Prayers for Young Minds

Recent studies have shown that increased school pressures, the effects of social media, cyberbullying, austerity-related cuts to youth services and children growing up in poverty plus the effects of living through Covid have had a dramatic impact on the mental health of young people.

In response our circuit designated 2025 as a year of prayer for children and young people, with particular focus on mental health and wellbeing.

The Prayers will appear here and on our Facebook page.

Prayers for May

This month's prayers have been written by Viv Pitts, Elizabeth Hall and Revd Roberta Topham with assistance from Rosie Al-Fatlawi .

May 4th
Loving God, we are aware that this is a month of exams for some children. In primary schools SATS will be taking place, and at secondary level, GCSE's and A.S. levels. We pray that you would be with the children and young people involved, especially those who find exam stress hard to bear. May they receive support to remain calm and focused instead of being overwhelmed by anxiety. May they have confidence instead of self- doubt, so they can perform to their best. We pray for every child to know they are valued whatever their attainment levels. God you desire for all to flourish in body, mind and spirit. Alongside all their learning, may every child have the opportunity to learn about you and your love.

Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

May 11th
Dear God, we thank you for all the good news we can celebrate about children and young people. Jesus taught us: Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Help us to have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to love all the children and young people we know. Amen

May 18th
Prayer for children and young people on the autistic spectrum

Creator God

You have made us all and you love us all. We give you thanks for children and young people who think differently and are neurodivergent. Especially for anyone who is on the autistic spectrum. Such a range, a three-dimensional rainbow of abilities and disabilities! Thank you for the talents, insights and alternative perspectives people with autism can bring.

We pray for us all to understand more of the needs and gifts of children with ASC (autistic spectrum condition). We pray too for the many autistic children who also have sensory processing disorder and can experience light, taste, or sound as painful, or who crave more sensory stimulation than ordinary life provides. And for those who feel lonely and misunderstood and in consequence suffer from anxiety and related issues. We pray also for children who are not able to talk for years beyond the typical time. We recognise how difficult life can be when we cannot communicate our needs and the big effect this has on mental health. Be with all those working to aid communication with people of any age who find it difficult to speak, hear or communicate.

May our governments come to understand and appreciate the needs of children, young people and adults with these conditions and to properly resource the support systems.

We pray for parents and carers who often feel very poorly supported and isolated. And for siblings who are affected too by the lack of support, and those who become young carers.

Help us all to learn and care and share and be part of one world together.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer Amen.

May 25th
Prayer for children with ADHD

Loving God

We bring to you the many children, young people and adults who long for help with their attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The waiting lists can extend for years. And then when a diagnosis is given, there is still a very lengthy wait for the medicine that helps 80% of people with this condition.

Help our governments to make this need more of a priority. Help doctors to care and understand the condition. Help us all to understand this a little more, and appreciate that not all our brains work in the same way.

We pray for the children and young people who find it difficult to stay focused on a task or control their impulses to move about and who in consequence often have trouble learning and relating to others. Some are at higher risk of accidents because of this condition. Help us as a country and as communities to create safe and welcoming spaces for all our young people.

Help us as churches not to judge the behaviour of others, especially children, and to do all we can to support parents and carers.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.

Prayers for Young Minds April 2025
The prayers this month have been written by Revd Cameron Stirk and Deacon Liz Day .

6th April
Today let us hold before God the lay employees within our Circuit and from various churches who work in part in our local schools. Let us pray for Michael Johnston (Christchurch); Fi Thompson (Burley); Hester Ayling (Guiseley; Yeadon & Bramhope) and Jean Snaith (Guisieley, Yeadon & Bramhope). Let us also remember our Ministers who often take school assemblies as part of their role and those who volunteer in delivering Open the Book. Let us especially remember our lay employees who have the responsibility and privilege of working alongside teachers and with students as part of whole school work, small groups or one-to-one mentoring. 

Let us pray for guidance, sensitivity, honesty, care and a wholeness in all they offer and lead. Let us also pray for wisdom, imagination and fun as they lead various children' and youth groups, praying that the love of Jesus may be communicated to all the young people they work with. 

Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer

13th April – Palm Sunday
Loving Lord, as we stand at the beginning of another Holy Week, we can only imagine the gamut of emotions Jesus experienced from riding triumphantly into Jerusalem to being laid in the tomb.

Today, let us pray for all young people who are living with severe mood swings. For those who experience such despair that they turn to self harm for release. For those whose behaviour is misunderstood and those whose stories are disbelieved.

May they find safe places to talk and realise they are of immense value and worth.

Lord in your mercy ..........Hear our prayer

20th April – Easter Day
On this joyful day as we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus we remember how he overcame death and evil so that we might know freedom. But particularly today, we also pray for those young people who do not feel joy due to mental distress and overwhelm.

May they glimpse moments of triumph over their situations and recognise resurrection within their own lives. Let us pray that coping strategies may be found and self acceptance discovered.

 Lord in your mercy.............Hear our prayer

27th April
As we live in these hope-filled days of Eastertide let us pray for all those entrusted with responsibility for support services for young people including our Government, local Councils and local Health trusts. Let us pray for a resurrection of thinking in terms of help and funding for those affected by poor mental health. 

Let us pray that those with difficult decisions about finances and where support is best employed may be given new hope and peace even through the living presence of our risen Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer.

Prayers – for March

This month's prayers have been written by Jo Dixon and Elizabeth Hall.

March 2nd
Fathering, Mothering God, You know the needs of every child. We lift before you our schools as places our children learn and grow.

We ask for your wisdom for teachers, headteachers and all those who work around and alongside the children in their care. Help them to create a safe environment where each child feels seen and known, just as you see and know each child. In the busyness of their day may your Spirit draw them to those who are struggling and to respond to them with your grace and compassion.

