The calendar is nearing September. Target has covered their aisles in back to school supplies, which are now very quickly being transformed into fall and Halloween aisles. And so yes, that can only mean one thing- school is back in full swing. We’ve traded our lazy days of summer for the alarm clocks and homework of school.
I know that there’s lots of mixed emotions about school starting back. There’s some excitement, mixed with sadness, mixed with nervousness. Some parents cheer for this time while others dread it. Either way, school is here, and I would love to share with you some prayers to pray over your children from the book of Colossians (side note- these prayers come from truths of Scripture, so they can truly apply to any believer!).
Pray that they may be filled with the knowledge of Christ’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9). Your children are (hopefully) going to be filled with lots of knowledge this year- math, science, reading, etc. These things are good, but more importantly, pray that they are filled with the knowledge of Jesus!
Pray that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him; bearing fruit in every good work (Colossians 1:10). The temptations to walk contrary to the Lord are so vast. There is the temptation for your children to please their friends, their coaches, and their teachers, but as this verse tells us, our focus should be to please the Lord. Pray that your children please the Lord in how they walk, and that they bear fruit for His glory.
Pray that they would be strengthened with all power, according to the glorious might of God, for all endurance and patience with joy (Colossians 1:11). Strength, endurance, patience, and joy in Christ are the school supplies that your children will need far more than they will actually need those pencils and binders. Obviously, yes, the school supplies off of the list are necessary (& I’m a big fan of those… ha!), but for your child to be strengthened in the Lord so that they can endure the trials of this school year with patience and joy will benefit them in beautiful ways, all while bringing glory to the Savior!
Pray that your student would be willing to sacrifice for the local church (Colossians 1:24). Paul tells the church at Colossae that he is suffering for their sake (aka- the sake of a local church!). Parents, there’s no better place for your family to be than in a local church. The body of Christ is a beautiful gift to believers, and is what Christ has chosen to use as His instrument to proclaim His message to the world. Truly, this prayer is one that must be modeled first by the parents. We must teach our children to prioritize Jesus and His church, even from an early age. May you and your children fall more in love with the body of believers this school year!
Pray that no one takes them captive by philosophy and empty deceit (Colossians 2:8). There is SO much information out there, and so much of it claims to be good information, even “Christian”. But the truth is, a lot of that stuff is empty, and even plain ‘ole wrong. Pray that your students would be discerning. Prepare them by giving them a solid foundation of the truth of God’s Word.
Pray that they would seek the things that are above and set their minds there (Colossians 3:1-2). You know the temptation to set your mind on things of this world. It’s there for your students too. There’s the temptation to seek Instagram likes, popularity, or a certain status. There’s the temptation for their minds to be set on who likes them and who doesn’t. But pray that the Lord would shift their minds to Him and keep it there. May they seek Christ and the things of Him above all other worldly things.
Pray that they would put to death what is earthly in them/their old selves, and that they would instead put on their new selves, the things of Christ (Colossians 3:5-9). Colossians gives specific lists of earthly things and things of Christ. But ultimately, pray that your students would put to death anything that’s not glorifying to Jesus and be the new person that Christ has created them to be. Oh, what a difference maker they would be in their schools for the glory of God!
Pray that the peace of Christ would rule their hearts (Colossians 3:15). There are many things fighting to rule the heart of your children- good grades, the need to please (teachers, friends, etc.), social media, and much more. But pray that Christ’s peace would be the thing that sits on the thrones of their hearts.
Pray that the Word of Christ would dwell in them richly (Colossians 3:16). I like to translate this (in my super paraphrased, Cassie-version) to our students as, “get the Word of God in you as much as possible, in as many ways as you can”. Then pray that as the Word of God dwells in them richly, that out of the overflow of their hearts their mouths can do nothing but naturally pour out the love of Christ to others.
Pray that whatever they do, they would do it as to the Lord, not men (Colossians 3:17, 23). I think that we would all work much harder if we truly realized that we were working for Jesus. Pray that your students would understand this. They’re not really working for you, their teacher, or anyone but the Lord, and that even tasks that seem boring or unnecessary (like that homework they’ll hate doing) can truly be done for the glory of God.
Pray that they would walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of their time (Colossians 4:5). “Outsiders” are lost people, who don’t know Jesus. Pray that your students would be wise with them, in the words that they say to them and their actions around them. Pray that your students would make the best use of time, knowing that the school year really is short (though it may seem long at times), and they only have a limited time to share the Gospel with them.
Colossians is a wonderful book full of rich truth. I could spend so many more words typing and sharing about the truths of this book and how they can propel us to pray and take action. Ultimately, a lot of the things listed here are for children who are believers in Jesus Christ. Maybe you’re like me and your children haven’t accepted Christ as Savior yet. I’m praying for their salvation. I’m praying that I would see challenges this school year as moments for grace to point them to the ultimate Grace-Giver. I’m praying that one day, these truths and commands given in Colossians will be lived out in their lives. And I’m praying for myself, that I can follow these commands and truths given so that the Lord may use me as an example for the Gospel for my children and anyone else that He puts in my path.
Praying that the 2018-2019 school year is a great one, friends!
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