Back to School Prayer
On August 22nd, UABC will pray for our public schools.
The prayer guide can be downloaded here,
or viewed as you keep scrolling.
Opening Prayer
DIRECTIONS: Choose a starting place—maybe the flagpole or near the main entrance. If a student of the school is part of your group, let him/her choose. Then, select one person to read this prayer out loud. Your group can decide if they want to form a circle, hold hands, or neither.
All-powerful & All-loving God,
You are our Heavenly Father, and as your sons & daughters we all climb into your lap at this moment in prayer.
You are our King, and as your servants we come to You on behalf of our community & <name of school>.
We unite in prayer for our educational institutions, because they are important pillars for our community.
We join our hearts & voices together for our schools, because You created us all to be lifelong learners.
We are here today to ask You To watch over < name of school>, because the students & employees who go here matter to You & to us.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Walk & Pray
DIRECTIONS: For this part you will walk around the main school building(s) while quietly praying and stop to pray together at one location based on one of the themes below. At your selected stop, decide how you’ll pray: led by one person, taking turns out loud, popcorn style, or silently as individuals.
Suggested sentence prayers to repeat (probably silently or quietly) while walking:
Lord God,
be with these students.
Bless those who learn & work
at this school.
From the Lord comes knowledge,
understanding, & wisdom.
Closing Prayer
DIRECTIONS: Decide who is going to be the Leader. If not everyone in the group can read or can see the scripted prayer, the Leader should tell the group what their line is and simply extend an open hand each time it’s the group’s turn.
LEADER: God of Light & Truth, You call us to be lights in our community, and we believe that includes praying for students & educators. So—
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for this campus—that all its facilities will be useful, all its classrooms will be vibrant, & all its spaces will be safe.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for the curriculum taught here to be accurate & engaging and for the extra-curricular programs that happen here to be beneficial to the students and their families.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for these students—that their hunger for knowledge & understanding will increase and that they will grow into industrious, creative problem-solvers.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for these teachers to be re-energized daily by their dual love for kids & for teaching and that the variety of challenges that will confront them will not overwhelm this noble energy.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for the administrators of this school—that, in each situation they face, they will possess the right mixture of wisdom & compassion so they can be reliable sources of leadership for their students and coworkers.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for each of the support staff who work here—in the office and in the cafeteria and in the janitor closets and in the classrooms—give each one a sense of purpose, diligence, and joy in their tasks.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: Jesus, we pray for our fellow believers who attend or work at this school—that Your Holy Spirit will empower them to stand up for You and to care for the other students or their coworkers with Your love & compassion.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: We pray for all of the unbelievers who attend or work at this school—that they might learn something that points them toward You or meet someone who carries Your grace to them.
GROUP: We lift up <name of school> this year.
LEADER: Finally, Lord, we thank you for this institution of education. We thank you that our teachers & students have this place. We thank you for everyone who is part of this learning community, and we ask for your blessings to flow here in this place. And everyone says:
ALL: Amen!
Your children might also be interested in
last Sunday’s children’s message.
Pastor Brad, while building a wall in his backyard,
shared about bullies and Nehemiah.
Upper Alton Baptist Church 
4 thoughts on “Praying for Our Public Schools”