A Back To School Prayer

My youngest daughter started High School this week. And just like on the first day of kindergarten, I cried. But amidst all the snot and tears I realized that I was not simply crying because my baby has grown up. Some of those tears were shed out of fear. Just plain fear. Fear of what she’ll be faced with inside those educational walls this year.

It seems that I just keep hearing more and more about the things being taught in our public schools that go against our Christian morals and values.  Public educators are being expected to stifle their Christian viewpoints and teach our children from a worldly perspective on issues such as gender identity,  sexual preferences, discrimination, and evolution. And those are only a sample of the issues being addressed either directly or indirectly in our public school systems today.

But let’s be honest, everywhere they turn, they are faced with these issues and more often than not, they are being exposed to a worldview that is vastly different from the Christian worldview.  We won’t ever be able to completely shelter them from that.  So what do we do?

No, I’m not saying to actually homeschool your kids.  Although that is a great option for some, it’s not for others.  And even if you do homeschool your kids- unless you completely remove them from social media, television, and society in general- you can not keep them from being exposed to it all.   So, again,  what do we do?

Teach them the values and the morals of the Christian faith. Show them what God says and where He says it in the Bible. Empower them with knowledge that they may stand firm in their beliefs and not be swayed by the wanderings of this world.  And most importantly-

1. Pray for your child to have wisdom and discernment.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (Romans 12:2)

2. Pray for your child to be surrounded by like-minded Christian friends and teachers.

(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

3. Pray for your child to stand firm in his/her beliefs and to be a great example to others.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

4. Pray for your child’s safety and protection from those who are in opposition to our faith.

“The Lord will keep you from all harm- He will watch over your life;  the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7-8)

Heavenly Father, we lift our children up to you as they return to school.  Lord, first and foremost, we know that our children are Your children and that  You love them even more than we do. And although we can’t be with them at all times- You, God, are.  We ask that you keep Your hand of protection over them and that You would be that still small voice that leads, guides, and directs them each day.  Lord, we ask that You would surround them with a strong group of like-minded peers and teachers that will support and encourage them in Your ways. Lord, we pray that You will energize them and strengthen them to withstand the attacks of the enemy and to let their faith shine through as an example of You. Lord, help them to be able to discern the ways of the world vs the ways of the Lord. Allow them to be Your hands and feet in our school system and in our world and protect them as they go. Help us, Father, as parents and loved ones to be alert and attentive to the influences in our children’s lives. Help us to lead, guide, and direct our children in Your ways both in our words and our actions. We ask these things in Jesus’s precious, holy name.