A New Prayer for a New School Year

A blog by Next Generation Pastor, Rebecca DeLucia.

It is hard to believe I am already writing this back-to-school blog. Summer has flown by, with what feels like the most rain I can remember in the first half, making the second half the busiest one yet as we tried to squeeze every possible moment of precious, sunshine-filled time into our days. But here is the thing; we don’t have to stop cherishing those moments with our kids just because school starts. We don’t have to stop being intentional with our time. We don’t have to stop letting the laughter go on a little longer at bedtime. 

In fact, it may be even more important that we press pause and pay attention to the small moments. Because once school starts, the schedules fill up quickly and suddenly we find ourselves watching a Halloween parade, a Thanksgiving parade, and then suddenly the Mummers marching down Broad Street and we are wondering, “How did we get here already?” Time is our most precious and rarest resource.

So this prayer is for our students as they take on new workloads, transitions, friendships, expectations, and social dynamics. But it is also for us, their parents and guardians, their villagers and church family, who are navigating those same things with them. 

It is a prayer that we would be intentional with the moments we are given. so that we can leverage the small things into the big ones – just like Jesus did.  

Jesus took ordinary relationships and made them the catalyst for questions, for love, for acceptance, and ultimately for faith.

As another school year begins, may we not simply pray for our children to ‘get through’ the year but that we all would notice God in the middle of it.

Here’s the prayer: 

God, as another school year begins, we pray over both the excitement and the nerves. Over the new classrooms and familiar hallways. We pray over the new teachers and old friends, the homework and the activities, and the moments of confidence and the moments of uncertainty. Lord, we place it all in your hands.

Father, grant our children courage when anxiety creeps in and wisdom when hard choices arise. Help them remember that their worth isn’t tied to a report card, a roster spot, a status symbol, or someone else’s opinion. Remind them that they are deeply, unconditionally loved by you and were made with intention and a purpose. 

Give us as parents and guardians the discernment to know when to speak, when to challenge, when to encourage, and when to simply sit back and listen. Help us resist the urge to rush through these days just to prepare for the next season. Teach us to anchor ourselves right here in the present. Teach us or Lord to notice the moments right in front of us. Help us linger a little longer at the dinner table. Help us listen to the stories from the back seat. Help us laugh at bedtime. Help us create space for the deep questions that surface when the house finally goes quiet. Remind us that these ordinary moments are not interruptions to the important things. They are the important things.

Be with our kids as they learn and grow. Be with their teachers, administrators, and mentors who care for them every day. And be with us as parents, as we learn and grow right alongside them.

Amen.