If you have a teenager, you are in a constant state of prayer.
Keep them safe on the road, keep them pure on a date, keep them healthy on the field, etc.. But how can we specifically pray for todays teenager? Here are 5 specific prayers to start with.
- Pray that your teenager will understand the gospel. Simply because your teen has heard the gospel, grew up in church hearing the gospel and is faithful in church attendance does not mean they understand it. I was one of those who heard it, saw it, and was faithful in church attendance but I never understood the gospel as a teenager. As parents we cant assume they know it, rather, as 2 Corinthians 5 says we must see that they know it. We see this by seeing them respond to the gospel. Has your teen responded to the gospel?
- Pray that your teenager will spend time with the Lord. Pray that they will see the good in this and make time for it. That prayer, Bible reading and private worship will be important to them. For those students that do not do this, pray the Lord will move them to trying it. I often pray that we will have such an awesome encounter with Jesus that it will lead to us to want more of Him. Pray for this for your teenager.
- Pray that your teenager will seek purity. Seeking purity is a lifestyle; it will include healthy and wise choices, and choosing to have relationships with those who share this same conviction. Our teenagers live in over-sexualized culture where, as I said in my last post; sex, lust, pornography is so very easy to fall into. Praying that our teenagers will choose and walk in purity should always be at the forefront of our mind.
- Pray that your teenager will seek Godly counsel. One of the greatest decisions a teenager can make is to choose to speak with Godly counsel either over a sin they are committing and need help with, OR over a decision they are making. As parent our first desire, will be for them to approach us with these. But we must remove our personal selfishness from this ideal, and pray that students will have adults in their life they can trust that they can seek Godly counsel from.
- Pray that your teenager will have Godly friends/community. An essential trait for a Christian teenager to make it through teen years still loving God is having friends that love God and love them. Pray that the Lord will bring Godly friends into your teenagers life, and that He will build around them good Christian community. This is one the KEYS to teenagers keeping and holding on to their faith during there teen years. Influence is a heavy weight in the lives of teenagers, and whoever influences your teen, is who they will become.
My encouragement is to pray these things often for your teenagers.
Your prayers matter to God and he hears them. I recently read a book on prayer by Pastor Tim Keller and in it he said this, and it greatly encouraged me…
“We know God will answer us when we call because one terrible day he did not answer Jesus when he called. . . . Jesus’ prayers were given the rejection that we sinners merit so that our prayers could have the reception that he merits.”
Article by Joshua Glymph
Haygood Youth Ministry 