Here’s
a prayer of blessing for graduating students. It was written by Pastor David
Swartz, Bethel Baptist Church, Michigan, and posted on Patheos.
Graduation Prayer
Lord,
bless these graduates. In the deepest Hebrew way, do good to them.
Bless them with passion. Let them move out
from this day, not into jobs, but into a calling. Lord, you said, ”A man’s life
does not consist of the abundance of things that he possesses.” Let
something smolder and burn deep on the altars of their heart that drives and
carries them from here so that they will do more than fill their days with
their own feeble thunder.
Bless them with a sense of responsibility. Lord, they not only have a contribution to make: they
have a contribution they must make. A person wrapped up in
himself is the smallest package in the world. In a world full of fear and
insecurity, they must escape the gravitational pull of their own navel.
A life that we clutch, grab and hoard to ourselves is worth little to anybody,
especially to ourselves.
Bless them with humility. We hold in our hands
today evidence certified by the state that we’ve received an education. If that
is true, let us know that our education is just beginning. Out ahead, many who
have less education that we do have much to teach us. Lord, if we act like your
voice is speaking only when our mouth is open, we will miss much.
Bless them with a legacy. Allow them to work
the muscles of this education so that, thirty years from now, they will not
only have been educated – they will have been found to have become in the
ensuing years, wise. Lord, grant this as these two things don’t always show up
in the same person. These today will mark the world whether they are trying to
or not. Let the shadow of their mark stretch far beyond their liabilities and
limitations. Let them know the rich satisfaction, not of merely making a
living, but of living a life – full, rich and deep. And whether they’ve thought
much about You or not, watch over them. It can get awfully cold out there.
Thank you that you are not far from any one of us. Amen.
~
written by Pastor David Swartz, Bethel Baptist Church, Michigan. Posted on Patheos. You can find the whole prayer
here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2012/05/two-prayers-for-graduates/
