5 Prayers For Your Teens

We get excited about helping teenagers encounter Jesus in contexts that are different than their own. A mission experience is such a unique opportunity for teenagers to be changed by what they learn about God and how they understand themselves in light of those revelations. But we know a mission trip with YouthWorks is just the beginning of something so much greater—the opportunity to join God at work every day when they roll of bed.

Here are 5 prayers we encourage you to pray for your teenagers both as they serve in communities far away, and as they love their neighbors at home.

1. Pray that your teenagers will seek discipleship

Growing as a Christian can be hard, especially as a teenager! Teenagers are faced with jam-packed schedules, mixed messages from culture, and big life choices all in the midst of puberty. Growing takes intentionality, and often someone who’s a little further down the road leading you along the way. This summer in Portland, our service partner at the Rockwood Center wants to intentionally partner their college interns with our summer staff as a means of discipleship for the week. Having someone lead you—and wanting to be lead—can help teenagers better understand God!

2. Pray that your teenagers will step out of their comfort zones

It can be easy to stay in our own rhythms and routines, but the longer we stay there the harder it can be to see God in new ways. Teenagers worlds are changing quickly, especially as they plan to go off to college. Helping teenagers step out of their comfort zone challenges them to adapt and grow, to learn more about God, and to learn more about themselves. Last summer, all of the participants who came to Detroit left with the shocking understanding that God is at work here too, even in a community so different than their own. Helping teenagers become familiar with being uncomfortable prepares them for whatever comes next for them.

3. Pray that your teenagers will know that God can work in and through all circumstances

It can be easy to get stuck in a mindset that tells us God can only work in certain people, and in certain contexts. Each summer when youth come to Benton Harbor to serve, they are able to see the incredible work that God is doing through community leaders and advocates. These local leaders may come from similar places as our teenagers, or perhaps their lives have looked drastically different. As youth rub shoulders with passionate leaders, they are able to see that God has the power to weave beautiful stories in people of all ages, backgrounds, and life circumstances. God has the power to use each and every one of us for the good of his kingdom.

4. Pray that your teenagers will plant seeds

There are very few times in life we are able to see the complete work of God from start to finish. More often, we get a chance to see only a small portion of what God is doing in the lives of his people. A few years ago, at the YouthWorks Cheyenne River site, teenagers built four tiny houses for community members experiencing homelessness. The first week’s group had a chance to lay the foundation, the next week’s group built the frame and the next added siding. No one had the chance to see the project from start to finish. Teenagers from the first week had to trust that others would carry on the work they had started. What a great metaphor for life! Sometimes we get to reap a harvest, but more often we get to be the seed planters, knowing that God will use others in his Body to carry on his great work.

5. Pray that your teenager will have clear eyes to see the daily movements of God

Having a posture of thankfulness for God’s work starts with awareness. Unless we have eyes to see how God is moving, we can’t be thankful for how he is at work in and around us. At YouthWorks, we’re intentional about sharing “Yea Gods” each evening and naming how we’ve seen God work in the community, in ourselves, and in each other. Pray that your teenager is equipped to see how God is working in every aspect of their lives.

Our encouragement is that you’d pray with and for your teenager often

At YouthWorks, we pray all year that your teenagers would experience Jesus’ love for them during their mission trip experience and that that would stay with them as they go home. Join us in prayer as we labor together for the growth and development of your teenagers.