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It’s that time of year again.  Yellow buses practice their circuitous routes, stores brim with school supplies, and teachers adorn their rooms with inviting bulletin boards and welcoming smiles.  Back to school is officially upon us.

I ended the summer reading through the Psalms and Proverbs.  As I drank in the wisdom of these two books, certain passages in particular have encouraged and directed my hopes for my children as they head back to school.  These verses have shaped my prayers and given words to the longings of my heart. As my children spend less time in my presence, I am thankful that I can bring all my concerns and cares before the Lord in prayer.

Lord, I pray that my children would understand their need for Jesus and rejoice in the good news of the Gospel. Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death (Psalms 68:19-20).

Lord, I pray that my children will love learning; that their hearts would seek to understand the world you have created.  The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly (Proverbs 15:14).

I pray that as they learn about your world, they would behold the majesty of your glory. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. (Psalm 19:1)

Lord, I pray that you would surround them with friends who make wise choices and encourage their faith.  Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm (Proverbs 13:20).

I pray that their teachers would be wise and gentle.  The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit (Proverbs 15:2,4).

Lord, I pray that they would work with diligence and put forth their best efforts. The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied (Proverbs 13:4).

I pray that they would be thoughtful with their words and respectful in their replies. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things (Proverbs 15:28). 

I pray that you would free them from the pressure of trying to be like everyone else by instilling in them the confidence to know that they are uniquely made by you.  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well (Psalms 139:14).

I pray that they would receive correction well.  The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence (Proverbs 15:31-32).

I pray that they would share their faith with others.  They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom (Psalm 145: 11-12).

I pray that when they do what is wrong, they would bear consequences that lead them to repentance.  I pray that when they do what is right, you would bless their obedience that they may learn to love your ways. The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his way (Proverbs 14:14).

I pray that your Word would be on their hearts and in their minds as they learn. Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD (Proverbs 16:20).

I pray that they would be kind to others.  Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor. (Proverbs 21:21)

I pray that you would give them the grace of self-control. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls (Proverbs 25:28).

Lord, I pray that your grace would rest upon my children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! (Psalms 90:17)

I pray that you would protect them from all evil.  I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life (Psalm 121:1-2,7).

More than anything else, may their lives glorify you. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever (Psalm 86:12).

O Lord, hear our prayers!  Amen.

Kruger, Melissa "A Back to School Prayer" THe Gospel Coalition. August 2016

It was 8 a.m. when the phone rang, a morning like any other, until God interrupted my thoughts with a call from a past prayer partner. When I answered the phone I immediately recognized the voice of a woman I have been praying for over many years. We were connected as prayer partners when she a high school student attending Mountain Christian Church.

She has since moved away, with lots of challenges, and struggles to find confidence in who she is in the Christ.

Her faith – whether she had any and what her destination is – was challenged by her parents.

That morning we talked a long time about faith.

I reminded her that the main issue is always who and what our faith is in. Is it yourself? Your ability to cope, to be in control, to fix things? Your family? Your mentor? Your pastor? Your intellect or knowledge? Or, the Rock, who is Christ? (1Corinthians 10:4)

The one who is the solid foundation on which to build our life (Matthew 7: 24-27). The one who has brought the Kingdom of God to earth, to dwell within His children (Matthew 17: 20-21, Colossians 1:17). The One who asks us to count the cost (Luke 14:25-35), deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23-27).

As we talked and prayed together she examined herself (2 Corinthians 13:5) and acknowledged that it is Jesus Christ, God’s Son in whom she is trusting and longing to be with. The Lord turned our hearts to thanksgiving.

So many things to praise Him for, and He gave us hope.

When I hung up, I thought to myself, “Wow, Lord!” Thank you for the encouragement and fellowship you give us when we join with you in prayer. (Matthew 18: 19-20). You are awesome!”  

How has God used your prayers to speak His Word and love into the lives of others?   

A deep breath of cool, crisp autumn air.

Thanks, Lord.

A breath of air is such a little thing, a very small detail of life indeed. Something I take for granted about 18,000 times a day, but couldn’t survive without!

Comparing a custom built home to a tract house in an episode of "This Old House", master craftsman Tommy Silva said, "The difference is in the details, it's a sure sign of craftsmanship." If you want to build a quality house you have to pay attention to the little things and get those right. That's true in our lives as well.

Jesus told a parable about little things in Matthew 25. A man entrusted some money to several of his servants and went away. The servants were expected to provide the master with a return on his investment. To those who were good stewards, the master said, "Well done... you've been faithful with a few things; now I will put you in charge of many things."

One of the principles we can draw from this is: take care of the little things and you'll be able to handle the big ones. It's not much of a stretch to apply this to thanksgiving. Are you grateful for each breath, do you recognize each gift as though it is from the Master Craftsman’s hand?

I find it hard to be truly thankful for the big things in life when I'm not genuinely grateful for the little things.

I also don't want to confuse politeness with giving thanks to God. Our culture dictates that we say 'please' and 'thank you' a lot, and sometimes we may even mean it! Too often it is an auto response, devoid of any real meaning.

Boy, I don't want to approach God that way, even on one of those little things.

So how do we keep a thankful perspective, especially during the holiday season?

It’s all too easy to focus solely on the 'big' things; or on the contrary, to concentrate completely on the details and get way down in the weeds.

Pray for balance this year, for the ability to see the forest AND appreciate that without the detail of each branch on every tree there would be no beautiful forest. 

Join me in expressing heartfelt gratitude to God across the spectrum of life; for each breath of that fragrant fall air, for a master craftsman who pays attention to each detail, to the wonderful incarnation of God coming to Earth to save a bunch of sinners like you and me.

Thanks, Lord!