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Japanese Here is a short prayer for young people: “Lord, watch over the young people in our care. Keep them in your faith, give them good friends and wise teachers, guide their choices, and bring them safely through these years. Amen.” Below it are prayers for a youth group, for school, for confirmation and for the evening, and prayers teenagers can say for themselves.
If a young person you know talks about suicide or about hurting themselves, pray, and get help today as well. In the US you can call or text 988, and in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans answer on 116 123. In Russia the national helpline for children, teenagers and parents is 8 800 2000 122, and there are more Christian and crisis lines besides.
Prayers for the young people in your life
Parents and grandparents, teachers and youth leaders can pray these for one young person or for a whole group, saying a name wherever a blank appears.
For faith that lasts
Lord, thank you for ____. Let [him or her] know your love firsthand, not only from what others say. Keep [him or her] from doubts that lead nowhere and temptations that do harm, and let [his or her] faith grow stronger with the years. Amen.
For good friends
Father, give ____ friends who will build [him or her] up and hold [him or her] to account. Give [him or her] the sense to see which friendships are doing harm and the courage to step away from them. Let [him or her] be a good friend in return, the kind that “sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Amen.
For a mentor
God, bring into ____’s life an older Christian who will pray for [him or her], answer hard questions honestly and set a good example. Soften [his or her] heart to take correction, and one day let [him or her] do the same for someone younger. Amen.
For direction and calling
Lord, ____ does not yet know what to do with [his or her] life. Show [him or her] the gifts you have given, open the right doors and close the wrong ones, and give [him or her] the courage to follow where you lead. Amen.
When a young person has drifted from God
Holy Spirit, ____ has wandered from you. Show [him or her] the need for a Savior, and prepare [his or her] heart so that the seeds planted in it will grow. Until that day, put a hedge of protection around [him or her], and put people in [his or her] path who point to you. Help me to live so that [he or she] sees something of you in me. Amen.
When they are mocked for their faith
Lord Jesus, ____ is being laughed at for following you. Give [him or her] a steady heart and a kind answer. Remind [him or her] of your words: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11). Amen.
For motivation
Father, ____ has lost the will to work hard at anything. Stir up the gifts you have put in [him or her], give [him or her] goals worth the effort, and the strength to keep going on the days when it is dull or difficult. Amen.
Prayers for a youth group, retreat or camp
An opening prayer for a youth meeting or youth service
Lord Jesus, you promised to be with those who gather in your name. Be with us now. Open our ears to your word, our mouths to honest questions, and our hearts to each other. Let no one leave here tonight feeling alone. Amen.
Intercessions for young people
A leader reads each line, and the group answers, “Lord, hear our prayer.”
- For young people who are starting school, work or university this year, that they may find good friends and grow in faith.
- For those who are anxious, lonely or grieving, that they may find someone to talk to and know that God is near.
- For those who are tempted by drugs, alcohol or anything that harms them, that they may have the strength to say no.
- For those who have stopped praying or coming to church, that God will keep calling them.
- For young people who are persecuted for their faith anywhere in the world.
- For parents, teachers and youth leaders, that they may listen well and set a good example.
- For those preparing for confirmation, that they may be strengthened by the Holy Spirit.
A blessing to close a meeting or a camp
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Numbers 6:24–26
Prayers for teenagers to say themselves
Before studying or an exam
The 1888 Manual of Prayers, which was prepared by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore for American Catholics, has this prayer before study:
Incomprehensible Creator, the true Fountain of light and only Author of all knowledge: vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to enlighten our understandings, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. … Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of Thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn we may apply to Thy honor and the eternal salvation of our own souls.
A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity (1888), “A Prayer before Study or Instructions,” pp. 171–172
Or, in fewer words: Lord, I have studied as well as I can. Calm my nerves, help me remember what I learned, and keep me honest when cheating would be easy. Amen.
