Praying with Intention for your Teenage Kids
Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash
Families experience a natural and healthy tension as kids transition from middle school to high school and eventually college. Teenagers are in a constant (sometimes awkward) process of becoming, shedding the skin of their childhood to come into their own as mature, fully-functioning young adults.
It wasn’t so long ago we did this ourselves. But by watching our babies navigate the challenges of these pivotal years, we’ve entered a whole new level of parenting. One in which we must learn to slowly let them go, trusting that they will lean into Jesus more as they lean into us less.
That doesn’t mean our job as parents is over. We may need to give them space to fail, but we can pray them through those failures, demonstrating to them the love of Jesus with grace. We may not be able to tell them what to do in every single situation, but we can ask the Lord to guide them in His wisdom and keep them from sin.
I love what Mark Batterson says in his book, Praying Circles around your Children:
You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent. Prayer is your highest privilege as a parent. [It] turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destinies of their children, grandchildren and every generation that follows.
Mark Batterson
Our days as our teenagers’ chauffeurs, bank tellers and short-order cooks will eventually end. But we will never stop being their parents. We will never stop having spiritual influence in their lives. And I pray we never relinquish our role as prophetic pray-ers for our kids, and their kids, and their kids’ kids. Really, when we look at it that way, we’re just getting started.
Ten ways to pray with intention for your teenage kids:
[1] Ask your teen how you can pray for them.
Keep notes in a prayer journal and follow up with them later. Show them how God is working on their behalf through answered prayer over time.
[2] Pray the armor of God over them when they go to school (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Make sure they understand what each piece means and invite them to participate.
[3] Pray over them when they go to sleep.
They are not too old for bedtime prayers. And if they’re going to bed earlier than you are, pray before YOUR bedtime. Age up the language and petitions but always take this opportunity to bless your teenagers before they go to bed.
[4] Pray through the rooms of your home.
When the kids are at school or practice, pray over their bedroom, over the place they do their homework and the place they eat their meals. Pray that God’s presence would be inescapable in your home, that He would guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7) and that He would foster opportunities for spiritual conversation.
[5] Pray in the car over the car.
If they aren’t already, your teenagers will be driving soon. Pray that God would protect them and their vehicle from accident or injury and that they would never make careless decisions behind the wheel.
[6] Pray over their devices.
Pray that their phone, computer, gaming systems and the televisions in your home would be used in ways that honor God. Pray that the Lord would guard them from temptation and make the way of escape clear when they face it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
[7] Pray the Lord would reveal hidden things in their lives and bring them to light.
A friend encouraged me to start praying this over my boys several years ago. God has been faithful to answer this prayer when sin issues were small so they could be addressed before greater damage was done.
[8] Pray over their giftings and their future.
Pray your teen would discover who God created them to be, what He created them to do and how they can use those gifts and talents for His kingdom.
[9] Pray for their future spouse.
Pray that God would keep your child and their future spouse pure, that they would maintain a godly perspective on marriage and family and that they would someday glorify God through their relationship.
[10] Pray scripture.
God’s Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). Placing your child’s name into Scripture is a powerful way to bring them before the Lord.
- Mark Batterson has a surprising secret weapon for parenting: prayer
- Batterson shares a perfect blend of biblical yet practical advice that will revolutionize parents’ prayer lives
- This guide describes seven important ways prayer circles will transform how parents pray for their kids and lead them to a deeper relationship with Christ
- Praying Circles Around the Lives of Your Children teaches parents how to:Create prayer lists unique to their familyClaim God-inspired promises for their childrenTurn their family circle into a prayer circleDiscover their child’s life themesThis resource is great for new parents, parents whose kids are entering their teenage years, and every age in between
- As Batterson says, “You can leave a legacy for generations to come
There are so many ways to pray with intention for your teenager. Don’t limit yourself to these suggestions. Find what works for YOU and start praying!