It’s graduation season in America. Did you know that in the next few weeks, an estimated 3.6 million high school students will walk across the stage to collect their diplomas? It’s a time of celebration, but also a time to face the reality that change is coming into their lives.

Maybe you are a parent or an aunt or simply a family friend who is joining in the celebration — but whatever your role, you can pray for these young men and women as they begin a new journey in life. Here are 10 prayer prompts you and your family can follow to pray for your graduate:

Pray for wisdom and guidance, that God would give each student a godly purpose. Pray they will trust in the Lord with all their heart and not depend upon their own understanding. Pray they will seek to know and do the will of God and follow Christ fully (Proverbs 3:5–6). Pray they will discipline themselves in good and godly habits. For many, this will be the first time of having the freedom to make their own choices. Pray for their physical and mental and spiritual habits. Pray they will connect with a local church and be involved in serving Christ on and off their campus or workplace. Pray for their friendships and associations. There will be new friends, roommates and classmates. Our students will be leaving many of their friends behind. Pray they will meet new friends who share their faith and commitment to Christ; friends who will encourage and support them in their spiritual walk; friends who will lift them up and not drag them down. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Pray for their finances. Many students will now be responsible for credit cards, student loans, travel, clothing, entertainment and personal expenses for themselves and their families. Pray God will provide for their needs. Pray they will spend wisely and give generously. Pray for God’s protection as they face temptations. Whether students continue their education, serve in the military or join the workforce, they will encounter people of all backgrounds, religions, lifestyles, beliefs and worldviews. Pray our students will be witnesses for Christ in word and deed, in the way they speak, serve, love, and live. May they be an example in faith, purity and devotion to God. "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12) Pray for their health and safety in a time of violence and hate. Pray they will remember what they learned in their home and church in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. May they recall the great experiences from camp to mission trips to choir tours, and weekly discipleship. May they never forget their salvation, baptism and Christian walk, and grow even more in their faith. Pray for their teachers, professors and counselors. They will encounter new people in positions of authority in the marketplace and military as well. Pray that these people will build them in strength of character and ability to think and to act in a way that pleases God. Pray for their parents and siblings. Separation from our children and family members is challenging and emotional. Pray that family ties will remain strong and that students will continue to honor their parents and love their family.

Pray for their witness. Our graduates have an opportunity to be influencers, leaders and missionaries on campuses and in cities. An unbelieving world waits for this witness of Christ. Pray that they are bold, confident and eager to share their faith wherever they go. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).