A Prayer to Lead Our Children Back to School - Your Daily Prayer - September 4
A Prayer to Lead Our Children Back to School
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these’” - Matthew 19:14
Listen or Read Below:
First-day back-to-school jitters are real. Oh, how I remember starting a new year with new teachers, fellow students, classes, with the feeling of uncertainty at the newness of it all mixed in with past years’ experience. Growing up we moved a lot, so I attended three different sixth grade classes in one year. Each one brought the first day jitters to my stomach with expectations of basically starting all over again with a new teacher, class structure, fellow students, new lunchroom rules, riding the bus, and more.
So, nowadays, when I see kids waiting in their new clothes, shoes, and backpacks for a new school year, it’s triggering, taking my stomach back to those first day of school jitters, all over again. As I walk or drive by students waiting for the bus or walking from schools, my heart nudges me to pray for them, even though I don’t know their names and grades, but just because they are there and God has given me the opportunity to pray for them.
No Prayer Allowed in School
Sadly, some groups have worked to try to keep us from praying for our children as they go to school, but although they have managed to keep teachers and school districts from openly leading students’ prayers in school, they can’t silence our prayers for our children. Those of us who pray know it can’t ever be kept out of schools, no matter how hard some try. God has given a direct line through Jesus Christ that no law or rule can ever take away from us.
Maybe their restrictions prevent us from shouting it in the school hallways and on the school buses, but we who pray know prayer is unstoppable and there is no ruling that can take it away from us. Founder and President of STAND (Staying True to America’s National Destiny), Bishop E. W. Jackson, states, “If prayer in schools was violative of the Constitution, why did it take nearly 200 years for the Supreme Court to figure that out? According to Pew Research, more than half of Americans believe that even teacher-led prayer in schools is permissible.”
Bishop Jackson writes, “The irony is that the banning of prayer was never a constitutional requirement. The decision not only changed the law, but changed the culture for the worse. It paved the way for another case handed down a year later banning Bible reading in school.”
Still, no court ruling can ever truly remove prayer from our schools or keep us from praying for students as they attend classes and extracurricular activities, or keep students from carrying the Word of God in their hearts. We as parents can teach our children what Psalm 119:11 teaches: “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
God calls us to pray for our children. As Lamentations 2:19 describes, “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at every street corner.”
Praying for our children as they go back to school is the most powerful practice we can do to prepare them for another school year, trusting God to hear, listen, and answer our prayers.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
We lift our voices with our prayers for our children as they return to another school year. Watch over them, we ask, protect them in their ways, guard their hearts and minds as they are introduced to new knowledge, let all they learn to be sifted through Your holy word, so that they might be able to recognize truth from error. Thank You for surrounding them with Your favor like a shield, and blessing them as they go into school and as they come out. Strengthen and help them to prosper and do well in all their studies and activities. Guide their steps and lead them to walk in Your ways, to seek to please You, and to glorify Your name in all they do. As Psalm 119:105 describes, let Your word be a lamp for their feet, and a light on their path.” Keep their hearts tender towards You and toward their parents and families.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/urbazon
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: Advent Meditations
This Advent season can be full and hurried, which is exactly why we need moments to pause and be still with God. So Much More is a podcast created to bring you space to be with God. In this short, guided prayer, you’ll return to Psalm 62:5–8, the passage from this week’s meditation on hope. Together, we’ll breathe deeply, rest in God’s presence, and ask Him to renew our hope—trusting that the One who came once will come again. If you like what you hear, subscribe to So Much More on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
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