My life was completely changed 13 years ago by the Psalm 91 prayer for the school year.I have a question for you. As your children go back to school, are you excited or anxious…or both? Hopefully you love the schooling option you have chosen, but maybe there are some things that make you really nervous.
After all, kids are kids and teens are teens and the world can be a crazy place. And sometimes, it doesn’t feel safe. It can feel like there are dangers around every corner.
Violence (with guns or without)
Confusing teachings & ideas
Teen drivers!
Sports injuries
Random accidents
Sicknesss
and more bad stuff!
We want to keep our kids safe in a bubble…but we know there are no guarantees. Even keeping them home doesn’t prevent all bad things from happening.
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But what if there was a guarantee? What if you could depend on protection and safety? Wouldn’t that be amazing?
If you think, lady, you are crazy…you might be partly right. We as people cannot protect ourselves or our children 100% of the time.
But God, who created them and loves them can.
If you aren’t sure how you feel about God, that’s ok, too. He knows how He feels about you.
The Bible passage I want to share with you was the one that God used to show himself as a Father to me…and to restore my faith.
You see…I was afraid all the time…all I could think about was the bad things that might happen. It was like a prison until I found Psalm 91.
So I thought I would share 2 things here. First…Psalm 91…and then a Back to School Prayer based on Psalm 91.
Psalm 91 is very very old…but very timely for today…when bad things still happen all around us. I invite you to read it aloud and ask yourself, “What if this was a promise for me today? What if it could be true for me?”
Disclaimer: No obligation. You don’t have to believe the same thing as me…but just imagine if it was true. How would that change your life? How would you feel knowing your child is going off to school with angels this year?
Read this with me outloud…hear the promises from God Himself to those who speak his promises and dwell in his shelter.
Psalm 91 (NIV)
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
I think what makes Psalm 91 so special is that it has most of the big fears we have in one place and then God coming along say, “Boom…I will protect YOU and your tent (family)”
In Psalm 91 we see references to:
sickness (pestilence & plague)
danger (trapper and arrows)
terror at night
disaster
lions & cobras (unexpected disasters and small problems that can destroy you)
serpents/dragons (when our imagination runs wild and we get lost in worry about things that could happen)
Psalm 91 says, You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, but it will not come near you.”
What if that was true?
Verse 10 says, “No evil will befall you, nor will any plague (disease) come near your tent (home).”
What if that could be true for you? Wouldn’t it be amazing?
“For he will give his angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways.”
Can you imagine…sending your kid off to school, work or different activities knowing they have angels to guard them. Amazing right?
I think that my Father gave Psalm 91 for everyone who wants it…but I think He knew moms needed a place to find rest. Psalm 91 has been that place for me.
Psalm 91 was the Scripture that led me back to God as a good Father. It showed me His heart and connected very deeply to the place I was struggling. It is the Psalm that I run to over and over again when I am afraid.
Memorize it.
Speak it.
Choose to Dwell in the Shelter of His Protection and believe His word over what you see with your eyes.
Back to School Prayer for the School Year Version of Psalm 91
Over the many years that I have claimed Psalm 91 as my own, the Lord has made it my very own through extreme circumstances of sickness, car accidents, COVID ventilators, kidney disease and much more. It is easily the ONE scripture that has changed my life the most…and one I never learned about while growing up in church, Christian school and university.
Psalm 91 is very personal and you can put your situation into it right now….today. I’ve used a bit of creative license to write a prayer considering how we can apply the truths in Psalm 91 to our children going back to school, being homeschooled or off to college.
Download Your Free Copy (With No Watermark!)
Begin a Journey of Studying Psalm 91
I’ve been studying this Psalm for 12 years and I still find new gems in here. It will absolutely change your life if you decide to go on that faith journey with Jesus.
If you have never actually studied Psalm 91, it is a gold mine…a treasure trove of truths about God. It contains 5 of his names and promises of protection related to sickness, mental and spiritual health, salvation, protection, prosperity and so much more.
Sarah McCubbin and her husband and 9 kids live in Ohio. She loves talking about all kinds of education topics and is passionate about helping families find the best education options in each season! Socially awkward growing up, she loves to help families teach life skills, social skills and leadership.
