One commitment I’ve made for this school year is to pray more consistently and with purpose for my kids while they are at school. I find if I have an easy way to remember to pray, I will do so more often throughout the day (Getting old here!)
I know the pressures they face are so much greater than I faced as kid in school. However, the God we love and serve is the same. And He is much greater than anything they will ever face.
Love S.C.H.O.O.L? Also try H.O.M.E. or Pray A to Z through the whole alphabet!
So, a few weeks ago, I sat down and came up with 6 verses to fit the acronym S.C.H.O.O.L. to help me remember how to pray for my children while they are at school.
Here are the 6 verses I’m praying for this school year:
[pinit]
S – Self control
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
C – Courage
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
H – Help from the Holy Spirit
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.
John 7:38-39a
O – Opportunities to do good
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:10
O – Overcome evil
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21
L – Love God and others
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 22:37-39
As I go about my day, I find myself praying like this, “Lord, wherever they are, whatever they are facing, help them to exercise self-control. May they have courage to stand up for what is right. May they know the help that comes from your Holy Spirit. Help them to see the opportunities you place in front of them to do good. May they overcome evil through your power. And above all, may they love you and love others today.”
As I pray, the verses run through my mind, and the S.C.H.O.O.L. letters become my prompt, even when I don’t have access to my Bible.
Whether you have school-aged children or grandchildren or you just know kids who are in school, let’s join together in praying that our communities of children would have Self-control, Courage, Help from God, Opportunities to do good, be Overcomers, and above all Love God and others.
We’ve made a fantastic printable of these verses just for you. Click here to download a PDF that includes the graphic above and a second page with the full verses listed.
*the new NIV version of 1 Peter5:8 says “be alert and of a sober mind,” but I like the wording of “be self-controlled and alert better.”
If you love this concept, you may also enjoy my new book, Pray A to Z: A Practical Guide to Pray for Your Community.
In this book we have 5 topics per letter that include verses, prayer prompts and a short prayer to help you get started in praying for your community. You can find it on Amazon, or wherever books are sold.
Tweetables:
[tweetherder]6 verses you can pray for kids this school year.[/tweetherder]
[tweetherder]Use the acronym S.C.H.O.O.L. as a prompt to pray for kids this year.[/tweetherder]
[tweetherder]Free printable with 6 verses to #pray over your kids this school year[/tweetherder]
This is a great reminder to me, to uplift the kids in the midst of busy. Thank you.
I love this! Thank you!