How to Pray for Your Teen Using Scripture

Prayer is one of the best tools a parent has for protecting, caring for, and loving their teens. Although it may seem like prayer is a last resort, you can use prayer any time to help your kids, and it doesn’t need to be complicated.

Why your teen needs your prayer.

Teens face what feels like an endless barrage of issues. Pair these with the continued brain development of the teen years and hormone fluctuations, and it’s clear to see that teens need support.

A few of the issues teens face include:

• Depression.
• Bullying.
• Sexual identity.
• Sexual activity.
• Friendship issues.
• Body image.
• Drug and alcohol temptations.
• Social media.
• Pornography.
• Technology addiction.
• Anxiety.
• Academic pressures.
• Peer pressure.
• Family changes.

Teens are dealing with a wide array of issues, all while learning who they are, who God is, who they want to be, and what their place is in the world. This is all happening while navigating hormone fluctuations, body changes, and continued brain development.

Keep it simple.

Sometimes parents make things complicated. When our teens are struggling, it can be tempting to step in and control the situation. This can stem from wanting to protect them, which is a good thing when kids are young. As they progress through their teen years, however, teens need less control and more guidance.

Even if you are not trying to control a situation, it is common for teens to feel like you are. What you see as a way to guide them may be received as something else. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help your teen. It does, however, mean you need something more.

Prayer is one of the best ways you can guide them. As teens navigate their relationship with God, you can pray for them in any circumstance. “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV) There is no situation that you can’t use to cover your teen in prayer.

The best way to pray for your teen is to keep things simple. You don’t need fancy prayers or words. Your teen doesn’t even need to hear you pray (although that can be helpful.) You simply need to talk to God on behalf of your teen.

How to pray for your teen.

It can be hard to know what to say when praying for your teen. Sometimes parents get stuck wanting to go back and redo the years they may not have prayed or to create an elaborate system. Instead, you can remember that God knows everything that is going on. Prayer is simply your way of connecting with Him about it all.

Using the Bible to guide you is a great way to do this. When you use a scripture verse to guide your prayers, it can help you focus your prayers. Also, when you pray the Scriptures over your teen you know you are praying the right things. As believers, we know God’s Word is true.

Praying His Word over your teen ensures that you are praying for God’s best for him or her.

Three steps to praying over your teen:

1. Choose a Bible verse.
2. Read the verse and pray the truth of that verse over your teen.
3. Add anything else you want to pray.

It really is that simple.

Tips for praying over your teen using Scripture.

While there is no right way to do this, there are things that some people find helpful. Here are some ideas for how to make praying Scriptures over your teen successful:

• Pray at a certain time every day. Set a reminder on your phone so you don’t forget.
• Pray whenever you do something for your teen. Good ideas are every time you drive to pick him or her up from practice or you pass by his or her room.
• Write your prayers. Pick a notebook or journal and write your prayers for your teen. You can even record dates and answered prayers.
• Before school prayers. Say a short prayer for your teen when he or she leaves for school each day.
• Bedtime prayers. Your teen may be too old to tuck in, but you can still pray for him or her each night when they go to bed. This can be done with your teen or on your own.
• Weekly prayers. Pick one day each week to pray for each member of your family. This way you spend time praying for everyone intentionally and with focused attention.

As you try different things, see what works best for you. You can do multiple things or stick to one. The key is to find the method that best helps you connect with God on behalf of your teen.

Scriptures to pray for your teen.

With each of these Scriptures pray the Truth of God’s Word over your teen’s life, decisions, and identity.

Your teen’s salvation.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16, ESV

Prayer: Lord, you love my teen so much that You gave your life for him. May he believe in you and trust You all of his days, confident in his eternal life with You.

Your teen belongs to God.

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. – John 17:9, NIV

Prayer: Father, my daughter belongs to You. She is Yours. I know that You love her and care for her even more than I can imagine. I trust you with my daughter.

Your teen’s trust in God.

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. – Psalm 125:1, NIV

Prayer: Lord, make my son’s faith strong like Mount Zion. Cause him to trust You and never be shaken by anything.

Your teen’s relationship with you.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29, NIV

Prayer: Oh, Lord. Build a strong relationship between my teen and me. May we speak to one another with love and grace, that we will honor You and one another.

Your teen’s interactions with others.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. – Colossians 3:12-14, NIV

Prayer: Father God, help my daughter treat others with Your love. May she love others out of the love she feels from You, always showing kindness, grace, compassion, and patience. May she forgive swiftly and fully, covered by Your grace.

Your teen’s safety.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. – Psalm 91:11, NIV

Prayer: Dear Father, set your angels about my son in all he does. Guard his ways and protect him from harm. Keep his feet firm on the path toward holiness. Guard his body, his mind, and his spirit.

Your teen’s body.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV

Prayer: Lord, help my teens know that their bodies are temples of Your Spirit. May they choose to honor you with their bodies in all they do. Help them treat their bodies as Your temple in what they eat and drink, what they wear, what they consume, and with whom they spend their time. Keep them rooted in You.

Final thoughts.

There are endless prayers you could pray for your teen. When you base your prayers on Scripture, you have the assurance that you are praying God’s heart for your son or daughter.

If you would like support in praying for and parenting your teen, we can help. The counselors in our office can walk alongside you as you pray for and guide your teen. Contact our office today and we will connect you with a counselor who can help.