Day 17 - Never stop praying

The 18th March 2020 was a Wednesday, but it wasn’t just any old Wednesday. School children and parents may remember that it was the day that the Prime Minister made the announcement that all schools had to close from 20th March until further notice - due to the then rising number of Covid-19 cases - to all students, except the children of key workers or those who were considered to be the most vulnerable. Exams for the summer of 2020 were cancelled and we all came to learn the meaning of so many new words – “home-learning” being one of them.

The children this affected are still feeling the after-effects of lost education and the missed opportunities to have new experiences, trips, times away with school and other development. Today we will be praying for young people, teaching staff, schools and all those who are working so hard to help youngsters to make up for lost time, for those offering support to children who are suffering from mental health issues and those youngsters who are worried about what the future might hold.

Let’s pray…

Loving Father God, it’s been a long two years, a difficult time for so many and now as we begin to get back to what we were used to, we know that there will be repercussions for years to come for the young people who have been affected by the changes the pandemic brought about. We pray for them today.

We pray for the schools that they attend. We pray for all those teaching staff who are working so hard to help those who are struggling to catch up on work that has been missed during the pandemic. We pray for youngsters who are finding it difficult to re-engage with education – perhaps because of being away from school or because of underlying additional needs or mental health issues.

We pray for those who are frightened to go to school because they are being bullied or think they are inadequate and are scared of failing. We pray too that young people will be able to share their worries with the school and their parents so that help can be given.

We pray for those who will be sitting exams this summer, particularly those who have not experienced formal exams before. We pray for them as they revise and learn the techniques they need to do the best they can.

We pray too for those children who are told that they need to keep resitting exams in order to do “better”. Loving Lord, you have made us all as individuals with our own gifts to bring to life. Help us to acknowledge the beauty and usefulness of each gift that is given to every individual and to see your image captured there. Help all young people to know that their future is part of your plan and that you will continue to love and support them in everything they do.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Catherine Booton