Back to School: A Season of Prayer and Possiblities

Lon Graham, Vice President

Across the country, children have returned to school, and here at the Children's Home, our kids are settling into their new routines. Watching our kids get ready has stirred memories of my own school days: laying out new clothes, sharpening pencils, wondering what the year would hold. 

I remember the mixture of excitement and nervousness, anticipation and fear. Maybe you do too. What we did not realize then was that those moments and seasons were quietly shaping who we would become. 

The same is true today. Our children are laying their own foundations right now. Each class, each choice, each friendship, and each encouragement they receive will echo into their future. 

That is why this year, we are inviting all our partners to join us in covering our children in prayer. We are asking God to use this season to build in them a foundation for future faithfulness and fruitfulness. 

Why Prayer Matters This School Year

We only get one childhood.

One chance to walk through those school doors for the first time.

One opportunity to lay the foundation for a lifetime. 

Each lesson learned, each kind word from a teacher, and each gospel-centered moment becomes part of the greater story God is writing in their lives. 

So we are asking you to pray with us: to ask God to shape this year in Christ-centered, gospel-soaked, life-changing ways.

We do not want our children to simply survive the school year. We want them to thrive—spiritually, emotionally, and academically. And we believe God hears us when we ask: "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him" (1 John 5:14-15). We ask in confidence, knowing that our heavenly Father hears our prayers on behalf of children He loves. 

How You Can Pray

Here are a few ways you can join us in prayer this season:

• Pray for a foundation of faith. We know that God loves them. We want them to know that as well. Pray that they would, by faith, know, understand, and receive that love, and that their faith would continually grow.
• Pray for wisdom. We want them to make wise decisions throughout their lives. That process begins now. Pray that they would know the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), and that they would know and grow in Christ, in whom are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). 
• Pray for godly influences. We know the power of influential people. Having someone to look up to and follow as an example is a blessing that we want for all of our kids. They have houseparents and staff here at NMBCH. Pray that they would have others at school. 
• Pray for gospel moments. We have all had those moments (events, conversations, realizations) when the truth of the gospel became real to us in a way that it was not before. Pray that they would have those. 
• Pray for houseparents and staff. They pour out so much every day. Pray that they will not grow weary in doing good, but will be refreshed by God's mercy and strengthened to continue the work He has called them to. 
• Pray using our prayer calendar. Download it. Put it in a prominent place (refrigerator, computer monitor, bathroom mirror), so that you are constantly reminded to pray for our kids. 

Thank You for Praying

A school year may last only nine months, but the seeds planted can last a lifetime. Who these children will become is being shaped even now. Thank you for lifting them up in prayer. With every prayer, you help lay the foundation for a future of faithfulness, purpose, and hope.