5 Prayers to Pray Over Your Kids Before School
This morning marked a huge milestone in the Ryan House – our oldest son, Gideon, started Kindergarten!
I’ve been through all of the typical emotions that moms have when they drop off their “babies” at school for the first time, but the truth is, I’ve been a bit nervous about this all summer. Until now, I’ve been able to keep Gideon in this safe, secure, protected bubble in which the only outside influences he’s had on his life have been through family members or church friends. So there’s a part of me that halfway expects him to come home from his first day outside the safe bubble (you know, public school!) cussing like a sailor, fighting with his brother, and asking about sex.
Irrational. Illogical. Dramatic… I know. But it’s still enough to make a first-time school mom hesitate.
But rather than allow these irrational fears to fester, I’ve spent the last few months trying to channel them into something productive instead. Yes, we have to let our children go. Yes, parenting is a journey in which you guide another individual toward independence. But thankfully, God gives us instructions on how we should do this.
You (and I) don’t have to send our children out into the scary world of public school empty-handed. In fact, there are two essential things we can send with them, and here’s what makes them so powerful: they’re both weapons!
Have you ever seen this sign at a school before:
Well, just disregard it! Because weapons are exactly what your child needs!
“Take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Eph. 6:17-18)
When Paul talks about the Armor of God in Ephesians 6, he mentions two offensive weapons that every believer is to equip himself with:
- The Word of God.Â
- Prayer
We need to equip our children with these weapons as well, and one of the best, most practical ways to do this is by praying God’s Word over your child.
So here are five ready-made prayers straight from Scripture that you can use to pray over your child. I suggest doing this out loud, in the presence of your child, so that he or she can hear you praying. This can be done at bedtime the night before school, or in the morning on your way to school. You can also repeat these prayers on your own throughout the day.
(Note that the prayers include verses of praise in addition to requests for blessings. This was very intentional. By hearing you praise God for who He is, your child will not only learn more about God, he/she will be more likely to develop a spirit of praise and thanksgiving him/herself. To use the prayers, simply insert your child’s name in the blank and specify the correct gender.)
Blessings to you and your kiddos!
MONDAY
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you, Lord, that you are near to all who call on you in truth. You fulfill the desires of those who fear you; you hear their cries and save them. Thank you God for watching over all who love you (Psalm 145:18-20) Now I pray that ___ would not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, that he/she would present his/her requests to you, God. And I pray that your peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard his/her heart and mind in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7) For you, o Lord, are righteous in all your ways and faithful in all you do. May our mouths speak in praise of you, and may every creature praise your holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:17, 21) Amen.
TUESDAY
Dear God,
Thank you that you understand the way to wisdom. You alone know where it dwells, for you view the ends of the earth and see everything under the heavens. (Job 28:23-24) So if ___ lacks wisdom, I pray that he/she would ask you, God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him/her. But when he/she asks, I pray that he/she would believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6) Now we praise you, Lord, for blessed are those who fear you and who find great delight in your commands. (Psalm 112:1) Amen.
WEDNESDAY
Dear Lord,
Walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Our souls yearn for you in the night, and in the morning our spirits long for you. (Isa 26:8-9) With this in mind, I constantly pray for ___, that you may make him/her worthy of your calling, and that by your power you may bring to fruition his/her every desire for goodness and his/her every deed prompted by faith. I pray this so that the name of your son, our Lord Jesus, may be glorified in him/her, and he/she in you, according to your grace. (2 Thes. 1:11-12) Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, to you, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Tim. 1:17)
THURSDAY
Dear God,
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you and who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. (Psalm 89:14-15) And this is my prayer for ___: that his/her love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that he/she may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of you, God. (Phil. 1:9-11) For we rejoice in your name all day long and celebrate your righteousness. You are our glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn. (Psalm 89:16-17) Amen.
FRIDAY
Dear Heavenly Father,
Our frames were not hidden from you when we were made in the secret place, when we were woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw our unformed bodies, and all the days ordained for us were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:15-16) Thank you for creating ___. I pray that no one would look down on him/her because he/she is young. Instead, I pray that he/she would set an example for the other believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Tim. 4:12) For you created his/her inmost being; you knit him/her together in his/her mother’s womb. We praise you because we are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14) Amen.
