A Prayer for the First Day of School

School is starting soon. (Groans ensue.) But new school year, new possibilities, right?

Regardless of how you feel about going back, the start of a new school year is an occasion for prayer. One of the most popular Web searches that leads to this blog is “prayer for the first day of school,” which lands here.

Below is an adapted version of that prayer. It can be used responsively with your family, in a congregational worship setting, or individually. The prayer offers both gratitude and intercession to God at the beginning of the new academic year.
 

Prayer for the First Day of School

 
For the start of a new semester and all the promise that it holds:

We give you thanks, our God.

For the joy we have in seeing friends and teachers again:

We give you thanks, our God.

For those with whom we live and share meals:

We give you thanks, our God.

For the chance to come to you freely in prayer and worship:

We give you thanks, our God.

For all that we will learn, in the classroom, in labs, in practice rooms, in the library, on the field, in relationships, at school and away from it:

We give you thanks, our God.

For wisdom for all students, staff, and teachers, as they seek to offer their best in all they do:

Lord, please be near us.

For family relationships that now transition in their expression:

Lord, please be near us.

For perseverance and diligence in studies:

Lord, please be near us.

For healthy sleep patterns, motivation to play and exercise, and self-control in eating good, healthy foods:

Lord, please be near us.

For those areas of life in which we struggle, where we despair, and for those things of which we are ashamed:

Lord, please be near us.