Back To School Includes Prayer

It’s that time of year again! Our children are heading back to school. A new school year, a new beginning. School bells are ringing and yellow buses are running their routes. Whether our children are just starting kindergarten, entering high school, or leaving the nest for college, our hearts and hopes go with them. Many students, teachers and school personnel are now returning to the classrooms while others won't be at their desks until after Labor Day. Many families spend the end of summer preparing for a new school year. Buying new clothes and school supplies and finding out about new classrooms and teachers are all part of the excitement. Family discussions about safety issues can help prepare students to face the many dangers they may face and prayer should be in those preparations.

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I believe that it is very important to pray over our children as they start their new school year. I remember affectionally waking up in the middle of the night with my father covering us in prayer. The Bible teaches and Christians believe that prayers asking God for protection and guidance are essential when preparing for an unknown future. King David, writer of many of the Psalms, spent much of his life in perilous conditions. David attributed his survival to God as expressed in Psalms.

Christian prayers are conversations between God and Christ-followers. Christians believe that God is always listening.  Often children are comfortable praying to God, especially if they are young and have heard their parents pray. They don't worry about getting the words right or saying something wrong. You should encourage your children to make up their own prayers, and just talk to God as they would talk to their friends. Forcing a reluctant child to pray is not usually helpful. Instead, a parent can pray for the child as he or she listens. Remind students of the belief that prayer help is available immediately, no matter where they are or what is happening. 

There are so many negative influences out there and we have to remain prayerful and active in our children’s lives. Christians must remember that asking God for protection should not be seen as putting on a magic cloak of invincibility; children should be reminded of this point. It is not wise to go blindly and stupidly into perilous situations with an arrogant attitude because of faith in God’s protection.

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A Christian parent may find it helpful to discuss the instructions Jesus gave his disciples when he sent them out on journeys to share the good news. He said, "Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. Don't be naive.” Matt 10:16-17a (The Message)

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Intercessory Prayer

Heavenly Father, I come to You in Jesus Christ’s Holy Name praying that you be with every child that is returning back to school this year. Protect them as they wait at the bus stop, ride the bus, travel by car, or walk to school. Keep them safe from dangers seen and unseen. Help our school crossing guards and bus drivers to remain attentive on their jobs. Give our children favor with their teachers and help them to pay attention in class. Let this be their best year yet.

Be with our children’s teachers this year. Help them to teach in ways that each student can understand. Let them have reasonable expectations of our children and give them patience whenever their patience is running low. Bless the teachers with administrative support whenever needed. Today, I ask for Your presence to surround our school, the buses, and the sidewalks our children will walk. Give teachers and school leaders wisdom and patience. Protect my children’s minds, bodies and souls from any harm and may we trust that You are always with them. 

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I ask You to loose your angels into our homes, school buses, schools, and playgrounds to force out all of satan’s demonic spirits and strongmen and to force them to go wherever You wish to send them. Heavenly Father, I ask You to cover their classmates, teachers, principal, school, home, playground, and family with the protective blood of Jesus Christ. I ask You to loose Your angels around them to protect and guard them from the enemy.  

I ask You Lord Jesus Christ to loose Your angels into our schools and force out, drive out all foul, wicked, demon, tormenting, lying, hindering, seducing, perverse, familiar, unclean spirits, and demonic strongmen. I ask You Lord Jesus to send them back to the pit to never return. I apply the Blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth over the schools. Lord I ask You to render powerless, harmless, destroy the power of the enemy, any strongmen, any demonic spirit, messenger of satan, witchcraft prayers or curses that tries to enter into the presence of anybody, and anything our schools. I ask Lord Jesus that any evil spirits that has a right to be there due to the sin of someone else, that those evil things be bound to that person unable to transfer, influence, or manifest, until they either repent, are delivered or leave this place, in Jesus Christ Holy Name.

Help our children to stand against peer pressure. Empower them to make decisions that will be pleasing in your sight. Surround them with good friends that are positive influences. Keep drugs and alcohol out of their reach. Help our children to keep their hormones in check, avoiding sex before marriage. Protect our children from bullies and those that mean them harm. Help them to work out their problems instead of fighting with each other.

And finally Lord, help the parents to be even more supportive of their children this year. Strengthen us as parents with discernment so that we know what is going on with our children. Help us to keep them on track with their homework and study time. Provide for us financially so that we can allow our children to go on field trips, buy school yearbooks and pictures, have appropriate clothing for the seasons, school supplies, or whatever else our children need to enhance their educational experience. Give us favor on our jobs so that we may be able to attend activities that our children may have during the work day. Remind us of the need to pray daily for our children.

And most importantly, Lord, may we as a family be drawn closer to Your Son who in his great wisdom and love  gave Himself for all that we might have life more abundantly. All these things we ask in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen