5 Prayers for Youth
Use these prayers for youth to pray for teenagers and pre-teens in this challenging, yet so important, season of their lives.
It can be easy to complain about “the youth of today,” and forget that they are the generation which many of our future leaders, artists, parents, and change-makers will come from. That is why it is so important for us as a community, and a nation to pray for our youth.
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:6, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
When we are young, we are like a little tree that is able to bend and mold, and as we grow older, many of the habits, ideas, and beliefs we grew up with or were taught stay with us, and become harder to undo.
There are many ways that we can pray for our youth, but one of the most important ways that we can pray for them is that they may know the love of Christ for them, and grow up to be a reflection of Jesus to those around them.
Just as Paul told Timothy, our desire should be that no one should look down on them because they are young, but that they would set an example for believers in speech, conduct, love, faith, and in purity.
That is what we will be praying for our youth, that they would be an example to all believers, and to unbelievers in their gracious speech, in their godly conduct, in their selfless love, in their unwavering faith, and in their purity.
Prayers for Youth
1. Prayer for Them To Be An Example in Speech
“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
Father,
Thank you for the lives of our youth, and for the opportunity to not only be an example to them but to stand in the gap and pray for them. My prayer is that You would touch the hearts of our youth, and that they would have a personal relationship with You.
May that relationship not only be something that they live out on Sunday mornings or at youth evenings, but something that is evident in every aspect of their lives.
I know a big part of being young includes fitting in. It is very tempting to adapt to the behavior and language use of the culture and those around you, especially when you are young. My prayer is that You would sanctify the hearts of our youth, and that what is inside of their hearts would be shown in the words that they speak.
May their words be gracious and seasoned with salt. Please convict them of any unwholesome speech, and grow in them a heart of true repentance.
If they are struggling with their speech, I ask that Your Holy Spirit grant them self-control. Remind them that they are a witness to others for Christ, and that it includes their speech. May they use their speech to build others up, to bring encouragement and to share the gospel of truth.
Keep them from using their speech to tear others down, or to gossip and slander. May their speech be glorifying to you and edifying to those who hear it. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. Prayer for Them To Be An Example in Conduct
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.” – Philippians 1:27
Lord,
Thank You for the beautiful example that You have given us in Christ. He has shown us what a life devoted to You looks like. It is a life that dies to oneself, and the desires of the flesh that we might live according to the Spirit. It is a life that is not directed by our feelings but by Your word that stands forever.
It is a life that is not only evident by our speech and what we profess but also by our actions and how we conduct ourselves. It is a life that is evident by its fruit.
My prayer is that You would create in our youth hearts and lives that reflect the work of Christ that has been done and is continuing inside of them. May they look not to the world and the idols of the world to set an example for them.
But rather, may they look to Christ, who did not seek His own interests but that of the Father’s. I ask that You would help them to be different, and not give into the pressure to look like the world.
Even if their conduct may be ridiculed by the world, I ask that You would remind them that it is far greater to please You than to please man. Please be with them in times when they might feel left out, or outcasted.
Help them to depend on You for their identity and to conduct their lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
3. Prayer for Them To Be An Example in Love
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Dear God,
There is no greater love than what Christ did on the cross. You displayed Your love for us by sending Your only begotten Son. Your perfect and spotless Son to take our place on the cross.
It was not because we were worthy, or because we did anything to deserve it. But solely because of Your love, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Today You call us to live according to this new standard of love. Not as the world loves.
That love is a love that is selfish, conditional and self-focused. But Your love calls us to deny ourselves, to serve others, and to count others as more important than ourselves. Your love was shown through sacrifice, and we too can grow in that kind of love.
Today there are many ideas and fantasies of love that young people are being taught through media and through the world. But that love disappoints, and that love runs out.
My prayer is that You would show our youth what real love looks like.
May they know the love of Christ for themselves, and as a result, share it with others. Help them to grow in a love that is patient, kind, humble, and perseveres. In Jesus’ name, amen.
4. Prayer for Them To Be An Example in Faith
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
Father,
The fact that we can even have faith is a gift from You. Thank You for turning our cold hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. Hearts that are responsive to Your word, and to the leading of Your Spirit. M
y prayer today is that Your Holy Spirit would reach into the hearts of our youth. May they come to know the glorious gospel and give their lives for the cause and glory of Christ.
Please grow them in the knowledge of Your word, that they may grow in knowing You and in trusting in Your character. When times of difficulty and trials come, I ask that You would remind them that the testing of their faith produces perseverance.
May no one despise them because they are young, rather, may they be an example to all believers young and old. May their faith be evident to those around them not only in speech but in deed.
I ask that You would help them not to lean on their own understanding but in all circumstances that they would trust in You with all their hearts and in all their ways submit to You. I ask that You would make their paths straight, and help them to be a light for Your kingdom in a world that is desperately dark. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
5. Prayer for Them To Be An Example in Purity
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.” – Psalm 119:9
Lord,
My heart goes out to our youth today. I think of all the pressures that are around them at this age. So much of the world lies open before them, and is ready to lure them in, chew them up and spit them out. It breaks my heart to see so many young people being deceived and destroyed by the world. But I know that there is hope for them in Christ.
My prayer is that the light of that hope would shine brightly into their hearts. May their eyes be opened to how fleeting the world and the things of the world are.
The pleasures of the world can never satisfy our hearts in the way that Christ is meant to bring peace and contentment to our hearts. Our natural inclination is towards sin, and the world draws us in with many temptations.
We cannot live lives that are pleasing to You without having our hearts purified. I ask that You would purify the hearts of our youth, and that they would turn from a life that chases after sin to a life that chases after Christ.
May they grow to treasure Your word in their hearts, and may it steer the direction of their lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
