Back to school prayers for your child

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7, ESV]

It’s the time of year when kids return to school. For any parent, it’s natural to worry about your child’s wellbeing. Childhood is a pivotal time for learning, growing, and establishing important socialization skills—and much of this is accomplished through their schooling.

When your child goes back to school, remember that we have an all-powerful God who loves and cares for our children far beyond what we can even imagine. It’s important to connect with God and bring our praises, worries, and requests to Him—to provide us with much-needed peace and to equip our children with what they need to prosper.

Here’s a prayer to pray over your children for the upcoming school year:

God, I’m so grateful to you for the gift of my child(ren). It’s such a joy to be their parent, and it’s a blessing to see them flourish into who You’ve created them to be. Please protect them as they face inevitable hardships, that they would lean on You when they encounter stress and anxiety. I pray that they would keep Your word in their heart and that it would serve as a shield from anything that would do them harm.

Please reveal to them ways that they can love and uplift their fellow students; help them be the voice of Jesus to their peers. And if they see others behaving in an unloving way, I pray that they will stand up for truth, that they would not give into peer pressure, and that they would display the love of Christ in each moment. Amen.