Ways to pray
From experience, we know that we must take time to focus on God, and to deliver personal, considered prayers for our children. Therefore, WakeUp Deborah has set 15 minutes as the daily prayer goal. In 15 minutes you can bring many aspects of a child’s life before God. There are different ways to pray, such as worship, thanksgiving, praise, confession, intercession and blessing. The Lord’s Prayer, in which Jesus teaches His disciples to pray, is an example in which you see these forms of prayer (Matthew 6: 5-13).
The bible as a manual
We can use the Bible as a prayer book because there are many prayers to God within, for example, the book of Psalms. This scripture is filled with clear messages, wonderful hymns and biblical words we can use to pray for such things as honesty, faithfulness and kindness. We can read about protection from harmful behavior, such as violence and lies, as well as about promises of healing and spiritual renewal. You do not need special skills to become a Daniel or Deborah; the most important thing is that your relationship with God is personal and sincere. The Holy Spirit helps us pray when we cannot find words or do not know what to pray for (Romans 8:26).
Topics
Do you feel hesitant to become a Daniel or Deborah because you do not know how to pray every day? Do not let that stop you. There are different areas of life for which you can pray, even if the youth you are praying for do not have clear, personal prayer needs. You can pray for:
- Daily life: pray for God’s closeness and protection throughout the day.
- Physical health: pray for health and protection.
- Mental health: pray for hope, meaning and for healing and recovery if they are enduring psychological suffering.
- Good friends and family ties: pray for good relationships and positive meetings.
- Characteristics: pray that he or she may become like Jesus and develop qualities such as honesty, loyalty, sympathy, respect and courage.
- Leadership: pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit and for spiritual growth.
- Faith and perseverance: pray that God’s Word will speak through the life of the child or youth.
- Pray a promise that has been made of God.
If you have direct contact with the one you are praying for, you can discuss prayer topics with them.
If you follow a teenager (with permission) on Facebook, you can often find ideas for prayer.
If the contact about prayer has become self-evident, than there is a spiritual relation between the two of you. You should deal with it carefully and confidentially.