It’s Back To School time! As parents, grandparents, guardians, friends and others in the community, we begin a new school year with many concerns, apprehensions, and hopes. What better way to begin this school year than to begin in prayer? Here is a Back to School Prayer Guide to help you both now and throughout the school year. This prayer guide is general enough to fit all types of education (public, private, co-ops, college, homeschool).

We once again begin a new school year with some COVID-19 concerns. Thankfully, in most places, the concern is just over the persistent virus and not on all the requirements from state and local governments. Each of us wonders the impact it continues to make on our children, parents, parent-educators, educators, and schools. Who knows what the next nine months will bring; however, we want to continue to pray for this issue. The fear associated with it and the potential frustration of another year with uncertainty concern us. We want to pray that people will trust God even in the midst of this continued pressure.

Under each category below in the Back to School Prayer Guide, the bullet points contain prayer requests or starters for you.

STUDENTS (FOR ALL STUDENTS GENERALLY, ESPECIALLY GRADES K-5):

• Desire to honor God above all else
• Sweet attitude toward others
• Submissive spirit toward authority
• Patience and understanding with others
• Choosing to follow God rather than follow others
• Best effort for God’s glory
• Self-control
• Discerning heart for truth (versus non-truth)
• Godly friend choices
• Being a good influence on their friends
• Protection and safety (including physical and spiritual)
• COVID-19 Complications as they occasionally persist

JUNIOR HIGH (MIDDLE SCHOOL) AND HIGH SCHOOL:

• Desire to honor God and walk consistent with their faith, to walk worthy
• An awareness of being an ambassador of Christ
• Developing godly friendships and relationships
• Wisdom
• Resist temptation and a desire for purity (both in thoughts, online and sexually)
• Respond well to pressure and hardships (academics, relationships, tests)
• Transitions (from building to building, changing schools, changing districts)
• Safety (at school, during athletics, while driving)
• Respect their teachers and authority in school
• To stand for righteousness while submitting to authority
• Focus on academics as they prepare for life
• Be committed to sharing the Gospel as they have opportunities
• Accept the learning process as part of God’s plan for their life
• COVID-19 Complications as they occasionally persist

TEACHERS:

• Wisdom in preparation (content, time management, various delivery methods)
• Graciousness toward students (poor attitudes, disobedient, disrespectful, when sinned against)
• Patience with strugglers (with getting the content, with life in general)
• Handle stress in a godly manner (as it builds up throughout the year)
• Purity with other teachers (friendships, attitude)
• Choosing to be a mentor to the children as the children watch them
• Kindness, tenderheartedness, and love
• Provide them an eye and heart for the strugglers
• Ambassadors of Christ wherever they are
• COVID-19 Complications as they occasionally persist

ADMINISTRATORS:

• Respond godly to authority (the school board, other administrators, head masters, legislature, Department of Education)
• Lead by godly example
• Exhibit servant leadership
• Engage others with general grace
• Empathy with parents
• Respond to the pressure from various constituents
• Wisdom related to curriculum (common core debate, state standards, etc)
• Compassion for district and school families and the hurting
• Patience in the many different situations
• Christ-centered perspective as they lead
• Team spirit in regard to parents, guardians, and grandparents
• COVID-19 Complications as they occasionally persist

PARENTS:

• Awareness of God’s grace
• Wisdom and discernment with what’s going on in the child’s life
• Develop and model a heart for Christ
• Wisdom to build opportunities to get into the child’s life
• Awareness of the voices of influence in the child’s life
• Ability and discernment to help the child critique culture
• To know when and how to engage the child
• Godly response to authority (school, government, teachers, coaches, etc.)
• COVID-19 Complications as they occasionally persist (fear, disruptions, attitude)