For friends
God, I want friends who are loyal and kind and who will not pull me away from you. Help me see when a friendship runs on gossip or pressure, and give me the courage to walk away. Make me that kind of friend too. “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:17). Amen.
When I compare myself with everyone online
Lord, I keep measuring myself against other people’s photos and followers, and I never measure up. Remind me that I am your child, bought with a price and loved as I am. “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Amen.
When I am tempted
God, you know what I see on my phone, what my friends pressure me to do, and what my own heart wants. Guard my eyes and my mind, and give me the nerve to say no. You have promised that you “will with the temptation also make a way to escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Show me the way out. Amen.
When I do not know what to do with my life
Lord, everyone asks what I want to do next, and I do not know. I do not need to see the whole road, only the next step. Help me hear your voice above the others. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). Amen.
Older prayer books give young people a prayer for this moment too. In the 1888 Manual of Prayers it is “A Prayer for Choosing a State of Life,” which begins:
O Lord, I beseech Thee to grant me Thy divine light, that I may know the designs of Thy providence concerning me, and that, filled with a sincere desire for my soul’s salvation, I may say, with the young man in the Gospel; What must I do to be saved? … Speak, Lord, to my soul; speak to me as Thou didst to the youthful Samuel: Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.
A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity (1888), “A Prayer for Choosing a State of Life,” p. 174
When there is fighting at home
Father, there is too much arguing in our house. Give my parents wisdom and patience, and help me and my brothers and sisters to be kind to each other. Forgive me for the times I made it worse, and teach me to control my tongue. “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men” (Romans 12:18). Amen.
When I feel lonely or anxious
Lord, I feel alone even in a crowd, and my mind will not stop racing. Stay close to me. You have promised, “he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Give me one person I can talk to, and give me your peace tonight. Amen.
When I need to forgive someone
God, someone hurt me, and I keep replaying it. I cannot forgive on my own, so I hand the anger to you. Heal what they broke, and help me forgive myself for my own mistakes too, since you have removed my sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Amen.
A prayer of thanks
Lord, I complain a lot. Today I want to say thank you: for my family, even when we fight, for my friends, for food and a bed, and most of all for Jesus. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Amen.
An evening prayer for young people
This short collect from the service of Evening Prayer in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer is easy to learn by heart:
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Evening Prayer, “A Collect for Aid against Perils,” p. 31
A young person can add a line of their own: Lord, forgive what I did wrong today, thank you for what went right, and give me sleep. “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). Amen.
Prayers for young people before confirmation
Many Catholic and Anglican young people are confirmed in their teens. The Orthodox have no separate rite for those years, because in the Orthodox Church chrismation “is always done … together with baptism,” as the Orthodox Church in America puts it. For those preparing to be confirmed, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer has this prayer:
O God, who through the teaching of thy Son Jesus Christ didst prepare the disciples for the coming of the Comforter; Make ready, we beseech thee, the hearts and minds of thy servants who at this time are seeking to be strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, that, drawing near with penitent and faithful hearts, they may evermore be filled with the power of his divine indwelling; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), Prayers, “For those about to be Confirmed,” p. 43
And when the bishop lays his hands on each one, the same book gives him this prayer:
Defend, O Lord, this thy Child with thy heavenly grace; that he may continue thine for ever; and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit more and more, until he come unto thy everlasting kingdom. Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer (1928), The Order of Confirmation, p. 297
Parents and sponsors can pray it at home too, for a son or a daughter, saying “she” for a girl.
How to pray for young people according to the Bible
Paul prayed for Timothy, a younger man he had trained, “without ceasing … night and day,” and remembered the faith “which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice” (2 Timothy 1:3–5). He told Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12), and we can pray through that list for any young person.