Place your hand of protection over these precious lives. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

9th March Lent 1
O God, through this Lent period, we remember and give thanks for the ways your Son Jesus developed the strength to carry his message of Love right up to his crucifixion.

We pray especially today for babies and young children. Help us to help them, to develop the resilience they need, to grow emotional strength for when times are tough.

We thank you for every smile a baby receives – and learns to return. We thank you for all the fun of childhood, and every loving treat they receive – and how through love they can learn to hear the word "No" as well.

Thank you for your love for all of us, and we pray that as family and friends, or just passing on the street with a smile, we may share that love with everyone we meet, especially children.

Amen

16th March Lent 2
Lord God, we think again today of all the ways we can help children and young people develop the resilience they need to stay emotionally strong.

We thank you for their teachers, and others who work in schools; for doctors, nurses and all who reach out in kindness and skill, to help sick children and young people.

We think of youth workers, sports leaders, social workers, arts and crafts leaders – everyone who engages with teenagers in particular, when we know life can be tough.

We pray for all those in our churches, who work with babies, children, teenagers and young families – we are grateful for their commitment, their stamina, their kindness and the way they shine out with your love..

May we all help children and young people to feel safe, and to negotiate the challenges that lie along their path. Amen

March 23rd Lent 3
Lord we recognise the huge influence and harm social media is having on the minds of children and young people. We ask you to protect their minds and hearts in all they see and hear.Holy Spirit give them insight and wisdom to discern the dangers they may face.

Thank you that you made each one of our children as a unique expression of your life. We pray that their self-worth and identity would be built in the knowledge of your love for them and not by the distorted measures of the internet.

We pray for those who are fighting for justice in areas of policy and safeguarding to protect children from companies who value money before the welfare of young lives. Give these courageous people strength and release your power into their cause. We lift all this before you in the knowledge that you hear us.

Amen

March 30th Lent 4
Thank you Lord for the passion and creativity you have given people in our Churches who offer their time and gifts for the welfare of Children and Young people. We thank you for every Toddler group, Messy Church, Sunday school, Youth Club, music groups and conference that goes on within our circuit.

We pray this work would flourish and grow by your Spirit to reach as many children as possible with the knowledge and experience of your love.

Amen.

Prayers for February

Our prayers for this month have been written by Dave Goldsborough and Adrian Millard.

Sunday 2nd February
Loving God as we continue with our year of prayer for the mental health of children and young people in our Circuit and beyond, we pray especially today that Children's Mental Health week, which runs from tomorrow until next Sunday, will raise awareness of this challenging problem that is facing so many, both locally here and across our country. We pray for all those from Place2Be and the other organisations involved this week, and all who will be supporting in so many ways.

We pray that the aim of the week to empower and give a voice to all children and young people in the UK will come to pass through your love, so that children will not have to face mental health problems alone.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sunday 9th February
Loving God, we pray for all children and young people who are living at home. We think and pray especially today for those who are not blessed with a surrounding loving family, and who have difficult relationships. We know that this can make them vulnerable to mental distress and, sadly, potentially to physical abuse. We pray for them that they might find love and happiness where at present there is none, and we ask that you would be with them and comfort them.

We pray also for all the members of such troubled families that they may come to know the power of your love. And we pray also for all those who seek to help and support them, either in their wider family or from elsewhere.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sunday 16th February
We pray for all those who work in the NHS who treat children suffering with their mental health. We pray for counsellors, psychologists, psychiatrists and other professionals, that they show understanding and empathy and make each child feel cared for and special.

We also pray for those support workers in schools who often are the first adult the child talks to about their issues. May they be good listeners and able to discern what the next step should be.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sunday 23rd February
Lord, we pray for children suffering loss of a parent. We know ourselves how the loss of a loved one can affect our mental health, and our heart goes out to children who are unfortunate enough to lose a parent at an impressionable age. Be close to them and help those around them learn how to best support them. We also pray for children whose parents divorce or separate. That they are given support and time to adjust to the new situation and, if possible, maintain a relationship with each parent. However, we know that is not always the case, and in those circumstances, we pray for understanding and for feelings of rejection to be dealt with and not hidden.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Prayers for January

Sunday 5th January
As we launch our Circuit's year of prayer for children, Lord, place on our hearts this call to prayer, for the many in our land who are struggling with their mental health. May this new year bring hope, support and care, gladness instead of sorrow. Let no child be friendless or their suffering go unnoticed. Where there is darkness, bring your light.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sunday 12th January
Let us pray for children growing up in families whose finances are stretched to the limit, who do not always have the means to provide heating or food, and who suffer most especially in the depths of winter. Such children we know to be many times more vulnerable to the loss of mental wellbeing. Compassionate God, move this nation to take action on child poverty.

Bless the work of those who provide help – churches, food banks, CAP, our Circuit CAP Debt Centre. Through giving, may your people reflect your love and compassion.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sunday 19th January
Loving Lord , we pray for those going through the turbulent teens. Young people with so much potential, but subject to many influences which may adversely affect their mental health. We pray for their guidance, support and encouragement as they find their way, that each might discover their true worth as human beings uniquely made in your image. Let not their gifts and talents be squandered , but in developing them may they find purpose, direction, positivity, and the abundant joy in living which you desire to bring to all through Jesus Christ.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Sunday 26th January
As we lift up to you children and young people and their mental wellbeing, we pray for school teachers who are in contact with them each school day and may notice the signs of trouble. In their busy lives, with their many responsibilities, may teachers be aware, alert, compassionate and skilled, to be the first defenders of those children who are suffering .

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.