We may feel under-qualified, and some days frustrated, but we can trust that God made us to be exactly what our children need every day. Use this prayer guide to lead you to walk side by side with God in the midst of your homeschooling days, seek His face above all the other noise.
Our family made the decision to homeschool in 2010 when our youngest was ready to enter Kindergarten. It was not a decision that we took lightly, it was one that we prayed over and continue to pray over every year as we seek to follow after God in this decision.
Ten years and three kids later it is still a decision I stand behind and I am thankful for the privilege to be able to walk this road. It doesn’t mean it is easy by any means, but it does mean it is the place that God has called me to serve within my home.
2020 has brought us a vast number of struggles that have required a great amount of effort and work. It has challenged how we do life, down to the everyday mundane tasks. This year has caused a serious reevaluation of our lives.
Many families suddenly find themselves homeschooling. Some have chosen to embark on this journey, while other families have now have first-time homeschoolers because of virtual school. Whatever the reason you find yourself homeschooling, we must cling to the calling that we are made for this.
God has given you every good gift needed to school your children.
We may feel under-qualified, and some days frustrated, but we can trust that God made us to be exactly what our children need every day. If He has made us to be what they need, then he will equip us with the wisdom and strength to teach, to encourage, and to lead them as they need.
Over the next 7 days we are going to go to the Father and ask, seek, and thank Him for our homeschool, strength, wisdom, and compassion.
Use this prayer guide to lead you to walk side by side with God in the midst of your homeschooling days, seek His face above all the other noise.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/fizkes
Day 1. Help my child work diligently in all things.
A great struggle for kids is the habit of rushing through their work, even at times being careless with how they complete tasks. We want them to work diligently in all they do, understanding that their work isn’t just to you as their teacher, but to Christ. We want them to slow down and give their best. We want them to see who their work is really for (Colossians 3:23, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Galatians 6:9).
Pray:
- For motivation to be diligent in their work
- To do it all for the Lord and not for man
- To not become weary in doing their work well
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” (Colossians 3:23)
Day 2. Help my child to focus and learn all that you have for them to know.
Focusing is hard for all of us. It is even harder for our children with so much happening around them. Home can be distracting when they have access to devices, television, toys, and siblings. Keeping them focused and on task is a challenge whether you are in a school building or at home. Pray for their focus and the distractions that may be around them (Proverbs 16:3).
Pray:
- For my children’s continued focus
- For resistance to distractions around them
- For a beneficial learning environment
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3)
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Manuel Tauber-Romieri
Day 3. Allow me to see the needs of my child, not just in their education but in their lives as a whole.
Being our child’s parent comes with its own set of interesting challenges, including learning to see their needs. Not just in their education but their spiritual and emotional needs as well. When we teach, we see where they struggle in school subjects, but we may also see how they view themselves and others. We may also see their spiritual well being, whether they are flourishing or need encouragement. Often it is only God who opens our eyes to these things because we are distracted or busy. We need his help as we not only train them in their education, but their spiritual walk (Proverbs 22:6).
Pray:
- For open eyes to see my child’s specific needs
- For wisdom and creativity to meet their needs
- For my child’s educational and spiritual growth through challenges
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Day 4. Help me to persevere even when it is hard.
There won’t always be good days on the homeschool journey. There will be hard days. Days that are filled with distractions, and bad attitudes. Those are the days when we want to throw in the towel and walk away. The only way we can persevere in hard things is with the help of the Lord. We need God’s help as we face hard days homeschooling our children (Colossians 3:23-24, Philippians 4:13).
Pray:
- For good attitudes as we face each day
- For a desire in me and my child to work together through difficulties
- For grace and forgiveness when things fall apart
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Image Source
Day 5. Thank you for the privilege to school them at home, to watch them learn and grow in my care.
We cannot pray over our homeschools without thanking the Father for the privilege to even do so. Thanking God for the freedom to decide how best to educate our children and nurture them in an environment of our choosing. What a blessing it is and must be something we pray with thanksgiving for! (Psalm 9:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Pray:
- For thankful hearts all around
- For reminders of the privilege and opportunity of homeschool
- For a constant awareness of God’s blessings and gifts
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Day 6. Help me give grace to my children and myself.
The hardest lesson learned for parents is the reminder that our children are learning things we know. Knowledge is a process over time and years. As we talk about phonics, algebra lessons, and history timelines, we must extend grace to ourselves and to our children. Learning requires a great deal of grace. There will be days when the offering of grace looks like playing outside in the sunshine when things get difficult. It may look like an ice cream reward when things do not go exactly as planned. Grace says it is ok to pause, it is ok to rest, it is ok to do something else in order to find the joy in learning. God is the giver of grace and thus we can in turn give it to others (Colossians 4:6, Luke 6:36).
Pray:
- For patience in every small step of the learning process
- For new ways of extending grace each day to myself and my homeschoolers
- For discernment for when to push through and when to rest
“Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6)
Day 7. Equip my children and myself with the very good gifts we need to thrive in homeschooling.
Our heavenly Father is the giver of very good gifts. He has equipped us with everything we need for life and godliness. He has equipped us to raise and train our children in the way they should go. He has gifted our children with what they need to learn and grow. We ask God to continue the work of giving good gifts and equipping us all for the task. (2 Peter 1:3, Proverbs 22:6)
Pray:
- For God to best equip me for the needs of my children
- For eyes to see the gifts and talents God has given my children
- For good stewardship to use our gifts and talents to glorify God
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/vadimguzhva
Michelle Rabon is helping women be disciples who make disciples. Michelle has her MDiv in Ministry to Women from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently serving as Women’s Ministry Director in her local church. She is also the author of Holy Mess. When she is not writing or teaching, she enjoys reading, being close to the ocean, and drinking a lot of coffee. You can connect with Michelle at www.michellerabon.com
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