Other passages give us words for the same prayer. Psalm 119:9 asks, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word,” and Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” Samuel was a boy serving in the temple when he answered God’s call with “Speak; for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10). Galatians 5:22–23 names “the fruit of the Spirit” as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance,” and we can ask for each of them by name. Ephesians 2:10 says that believers are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,” and that gives us firm ground for a prayer about a young person’s calling. There are more passages in Bible verses about youth.
Is there a patron saint of young people?
Catholics ask the prayers of Aloysius Gonzaga. The Catholic Encyclopedia records that he was born in the castle of Castiglione in Italy on 9 March 1568, joined the Jesuits in 1585, and died on 21 June 1591, aged 23, after falling ill while he cared for the sick during a famine and pestilence in Italy. Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726. According to the Diocese of Nashville, the same pope named him protector of young students in 1729, and Pius XI named him patron of Catholic youth in 1926. Catholic and Orthodox Christians ask saints to pray for them, while most Protestants pray to God alone.
Prayer of Encouragement for Christian Youth
Dear youth, may the Lord bless and guide you as you journey through life. May the Almighty be with you always, encouraging and strengthening you in times of difficulty.
Almighty God, your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on You, and fill us with courage and strength as we navigate life’s challenges. Remind us that we are not alone in this journey, for You are always with us, loving and guiding us. Strengthen our faith and reliance on You. Help us to live according to Your will and to be lights in the darkness. We pray this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
May the Lord bless you with His love and grace and fill your heart with courage and hope. May He guide your footsteps and provide for all your needs.
Prayer of Salvation for Young People
Lord, we thank You for the young people in our lives and ask that You bring them a deep understanding of Your love and peace. Give them strength and courage to stand firm in their faith and protect them from any temptations or doubts that may come their way. May they be filled with your spirit and greater knowledge of your salvation. Guide them to make wise, righteous choices and to lead a life that is pleasing to you.
We thank you, Lord, for our young people’s gift and your faithfulness in their lives. May you continue to bless and guide them on their journey, bringing them closer to you in love and spirit. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen..
Prayer for Healthy Relationships in Christian Youths
Dear Lord, we offer up prayers of protection for our Christian youths. Please guard their hearts and minds as they strive to form meaningful relationships. Help them have the wisdom to discern who to trust and make a part of their lives.
Grant them the courage to stand strong in their faith and not be swayed by the things of this world. May they be surrounded by people who lift them and provide them with the guidance and support they need.
Amen.
Prayer for Mentoring Young People, Christian or Not
Father, we come to you with humble hearts, understanding the importance of mentorship for our youth. We ask that you guide us in finding ways to be mentors to our young people, both Christian and non-Christian, so that they may grow into strong members of our community.
Grant us the wisdom, strength, and courage to be mentors to our young people. May we be examples of love, understanding, and acceptance so that our youth may live a life of peace and joy. Help us guide our young people in making the right decisions and in understanding Your will for their lives.
Bless us with the ability to provide support and encouragement to our youth and to create a safe space for them to share their feelings and experiences. Let us be role models who honor Your teachings so our youth may be inspired and uplifted.
Thank you for hearing our prayer, Father. Let us continue to strive for mentorship of our youth and to show them the unconditional love that You have for them all. Amen.
Prayer for Young People to Discover Their Calling
Dear Lord, we lift our hearts in prayer for all the young people searching for their purpose in life.
Lord, grant them the clarity of mind to recognize the gifts you have given them. Help them use those gifts to find the path You have laid out for them. May they be filled with courage and strength to follow their calling and have faith that You will guide them to fulfill their destiny.
We thank You for the special talents and abilities You have bestowed upon our youth and pray they will use them to honor You. Amen.
Prayer for Motivation in Young People
Almighty God, we thank You for the children in our lives. We thank You for your eagerness and their hope for the future. We ask that You motivate them to reach their goals and aspirations. Help them to stay focused, and to understand the importance of hard work and dedication in achieving success in life. Fill them with the strength and courage they need to persevere in difficult times and make wise decisions. Give them Your wisdom to assist them in their journey of life.
