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Today is a monumental day for our home. We have two beginning their freshman year. My daughter begins her college career, my son begins high school.

My tradition of praying over them every morning has continued since the day I dropped them off at preschool. The obvious differences today is, first, I’m not holding their hand to the front door of their class and stopping there to pray. Second, they’re now leaving for school before I’m out of the shower. So more often than not, my prayers over them may have greater distance by proximity but are not less effective because of the authority of Christ. I believe a prayer in the name of Jesus, in accordance with His Word, brings change.

At Kfirst, we are in a series on Elijah called “Whirlwind.” And James reminds us about Elijah and about prayer.

“…The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. ¹⁷ Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! ¹⁸ Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. “ James 5:16b-18

James seems to want us to know how powerful prayer can be while encouraging us that we don’t have to have the “credentials” someone else has (in our minds) to pray powerful and effective prayers. Elijah performed great acts and had powerful prayers. Yet it was “human as we are.” I don’t know about you, that builds my faith and encourages me to get my butt in the Word and step out in prayer.

So where your kids have already started school or today is “day 1,” let me give you a daily prayer list over your kids.

1. Help our children to draw their identity from Jesus.
2. Give them fearlessness with new opportunities and humility with familiar experiences.
3. Help them to make good connections/reconnections with peers and faculty.
4. Let there be no limit to their love for the people around them. Help them to love people like Jesus does.
5. Develop deeper disciplines and capacity for learning.
6. Let them see and step into opportunities to exercise generosity without reciprocation.
7. Guide them to look for lonely people.
8. Let their lives shine with the hope they have in Christ.
9. Help their attitudes to rise above the flow of negativity and criticism.
10. When they face disappointment or hurt, guard their hearts and bring them back to their identity in Jesus.

Amen.

Love you all. Praying over your kids today.

Thanks for letting me ramble…