The last 2 years, just before the time when parents drop kids off miles from home, I have published devotionals with scriptures that parents can pray for college students.
I know the anxiety I feel each year when my kids start school hasn’t lessened with my child who is in higher education.
I am a mom who is naturally bent toward worry & fear over what my child faces in this world. Some of it is valid because a real enemy is seeking to destroy my kids, but some of it is very exaggerated in my own mind because of how hard I know life can be for students in their college years.
The only way I can calm myself down is to plant my thoughts in the soil of God’s protection for my child. He is our defender & our protector. {Psalm 91:1-2}
Children enrich your life in a way that can't really be explained & the sudden absence that is left when they leave for college can't be filled by anything else. College is an exciting time in the lives of families, but just as it is a new experience for students, it is a unique situation for parents too.
Praying for our children is effective. When God entrusts our children to us, we are given spiritual authority in their lives. This means when we approach the throne of God for our kids, great things happen.
God's Word is the greatest weapon we have against the enemy. It is "living & powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword" {Hebrews 4:12} so using it as our weapon of warfare will help us to see mighty things happen in our child's life & weaken the plans the enemy has to deter his or her future. I hope that the scriptures below will just be a starting point for you & that the Lord will give you other scriptures specific to your college student. May He makes us so strong in His power that we will block the enemy from our children through our prayers.
Here are 7 scriptures to get you started praying for your college student this year:
{Fill in the blank with your student’s name}
Ø Lord, I pray that _______________ will develop a heart for You & Your ways. I pray that You will silence all the ways the enemy wants to call out to her {him} in this world & that she {he} will hear Your voice as her {his} true guide. {John 10:27}
Ø Lord, I pray that _______________ will have clear discernment to choose right over wrong. I pray that he {she} will shape opinions & choices about life based on Your Word & what is right in Your sight. Reveal Yourself to him {her} as he {she} walks through life & let him {her} trust in You with all his {her} heart & not lean on human understanding. {Proverbs 3:5-6}
Ø Father, as _______________ deals with the pressures of school workload & social relationships, in addition to other responsibilities, I pray that You would keep her {him} free from any anxiety that would weigh her {him} down. Keep her {his} spirit & attitude in a good place of focus on You & keep her {his} mind on positive things. {Philippians 4:8,
Proverbs 12:25}
Ø Father I pray that you would keep _______________ in complete health. I pray that _______________ would see that good health is a gift from you & that he {she} would be smart in all decisions regarding his {her} body. Would You touch & heal anything in his {her} body that is not fully well & let him {her} know that you are the Healer. {Jeremiah 17:14}
Ø I pray that _______________ would have fulfilling, godly friendships that will have a positive influence in her {his} life. Enable her {him} to be discerning about who she {he} spends time with & trusts with the inner parts of her {his} life. I pray that those friends will be influencers of Your love & give her {him} good guidance & advice. May all her {his} relationships be equally yoked. {Proverbs 13:20, 2 Corinthians 6:14-15}
Ø Father, I pray that even when _____________doesn’t feel like it & circumstances don’t show it, ______________ will know You are with him {her} & that he {she} will hear Your voice telling him {her} that he {she} is a valiant warrior for You
{Judges 6:12}
Ø Thank you God that you have given _______________ a calling and gifts that are irrevocable. I pray that he {she} will have the wisdom to seek your ways in those areas & use them to further his {her} sense of purpose in what You have called him {her} to. {Romans 11:29}
