Prayer Walking Our Way to a New School Year
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16b)
It’s hard to believe summer is almost at an end. Though fall won’t technically start until September 23, our family’s seasonal calendar will shift to school-time routines on August 1. So soon!
It’s going to be a big year for us, educationally speaking. Our oldest daughter will finish middle school, and our youngest will finish elementary. These are milestones I’m both looking forward to celebrating and already getting teary-eyed thinking about.
Since coming to Burnt Hickory seven or so years ago, I have learned about the vital role prayer can play in my children’s education. God, in his perfect timing, brought us to church just as our oldest daughter was starting first grade. The school prayer walk – an event I look forward to every summer – was instrumental in showing me how I could pray effectively for my girls and their school environments. Prayer for them, their teachers, school staff, fellow students and their parents has now become a daily part of my quiet time during the school year.
I’ll never forget my first walk. After a 30 minute or so time of devotion at church, we set out for our oldest daughter’s new elementary school – a building I had never set foot in since we had moved to the county just a week or two before. We found the doors open and the principal inside waiting to pray with us. I was amazed, and so thankful! As a new believer, I was nervous about praying outside of the comfortable confines of home and church. Walking around the quiet halls of the school on a Saturday morning, however, helped settle my nerves. Words of supplication for each classroom, teacher, and student came easily to my lips as the Holy Spirit helped guide me through the school.
Not all the school prayer walks I’ve attended since have been like that one. Sometime the school has been locked up. Sometimes it’s open, with dozens of people and several staff members inside. We’ve added a middle school to our routine, and an entirely new set of prayer requests! No matter the school’s setting, the act of walking around, and/or through our daughters’ schools has helped set the tone for the rest of the year. It’s so humbling and encouraging to see other people – some whom we know no longer have kids in the school system – praying for our kids and the spiritual battles they’ll likely face in the months ahead.
I hope you’ll join me at Burnt Hickory’s school prayer walk on Saturday, July 27th. Here are several tips on how to make the most of your walk. You can download a more comprehensive list of “What to Pray for” here.
- Pray for teachers and students who are unbelievers, that they might come to know the Lord.
- Pray that the students will know the love of the Father and assurance of His great love.
- Pray for protection.
- Pray for the parents of the children who attend these schools.
- Pray for Christian students, that they should follow God fully, support one another in Christ, and be witnesses to their non-Christian classmates and teachers.
There are other great tips on school prayer walking here. I especially like the idea of walking around the building “Jericho-style,” and praying for seven different areas during seven laps.
Whether you have a student attending a school outside of or inside the home, I encourage you and your family to prepare yourselves for the academic year ahead with a school prayer walk. See you on the 27th! Click here for more info.
Jenn Dennard
