Praying For The Education of Young People

God established families at the foundation of the world, creating Eve from Adam’s bone, and growing children from their union.

Education is not just about memorizing a series of facts—it is growing in knowledge about the world, learning beneficial interactions with others and applying these things to live in the calling of Christ.

WHY to pray

Education is an investment into the future, and a unifying connecting point for each person. The Apostle Paul used this universal fact to convey the spiritual truth of ‘growing up’ in Christ-like wisdom and letting go of childish ways. (1 Corinthians 13:11)

There are endless avenues for young people to receive an education: public school, private school, homeschool, and formats that mix elements of each. Not to mention the many opportunities for extra-curricular activities. Parents and caretakers need wisdom from the Lord to make the right choice for their children to receive education that aligns with the truth of Scripture and helps them fulfill the plans the Lord has for them. Students need to know they were created by God with value and that their Creator has a purpose for them. Instructors need endurance to faithfully teach pupils in God-honoring lessons.

The sphere of education needs our prayers! 

HOW to pray

Pray the Father’s heart. To do this, seek scripture for the divine design and wisdom about children growing in knowledge and wisdom. Meditating on scripture before beginning prayer puts our hearts into a position of submission to the will of God. These verses are good starting places to see God’s design and purpose for the sphere of education:

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6 NIV

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. -Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV

And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea. -Matthew 18:5-6 NASB

WHAT to pray

• Father, Stir the hearts of parents to take an active role in the academic, spiritual, and emotional formation of their children
• God, guide school boards to be wise in choosing curriculums that uphold the truth of the Word
• Move the hearts of funding leaders to prioritize the needs teachers and students have for classroom materials
• Give Christian parents a missionary mindset to minister to teachers in their children’s lives
• Lord, draw near to teachers in the classroom and teach them to rely on the Holy Spirit throughout the day rather than their own strength
• Set young people free from the hopelessness, despair, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and substance abuse
• Bless teachers with an outpouring of grace and endurance of such magnitude it overflows onto their students, their schools, and their communities
• Turn the hearts of students to see their worth and value in their Creator and Savior, rather than test scores, athletic performance or social media following
• Pour out discernment on older students and their parents to know what path You have for them transitioning into adulthood