizing Christians to pray for spiritual awakening.
Hundreds of men and women have gone through the companion “Praying for Her/Him” programs. We are excited to offer this new prayer program for parents and student leaders.
When you sign up for Praying For Students you will receive a daily email which includes:
- A specific topic to pray for your student.
- A scripture verse related to the topic you can claim.
- A short description of the topic.
- A sample prayer.
- A message you can copy and paste, telling your child you are praying for him/her today.
Table of contents
Sign up is easy and free. Use the sign up form
to the right to begin receiving Praying For Students
(If you have difficulty using the sign up form, you can email your information to [email protected])
prayingforstudents.com
Praying before and during a test can help overcome test anxiety. Test anxiety affects everyone depending on how much pressure is felt to make a good grade. Test anxiety can range from mild to severe. When test anxiety is severe, studies show that students receive scores lower than those of other students who do not feel nervous, physically ill or distracted during a test. Test anxiety can occur in school, in college or in the work place.
Here is a prayer for you that can be prayed before the test and also has short, one-sentence prayers that can be prayed during the test to help you feel calmer and more focused.
Test Anxiety Prayer Using Scriptures
Repeat the following Scripture to begin the prayer:
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23 NIV
Lord, I thank you that you know my heart and my thoughts. I thank you that you are the Good Teacher and that You do not need to test me in high pressure situations where I’m nervous about whether I’ll be able to perform well. Instead you know my true talents, my character and my capabilities. You know the hours of study I have put in and you know how well I understand the material for the upcoming test. It comforts me that you know my anxious thoughts and take them into account. I open myself up to you and your complete knowledge of everything I think and worry about.
I pray that during the test if I begin to feel anxious that you will remind me to pray, “Lord, you know my thoughts and my true capabilities.”
As I pray this with confidence, I will do it based on the truth you tell me in the Bible about how well you know my thoughts:
“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139:2
I pray that if during the test of my mind seems to go blank that you will remind me to pray: “Lord, remind me of everything I need to remember.”
As I pray this with confidence, I will do it based on the truth you tell me in the Bible about your ability to remind me of all things:
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 NIV
I pray that if during the test I begin experiencing physical symptoms of nerves like a headache or feeling sweaty and anxious that you will remind me to pray: “Lord, heal all of my diseases.”
As I pray this with confidence, I will do it based on the truth you tell me in the Bible about your ability to heal my body.
“God forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Psalm 103:3 NIV
I pray that if during the test I become so wrapped up in distractions either inside my head or outside as I watch the clock or compare myself to other students who seem to be breezing through the test that you will remind me to pray, “Lord, keep my mind on track.”
As I pray this with confidence, I will do it based on the truth you tell me in the Bible about your ability to help us keep our minds focused.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3
I pray that if I get a test result back where test anxiety caused me to make a grade that doesn’t reflect my mastery and knowledge of the subject, I pray that you will give me the courage and wisdom as to whether to speak with my teacher, professor or supervisor about the problems I experienced. Please guide me whether to ask for advice on earning extra credit or getting help on study habits or test taking skills and strategies. I will pray, “Lord, show me how to recover and be restored.”
As I pray this with confidence, I do it based on the truth that you are a God of second chances, based on what the Bible says about your ability to redeem and restore.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” I Peter 5:10
Most of all, I thank you that no matter what my hopes, dreams, challenges and fears are, the closer I become to you and the more I learn to depend on you, the more confident I will become that you are there with me in all stressful situations of my life.
Amen.
Research on Test Anxiety behind this Prayer
This prayer covers what researchers term the 3 dimensions of test anxiety:
Worrying about failing the test
The actual physical sensations you might feel during the test that are symptoms of your anxiety (examples heart beating faster, palms sweating)
Distractions during the test that are often nervous habits that cause you to lose focus
Useful treatments include therapy that helps you overcome negative thought patterns that are interfering with your ability to perform well on tests. Also, there are classes and groups to help you become more confident in your study skills and testing skills.
Experts are currently looking into the problem of test anxiety and its causes. For instance, studies on the topic of math anxiety show nearly half of all Americans suffer from a feeling that they are not “good” at math. According to Jo Boaler, professor of mathematics education at Stanford University, this probably originates from the timed test drills in elementary school where you must quickly write down the answers to addition or multiplication problems. Educators are now discovering that this causes students to simply memorize facts without really understanding the concept of the mathematical principles. Understanding and appreciating these principles is crucial later on in higher math which is conceptual in nature. Making matters worse, brain researchers have also found that under pressure, memorized facts become blocked by the testing worries, causing the students to lose confidence in their abilities.
Other Helpful Links
Final exam prayer with scriptures
College stress prayer strategy
Finding your personal meditation and prayer place at college
Overcoming procrastination prayer
Anxiety calming prayer
Fear of public speaking prayer
Copyright Karen Barber 2014. All rights reserved.
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