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Reblogged this on Femmes Faithful and commented:
Femmes Faithful loves this helpful prayer post for guarding and bathing our children in prayer 5 days a week before school. Great spiritual hygiene, if you ask us!! Enjoy. Put it to the test!
O Father, builder of character & courage, may my grandchildren grow strong in the light of your love. Grant them courage to stand for what is right, to guard the truth & to ensure justice in every aspect of life. May they boldly grow in grace, revere your name & proudly proclaim you as the Lord of lords & King of kings. Amen
Emily. I can rememeber, just like it was yesterday, when I dropped Rick off for his first day of kindergarten. After I took him in, I left then circled the block thinking, “I’ll just go back in & get him”. But, alas, I did not. It was a “tad bit” easier with the 2nd one & then just a “tiny bit” easier with the 3rd one. But even in the ups & downs of my life what I DID do was PRAY over them every day &……….I still do to this day. It is the VERY best we can give & do for them. Keep up the great work!!!!!!!!
Prayer is the key, the thing that makes all the difference in the world. I too prayed for my boys and, funny but I thought I was the only one who wanted to go back and get my child after dropping them off at school. My son’s are wonderful men who went though many pains and sorrows because of the bad choices my husband and I made as we were raising them. I did one thing right though and that was to pray and pray constantly. God answered every prayer. One son is a pastor and the other has his Masters in OT. They both love the Lord and have God fearing wives and wonderful children who all have accepted Christ. Now I pray for my grands and DILs as well as my sons. God answers prayer and I know my boys would have joined in a lot more evils of the world growing up, had I not kept them in constant prayer. Good to hear of another Mom who prayed and knows God answers.
Thank you Sue! Praying grandmas are the heart of the family! Yours is blessed to have you!
There is a better way…Like Deut 6 says, you can teach them when they wake up, when you walk along the way with them, when they sit, when they lie down…train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Our dear Pastor taught us well that to send our children off to be taught by unbelievers, with ungodly curriculum, and hope for the best is at best, not wise. I am so thankful that when I sent my first one off to kindergarten and felt bad, I did go get her, and raised her and her four siblings in the fear of the Lord, and are they ever ‘oaks of righteousness’ now as adults. It’s been hard but my Daddy taught me hard work pays off. He was right of course. He also said, you get what you pay for. By being willing to pay the price to home disciple our children we made lots of sacrifices but what we see in their lives, well I’d do it all over again. While it was so scary the first year, knowing that God called me to this high calling as wife and mother, equipped me to go the distance. I really got to see firsthand the faithfulness of God, and How he engineered circumstances for each of our children. Amazing is all I can say. From just mustard seed faith too. We serve an awesome God.
What’s up, the whole thing is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing information, that’s in fact excellent, keep up writing.
Thank you for this Emily. As a Mom embarking on this journey very soon with my first born this is just what I needed to help ease the transition. So grateful the Lord led me here.
You’re welcome! Glad to have you here! 🙂
As I think all parents do I pray every night, morning, and throughout the day for my child’s safe travel, the teachers and staff, and the students, to keep all hurt, harm, danger, and/or anything that is not pleasing in GOD’S sight away from them all. Thanks Emily these 5 prayers are exactly what I needed. My son is also entering kindergarten, and he is still trying to get in the groove of being at the Big(elementary)school. I was so nervous, because this is my only child and he would be riding the bus with the high school kids and have to do everything on his own. I continue to pray without ceasing. Thanks again
You’re welcome Chasity! Prayers for your little man!! Hope he has a great year!!
My daughter is starting middle school. This the first time I felt afraid for her. Not anymore. Thank you
Those feelings don’t stop at elementary school…2 in college & 2 in high school, with one of them living in the dorm away from home for the first time. I’ve wondered it I said enough, and did enough. I send him off with a note, reminding him that he is God’s and to expect God to do great things with his life…reminding his to remain moldable and teachable… and that I would continue to pray for him daily. This blog was a blessing for the first day of school.
