Three Ways to Pray for Our Children This School Year

School started last week in Georgia. I’m not sure why the kids have to go back to school IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER, but whatever. I’m not in charge.

As I am contemplating the beginning of school, I have come up with three ways we can pray for our children this school year. (Obviously, there are many ways we can pray for our kids, but these three kept coming to mind over the past few days.)

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Pray for our children’s teachers. Scripture tells us in Luke 6:40 that “the student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” This can be a frightening thought, right? We need to pray that our children’s teachers exhibit integrity and compassion, wisdom and love because our children will tend to imitate them.

Let’s pray that our children’s teachers will have tremendous love for our kids; that they will see the whole child, not just their behaviors; and that they will have the stamina to persist each day. Teaching is a tough profession without much glamour or glory. Pray for these men and women that are spending hours each day with your children. They need to be encouraged as they live out their calling to instruct young minds.

Pray for our children’s minds.  Let’s pray that our children will keep their minds on things above (Col 3:2) even when they are tempted with things of this world. Peer pressure is real and it’s difficult to resist. And it begins at an early age. I want my children to have the mind of Christ so that they won’t become so well-adjusted to the culture (Rom 12:2) that they forget about the things of God. Let’s pray protection over their thought life and pray for wisdom to discern truth as they are exposed to new concepts and ideas.

Pray for our children’s hearts. Proverbs 4:23 tells us this: “Above all else, guard your heart; for everything you do flows from it.” Let’s pray that our children would have a pure heart and that they would delight in the Lord. Ask Him for protection from heartbreak and also for the ability to trust Christ in their disappointments. Petition the Lord so that they will not put their trust in other people or things but in Jesus Christ.

Kids are bombarded with so much these days. Honestly, we all are. Temptations to sin in new ways, to compare ourselves with others, and to become someone we’re not. We need to surround our children with a hedge of prayer protection each and every day.

Mamas, these are just three ways we can pray for our children. Let’s be diligent this year to lift our children up to the Lord. Because no one else loves them like we do.