Posted: Aug 28, 08 11:13am

Dear Heavenly Father ~

We thank you for blessings you provided this summer ~ fun, sun, safety, health and/or healing . . . thank you for bringing our children through the summer to yet another school year.

As we prepare for and embark on a new year of school with our children, help us to be encouraging and supportive. Help us to know when they need our help, and when to back off and let them figure it out for themselves. Help us to remember our own years in school so we can understand and appreciate the feelings that they’re dealing with. Guide our words and actions so that we can help to create a positive environment for their learning and growing.

For those children excited about new friends, new classes, and new experiences, help them to slow down just enough to truly appreciate each moment. And help us to enjoy their enthusiasm.

For those children a bit more apprehensive about change, for the children facing educational or emotional challenges in school, for the children with little to no support from family, please grant them peace, and strength . . . and please place in their lives an adult or a friend that can be a positive influence and can help guide them through their moments of fear or concern.

For all the children, Lord, protect them in their hallways, protect them on their playgrounds, protect them on their field trips - Let their school year be filled with security and fun, and let them remain blissfully innocent.

You know each of our needs – better than we do, so Lord, we give this year to you and ask for Your loving hand to be with each of us, and with each of the children.

Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer, as we pray these things in Jesus’ loving name ~

Amen