A hundred shopping carts, twenty screaming kids, and one determined mom.

I don’t know about you, but for my family—back to school shopping was a mission. When we entered the K-mart (when those still existed), we wanted to find clothes and school supplies as soon as possible. I can remember my mom standing outside the dressing room with three more outfits to try on and I probably had about 10 seconds to decide if each fit was a keeper. Even with all the rush, every year without fail we managed to shop for at least 2 hours.

Let’s face it, back to school season is stressful. With all the shopping and scheduling, we usually end up scrambling before the school year even begins.

The good news is that in every difficult season, there is a God who is ready to listen to every little detail of our lives.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” | Philippians 4:6-7

Wow. I sure could use some peace like that. Let’s prepare for the school year in one the best ways we can by joining together in prayer. Here are some written prayers and I’ll also include a prayer format that I learned, that can be helpful for specific needs.

1. A Prayer for the Students

Father,
You said to let the little children come to You (Matthew 19:14). We pray that from the moment these kids step inside their schools that they would feel Your peace and joy. Surely Your goodness and Your mercy will follow them all the days of their lives (Psalms 23:6). Help them as they continue to grow and learn. Let them be a light to their peers, and a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14). You have called them for such a time as this.
Amen

2. A Prayer for the Teachers

God,
We pray that You bless all teachers with all the fruits of Your Spirit. Love, for the students who feel unloved. Joy, for the sad and long days. Peace, for the chaos. Patience, for the process of learning. Kindness, for the unkind. Goodness, for the students who don’t feel good enough. Faithfulness, when the rest of the world says give up. Gentleness, in response to anger. Self-control for when everything feels out of control (Galatians 5:22-23). Thank you for giving them the gift of teaching (Romans 12:7).
Amen

3. A Prayer for the Parents (armor of God)

Jesus,
We pray that these parents would be equipped with the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17) so that they would be able to stand firm against the things of this world. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. We pray that they would find rest (Matthew 11:28).
Amen

Also, I felt the need to say these lyrics over you from “The Blessing” by Elevation Worship & Kari Jobe

“May His favor be upon you, And a thousand generations, And your family and your children, Their children, and their children. May His presence go before you, And behind you, and beside you, All around you, and within you, He is with you, He is with you.”

4. A Prayer for Safety

God,
We pray a shield of protection over all of the schools in America and around the world (2 Samuel 22:31). Thank You for all the brave security teams that protect our children. We speak against fear in our school systems. We shall not have a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
Amen

A Fill in the Blank Prayer Format

This is a prayer format that I learned that’s been helpful in my personal prayer life. All you do is fill in the blanks with what’s on your heart. If we make our requests known to God, He hears us (1 John 5:15).

God, I’m thankful for…

God, I’m concerned about…

God, I ask you to…

God, I need…

3 Verses to Pray Over Your Kids This School Year