A Homeschool Mom's Prayer

While shuffling some papers in my office, I came across handouts I received last March at the Apologia Live Retreat. (Which was an awesome retreat by the way!) The title of the top page caught my eye - "Praying for Your Home School". This neat worksheet was a list of prayers we can pray for our specific homeschools. It held prayers based on scripture, divided by topics -

Guidance, Vision, Discernment, Strength, Patience, Grace and Perserverance.

I loved this paper when I received it, I pored over it and prayed along with each line. It was a life raft I desparately needed during a difficult school year. I highlighted the verses that had special meaning for me and prayed and prayed.

This time when I picked up the paper, rather than praying over the whole thing or a single section I decided to take all the significant, highlighted sections and create a customized prayer for my homeschool. I'm going to share that prayer with you now - I don't think Apologia will mind as I'm not sharing the paper in its entirety, just taking the bits and pieces from each section that were most relevant to my heart, my kids, my school.

Since, as the paper stated - "those of us who have been called to homeschool our children, and have faithfully answered that call, must be diligent in our prayer...We must make sure that we are not getting in the way of His will for each of our individual children" - I am making a commitment to myself to pray this prayer daily for the next 40 days in preparation for the coming school year.

A prayer for Ash Breeze Academy.

Father God, make our path straight (Proverbs 3:6), I am confident that You have a plan (Jeremiah 29:11, Isiah 42:16). Show me Lord who these children are for your glorious purpose (Ephesians 2:10). Please show me how to equip them for all You have planned for them to be. And Father, open the eyes of their hearts so that they might know Your will for their lives. I do not want to depend on what makes sense to this world to determine my actions as a homeschool mom. Let me go forward in confidence because of my relationship with You and in nurturing my children's relationship with You before anything else! I love You, O Lord, my strength! (Psalm 18:1) Sustain me as I seek to do Your will as a homeschool mom. (Psalm 55:22) Today I choose to to "stand firm" (Ephesians 6 and Romans 5) and live in Your power, not in fear (II Timothy 1:7). Grant me Your patience with my children as I train them in Your ways (Proverbs 22:6). Do not allow me to exasperate them (Ephesians 6:4). Let me love them with the unconditional love You extended to me (John 3:16, I Corinthians 13, Romans 5:8). Please do not allow me to be harsh with them and judge them rashly (Matthew 7:1). Lord, I want to be able to say "I have fought the good fight, and I have finished the course!" (II Timothy 4:7) I claim Exodus 14:14 which says that You will fight for me and I also claim Joshua 1:9 where You encouraged him to be "strong and courageous" because You are always with me. It is my desire to go forward in this call You have given me. Thank You for Your infinite patience with me and for exposing my faults so that I can depend on You more each day. I continue to look forward in the knowledge that You have great plans for those who love, trust and obey Your good, perfect and pleasing will. Amen.

I encourage you today to create a prayer, based on scripture, for your homeschool. One that will encourage your family and shore up your weaknesses.