May God bless our young people to be motivated and encouraged in their pursuits. May He grant them the strength and courage to strive towards their goals.
We pray these things in Your precious name, Amen.
Prayer for Motivation
Dear God, I implore your divine intervention for them as they navigate their day. Please make them aware of your presence in their life in a unique way. Assist them in relying on your Holy Spirit for directions and guidance as they confront the day’s challenges.
Please instill joy in them during trying situations and provide solace when feeling downhearted. Foster their growth and stretch them in new ways, Lord, showering them with your grace and mercy when they falter.
Nurture in them an identity rooted in Christ so that they gain a strong footing in who you define them to be. Affirm in their hearts that you are their Heavenly Father, and lavish them with your boundless love today. Amen.
Prayer for Redemption
Dear Lord, I implore your divine intervention for today. Assist me in conducting myself so that my actions would lead them directly to you, and they would see your reflection in me.
Holy Spirit, convict ____. Assist them in recognizing their sins and realizing their need for a Savior. Lord, prepare the soil of their heart so that the seeds planted there would grow and flourish.
Until that day arrives, Lord, provide a protective hedge around them. Continue to place individuals in their life who infuse positivity and point to the hope that emanates solely from you. Amen.
Prayer for Wholesome Associations
Dear God, I implore your divine intervention for _____ today and request that you bless them. As they navigate their day, assist them in illuminating this dark world. Equip them with the strength derived from you to resist the evil one’s schemes.
Dear Lord, surround them with individuals who will motivate them and lift their spirits. Foster relationships in their life that will support them, motivate them, and hold them accountable. Bestow on them the wisdom and discernment to move away from associations that hinder them from becoming who you destined them to be.
Also, assist them in positively influencing their peers’ lives. Help them to set a good example and to reflect your image in every aspect. Amen.
Prayer for Mentorship
Dear God, I lift to you _____ today and pray that you would usher a strong mentor into their life.
Lord, assist them in finding someone who would challenge them to grow in their faith and guide them towards you. Provide someone to disciple them to become stronger in their faith.
Lord, soften their heart to receive all their mentor imparts them as they teach and motivate them to become more like Christ. Help them humbly accept their mentor’s correction in areas they need to grow and celebrate in areas of success.
And, once they have grown, Lord, assist them in learning how to mentor others. Help them guide and encourage the next generation of believers to become strong members of the body of Christ, grounded in their faith. Amen.
Prayer for Divine Guidance
Dear God, I lift to you ____ and request that you guide their life. Reveal your calling for their life and give them the courage to obey it. Help them pursue your heart’s desires and will with fervor and tenacity. Assist them in pressing on with endurance despite the obstacles.
Help them pursue a close relationship with you to prevent them from straying off your path. Help them grow and be stretched in new ways to equip them better for the next challenge to come their way.
Raise youth worldwide willing to step out in faith and pursue your calling for their life. Help them to come together as the body of Christ, to support and love each other, and encourage each other through every circumstance. Amen.
Your turn to pray
Asked to pray out loud? Choose the occasion and how much time you have, then read one of these three.
Prefer to use your own words? Lesson 1 of Praying Out Loud shows how, free.
Lord Jesus, you said, “if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:19–20). We are gathered in your name. Teach us to pray, give us faith to ask, and make us patient to wait for your answer. Amen.
Father, thank you for everyone here who gives time to serve: in the nursery, the kitchen, the parking lot and the sound booth. “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another” (1 Peter 4:10). Show each of us where we fit, and keep us from growing tired or resentful. Amen.
Lord of the harvest, lift our eyes beyond this building to the neighbors who do not know you and the places where your church is small or suffering. Let our plans and our budget show that we care about them. Amen.
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Prefer to use your own words? Lesson 1 of Praying Out Loud shows how, free.
Keep this for next time. Your turn to pray has a page of its own, with our prayers for each occasion.
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