As someone who grew up with school always starting after Labor Day, it is always a bit of a shock to me when I go into the stores at the end of July/beginning of August and see that the back-to-school sales have already started. Aisles of notebooks, folders, pencils, and crayons – everything students are told they need to be prepared for the upcoming year. In fact, most schools even provide lists of needed supplies, some of which are specific to each classroom. While new school (or office) supplies are nice, what matters most is what is actually learned throughout the year.

The Bible certainly has a lot to say when it comes to learning & understanding and knowledge & wisdom, but the book of Proverbs is one of the best places to go for some quick, but hard-hitting, truth. Proverbs 22:17-21 is the first of “Thirty Sayings of the Wise” that are found in Proverbs 22:17-24:22. This first saying reads:

 Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
¹⁸ for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
¹⁹ So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
²⁰ Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
²¹ teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?

In this introduction, we see a good list of what our children (and what we ourselves) need to be prepared, not just for school, but for any instruction.

1. Applying the teaching of the wise. There is no value in gaining knowledge from fools, and wise teaching does little good unless we are willing to apply it.
2. Trust in the Lord. Anything that opposes the Word of the Lord needs to be avoided and rejected. This is why it is important for parents to pay attention to what your children are learning – and not just from school, but from every source – friends, television, the internet, etc. The enemy is cunning!
3. Honesty and Integrity. In order to learn what our children are learning, we need to emphasize the importance of having open and honest communication. One of the first steps in rebellion is dishonesty and deceit.

This school year, no matter if you have children or not, or whether your children are grown, in college, in public or private school, or home schooled, let us commit to pray for our young people. Evil is all around, constantly teaching them to despise the wisdom of the Lord.

1. Pray that the Lord would give students a spirit of discernment to reject the bad and cling to the good.
2. Pray that parents would be wise as to who they allow to teach their children. Teachers can have a great deal of influence, and even though we know God can shut the mouths of lions, it is foolish to intentionally send your children into the den!
3. Pray that the Lord would provide and protect faithful teachers (at school, church, and home) who teach the truth and are good examples.
4. Pray for our local school administrators, pastors, and parents that they would not tolerate immorality and chaos and would strive to create safe and orderly learning environments.

And one final reminder from Colossians 1:28, “He [Jesus Christ] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”