A Coach’s Prayer For Graduating Seniors

If you are a coach of a school’s sports team, there are many things that you can do to be the salt and light for the players you are leading. The most important thing you can do is preach the Gospel to them. It is the ultimate need of any human being and the solution to all of our problems, especially the worst problem of all, which is sin. 

Mark 16:15

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Even if the team you are coaching has young members – whether they are elementary, high school, or more mature ones in college or university – no one is too young to receive the Gospel and become a follower of Christ. As a matter of fact, it is a good thing for those players or students to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel at a young age and become followers of Christ at a younger age instead of getting to know Jesus only when they are already middle-aged men or women. Even older people that have come to know Jesus at an older age wish that they had known Christ earlier in this life. As you preach the Gospel to the students on your team, you are discipling the next generation. As they come to know Jesus at an early age and uphold godly values, these are the same values that they will hold as they get into the real world, whether they work as businesspeople, doctors, soldiers, etc. That is why being the coach of a school or university’s sports team is an excellent opportunity to change the world—by bringing the next generation of students in your time to Christ. Even in the Bible, we can see God’s heart for the next generation:

Joel 2:28

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Praying for your players’ salvation is the greatest prayer you can pray for the graduating seniors on your team, whether they are high school or college/university students. You can pray this prayer for the seniors in your team to get to know Jesus and follow Him:

Father in heaven, I pray for the seniors in my team who are graduating. I pray that they would not get into [college/the professional world] without knowing Your Son Jesus and what He has done for them on the cross. I pray, Holy Spirit, that You would turn their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh and that You would open their spiritually blinded eyes so that they may see the truth of the Gospel, believe in the person and work of Christ, and repent from their lives of sin. May they become godly men and women who know You and uphold godly values in society. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Ezekiel 36:26

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

John 9:25

He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

What do you say in a graduation prayer?

Depending on their concerns and whether the team you are coaching is composed of high school or college/university students, there are many different things that you can pray for them. For example, if there are graduating high school seniors on your team and some of them are having a hard time choosing what degree to take for college or the career they want to have in the future, that specific concern is something you can pray about. Some may even be deciding whether to go into college, the workplace, or maybe the military. You can pray for God’s grace to come upon them and that He will give them the wisdom and discernment they need. Here is how you can pray for the seniors in your team as they decide what to do after high school:

Father in heaven, I pray that You would be gracious and merciful to these graduates and grant them the wisdom and discernment they need as they weigh their options and decide what they will do after high school. Help them as they choose what kind of career they want to have. I pray that as they choose what career path to take, they shall be motivated not by money or prestige but by the desire to help people, alleviate the suffering of others, and make the world a better place. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Matthew 5:45

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Likewise, suppose you are coaching a sports team composed of college students. In that case, you can also pray for the seniors who are still deciding on options such as whether to proceed on to graduate studies or not, get into professional sports or not, where to work, and so on. Here is how you can pray for college seniors who are deciding what to do after graduating from college:

Father, I pray that You would be gracious and merciful to the graduating seniors in my team and that You would give them the wisdom and discernment that they need as they decide what to do after graduating from college. Help them, Father, to determine and choose the best possible options and that they shall also be practical with their choices. Help them to make mature decisions that will bring a positive impact on their lives. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Another thing that you can pray for graduating college seniors is that they are able to face the real world now. Some of them may not proceed to graduate studies or compete professionally, and these would choose to apply for a job and work. They may feel nervous and fearful as they step outside their comfort zone and into the world of professionals. Here is how you can pray for those graduating seniors in college who are about to work:

Father in heaven, I pray that You would give the graduating seniors in my team who are applying for a job the courage and the bravery they will need as they step outside their comfort zone and enter the professional world. I pray that You would be gracious to them and give them favor in the eyes of the employer they are applying to; that they will be able to land a job, get just compensation, and be treated well as an employee. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Matthew 6:27

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

You can also pray for the graduating seniors who have decided to apply for a job, that they may be faithful in the work they will be doing and that they shall continuously strive for excellence and be a blessing to the employer they are working for. Here is how you can pray for these students to be faithful and excellent in the work that they will be doing:

Father in heaven, I pray for my graduating seniors that once they land a job, they will not be half-hearted in the way they work nor will they do their respective tasks poorly. But I pray instead that they shall be faithful in their work and that they shall always aim to do their jobs excellently. Give them the grace to be humble in the workplace that they will be working in; that they will receive feedback and corrections from their superiors and co-workers with right hearts and process this so that they may do their jobs better. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

As mentioned before, it is vital to remember that the best prayer you can pray for these graduates is to repent and believe the Gospel. That also means that the best thing you can do for them is to preach the Gospel to them, simply because those in Christ have privileges that only God’s children can receive. For example, we know that God will give wisdom generously to His children if they need it as they decide on their futures. Children of God can do things through Christ who strengthens them and receive the grace that makes them strong and is available only to those in Christ. Only those in Christ understand why they have to be faithful in their work because they ultimately work not for men but for God. 

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Romans 8:15

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

2 Corinthians 12:9

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

John 1:16

And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

We can pray for God’s grace for these graduates all we want, but this is incomparable to being in Christ, where the wall of hostility with God has been broken and children of God have direct access to the throne of grace. That is why the best thing that we can pray for them and preach to them is Christ.