Wow, first time living in the dorms for the first time… I can only imagine! Praying for you as you pray for him! (and the others too)!
Lord I pray for my son Michael Rivera. He is not liking school lately. Please Lord change his mind about school. It is so important. Get him up and ready for school everyday. Also boost his confidence level..AMEN
I’m a teacher. Make sure he’s not being bullied. Many times it’s the reason for a change of heart towards school. Praying for you both as I type.
i like to play everyday
Thank you so much for this post! You’re a blessing!
Perfect, exactly what I was looking for – thank you!
prayer for school test
Wonderful!
Thank you for sharing this! I have been praying it this week! I also used the Monday prayer and linked your site on my blog if you don’t mind. If you do I’ll delete it.
Have a bless day.
Check it out if you want:
http://2girlsandacrazydog.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-start-of-new-chapter-for-emma.html
Aw! Don’t mind at all! Prayers for your sweet Emma!
Your feelings weren’t irrational or illogical at all. My oldest child just started kindergarten. He is in his fourth week and guess what? We’re already dealing with a bully. I can’t believe it starts so young. My son only turned five yrs old six weeks ago! He was so excited about school, but things have really changed. The teachers & bus driver are trying to address the situation and the boy’s mother brought him over to apologize, but despite that, I had to literally nudge my son to get on the bus this morning. In fact, his resistance to school & riding the bus is getting worse instead of better.
I did a search for school prayers & am glad I found this post of yours. Thank you so much. I hope that saying these prayers will help lessen our anxiety levels.
I am a mother of 3.. A son and 2 daughters. We’ve experienced the bullying already and without prayer I don’t think we could have gotten through it! With the world being the way it is (and steadily getting worse) our children not only NEED us to pray for them continuously, but they also need to HEAR us pray! I am so thankful for finding these prayers and other Mothers who believe in the power of Our LORD!! God Bless each one of you and all of our precious children!
I have 2 boys 10 & 6. I’ve always homeschooled. Decided to send oldest to school second half of this year. My husband & I think it best at this point for many reasons. But once decision was made, I have started having fear & anxiety. I think I’m going through separation anxiety (something he never experienced as a young child!). He starts Nov. 30th. But I’m going through this process now. I knew it’d be hard, but didn’t anticipate this. It’s like I’m mourning. Has anyone else experienced this? I’d appreciate prayer for him, myself, & his younger brother who is very attached as well. He knows the Lord and is very willing to share. I’ve seen more of Christ in him than in myself to be honest. I’m dealing w/lots of thoughts from failure, to regret/guilt for so many mistakes (homeschooling has been difficult), to I can’t believe how fast my kids have grown & that “small” stage is over with him already. Overwhelmed….seeking support. Thanks.
Thank you so much for these beautiful prayers, my friend! God bless you…..☺
Hello Ladies,
I stumbled upon your site this morning as I was searching for encouragement concerning my son in public school. I found this and a wealth of encouragement on many other things! Thank you! I printed the prayers for my son and was greatly comforted by them as I read them- a weeks worth in one day- lol It was that kind of morning. I watched a couple of the Front Porch videos and again was so comforted and encouraged. I have a shortcut to your site now.
Have a blessed day! 🙂
Angela
Central Coast, CA
Thank you for these prayers Emily. My last child is 15 and will be going to a much smaller school this year. She didn’t do well in the neighborhood school because of her great desire to “fit in” with the wrong group. Last year was a nightmare. I’m going to screenshot these daily prayers with hope that *I* will be better equipped to parent this child with a better heart and spirit. Blessings to you and all that sent prayers to the site.
My daughter is starting new secondary school for the first time on September 6th 2017 please send prayers and thoughts her way and surround her with guidance and courage . Can I have a prayer for her sent to me . Thanks Kathy
I will email you!
This is great material. May I use it in my churches Children’s Ministry Newsletter? It is not published on the internet and I would credit you for the article.
Definitely, Brad! Praying it helps encourage many parents!
My son starts school on Monday. I’ve been a little nervous but these prayers calms my nerves as I know the Lord will always be with him. Thanks and God bless.
You’re welcome! Praying the second semester is just as blessed as the first!