And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:19 ESV]

One of my kids’ favorite activities every new school year was the purchase of school supplies. Pencils. Notebooks. Journals. Full rolls of scotch tape and glue that flowed.

Of course, several months into the year, with broken pencils, empty tape dispensers, and lost notebooks, the luster faded. But, even then, the fond memory of going home from the store with bags of supplies remained.

School supplies were great, but they never made anyone smarter. And eventually, I realized something deeper. The most important supply my children needed was unavailable at the store. It didn’t appear on any supply list.

The useful-est, necessary-est (say that ten times fast!), important-est tool my students required could only be obtained through the hard labor of prayer. Because, more than a fancy calculator, what my kids needed every year for school was wisdom and understanding. And those precious commodities were not for sale.

Kids today are faced with a barrage of God-denying assertions in the public. Never have they required wisdom and understanding more. If they are going to navigate the social messages offered today and still retain a heart committed to Jesus, supernatural intervention will be required.

Which is why we must KEEP PRAYING!

Let me share five verses with you to back up my bold claim.  Following each verse is a suggestion on how to personalize each scripture to use as a prayer for your student. Since wisdom and understanding come from the Lord, He’s who we must ask.

Praying For Wisdom and Understanding

Below are five verses and some suggested prayers. You might want to pray one verse, each day of the school week. But, there is no “right way” to use these. Just adapt it how it fits your schedule best. The most important thing is to PRAY.

• The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! [Psalm 111:10, ESV]

Dear Lord, please give my child a healthy fear of You. Please help him/her understand Your holiness enough to respect and obey You. From a right understanding of who You are, I ask You to grow wisdom and understanding in his/her mind and heart.

• Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? ... "And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD” [Proverbs 8:1, 32-35 ESV]

Lord, I ask You to open my child’s ears to hear calls of wisdom and understanding. That he/she would hear, understand, and pursue Your wisdom and find the life and favor that You give.

• Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king's matter." [Dan 2:20-23 ESV]

Lord, I praise You who owns all wisdom and power. Please give my child wisdom and reveal Your deep and hidden truth to his/her inner being, that he/she would know and love You completely, and believe You fully.

• And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [Colossians 1:9-10 ESV]

Please fill my child with ALL spiritual wisdom and understanding and enable him/her to live to Your praise and glory. Lord, I ask You to cause Your wisdom to bear fruit in my child’s life so that his/her knowledge of You would grow and grow.

• My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, [Proverbs 2:1-7 ESV]

Lord, please open my child’s mind to receive Your words and incline his/her heart to You. Please motivate him/her to ask You for understanding, and to seek You as the most valuable thing. Help him/her gain wisdom and understanding from You so that he/she can live a fruitful, kingdom-building, Jesus-honoring life.

Keep Praying

Even when my kids graduate from school, I continue to pray for wisdom and understanding to grow in their hearts. My own need for God’s perspective has never decreased, so I assume theirs hasn’t either.

I will keep praying for my kids, no matter how old they get or how old I get. Even when they are adults, they are still my kids. They will always NEED God’s wisdom and understanding, and hallelujah, His supplies never run out!

Print The Prayers For Wisdom & Understanding

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