I thought I’d start this Teen Life Skills Series with something that I consider the foundation for all other skills…prayer.
Prayer is a tool that your teen can use to guide him through the learning and practice of all other skills. God can help him in his daily work. He need only ask.
Prayer also prepares him for the next world. After all, how can one hope to enter into the Kingdom of God if one never established any kind of personal connection with God.
Now I know that you’ve probably been teaching your children to pray for years just as I have, but I wanted to take this opportunity to give teens an overall picture of prayer and how to implement it in their lives.
The section below is written so that it speaks directly to teens. You can have your teen read it or you can simply take the information and share it with him in a way that suits him best.
Prayer
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” — St. Therese de Lisieux
Prayer is a gift from God. It is an ever-open conduit of love that exists between you and the Creator of the entire universe. It brings joy, inspiration, and peace. It’s a tool for you to use throughout your life.
Let’s take a closer look at the why, when, what, and how of prayer so that you can have a better understanding of how you can take advantage of this blessing from God.
Why Pray
Why is prayer important? What’s in it for you?
Lots.
First, know that God WANTS to connect with you. He doesn’t HAVE to, but he desires to do so because He LOVES you. This is a blessing for you because there are some incredible benefits that come with connecting to the Infinite Creator. Take these, for example.
- God can help you with your needs. Do you need help learning a new skill? Ask God. Do you want to raise money to help a charity? Ask God. Do you want to know what your career path should be? Ask God. He can help you with those things and so much more.
- Prayer helps you overcome temptations. There are plenty of temptations in the world. Temptations to overindulge, to be lazy, to be prideful, to be greedy, to hurt instead of help, and the list goes on. When those enticements rear their ugly heads, PRAY. God will help you overcome them.
- God helps you grow through prayer. If you’re not moving forward in your life, you’re moving backward. Praying helps you to keep that forward momentum. When you and God chat on a daily basis, He can help you grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
- Prayer brings you peace. Through the good times and the bad, prayer can give you a beautiful feeling of peace that can’t come from anything here on Earth.
When to Pray
When should you pray?
Always.
Done. Let’s move onto the next topic.
Just kidding.
Seriously, though. Paul said in the Bible, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17) That means we should do our best to pray whenever we can.
Here is a list of some times when you might consider praying:
- When you get up in the morning
- Before meals
- After meals
- When you need help with a task
- When someone else needs help
- When you want to thank God for something
- When you’re tempted
- When you’re riding in a car
- When you’re sad or lonely
- When you’re happy or excited
- When you want to learn something
- When you have down time
- When you work or play
- When you go to bed at night
This is by no means a complete list. You may think of some other times when it is good to pray that aren’t listed here. Go for it. Just do your best to communicate with God whenever you think of it.
What to Pray
When you want to talk to God, you have a number of options available to you.
- You can recite a traditional prayer like the Our Father.
- You can use one from a prayer book.
- You can talk to God in your own words.
Now when you talk to God using your own personal thoughts, there are obviously many things you can say to him. After all, it’s your private time with him. But there are four different types of personal prayers that you can use that have a handy acronym to help you remember them. That acronym is A.C.T.S. and here’s what it stands for:
- Adoration – This is offering God love and praise. God created people and sunrises and dogs and cats and sugar and everything in the entire universe. I think he deserves a little bit of praise for that, don’t you?
- Confession – We all goof up sometimes and do something that we wish we hadn’t. When we do, it’s a good idea to say sorry to God for our sins. That’s what confession is, apologizing for our sins. Doing it will help you feel better about yourself, so give it a shot.
- Thanksgiving – Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have food to eat? Do you have clothes to wear? Do you have a family who loves you? These are just a few of the things you can thank God for. Thanksgiving isn’t just for Thanksgiving Day anymore. Do it daily if you can.
- Supplication – This is when we ask God for things. These can be physical (like an item or a healing), mental (like learning something), emotional (like help to calm down), or spiritual (like growing closer to God). They can be for ourselves or others. Try to do a bit of both.
How to Pray
How do you pray?
Most importantly, pray from the heart. It will be more meaningful for you, and besides, God knows what’s in your heart. Be open and honest with Him about your feelings and needs.
Also pray with faith. KNOW that God is listening to you. The phone line to the Almighty is always open. Take advantage of that.
Finally, let me leave you with some words of wisdom from Jesus about prayer:
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” –Mark 11:24
What an incredible promise.