Casiday had the opportunity to attend Passion in Atlanta over Christmas break. It was such a great experience for her and it ignited a passion for the Word that she hadn’t had before attending. As much as I love the Bible and would gladly spend almost every waking hour, my girl? Not so much.
{And I could spend a whole lot of time beating myself up over the fact that somehow she is almost 17 and it took going to a huge conference in the Georgia Dome to get her interested in God’s Word when for her WHOLE LIFE I’ve been telling her the value of Scripture and spending time in the Word with her and using the Bible to guide her …. but, you know what, I’m just so thankful for where she is now I’m choosing to believe I’d planted and watered the seeds that Louie Giglio and crew got to see push through and bud. And, really, the point isn’t what ignited her, it’s WHO she is ignited about, right?}
So back to why we’re here, right? You, like me, have this deep desire to see your daughter understand how precious the Word of God is and to want to engage with Scripture every day. I have lost count of how many people have asked me if there is a devotional app for teenage girls. And, until recently I had to say I didn’t know of one. I gave moms other options that were good, like the First 5 app from Proverbs 31, but they weren’t designed for our daughters.
But guess what?
Thou Art Exalted Ministries just launched a brand new app —
just for teenage girls. And it is amazing!
Every day your daughter can read a short Scripture-driven devotion followed by a prayer, journaling prompts, and an invitation to dig deeper into the Word. {It really reminds me a lot of the First 5 app.} There are great images your daughter can share on social media to encourage her friends as well as beautiful lock screens, art ideas, and a ton of other resources — all intended to meet your daughter right where she is.
Here’s the thing, the older our girls get, the harder it can be to connect with them. I totally understand {for real!}. We just want them to love the Word of God and realize how precious it is and how much God loves them right? But I’m learning something else, sometimes connecting through the Word with our girls looks less like a Bible study and more like an app. And that is really and truly okay!!
Don’t get discouraged, all you moms of teenage girls (or tweens!) who are wondering if your daughter will ever really understand how much God loves her … and how much you love her. She will! You know how I know? Because if we were sitting in a room together right now, we’d be able to look back and see the ways our moms were loving us when we were the crazy, hormonal teenagers … and we can trace the lines of God’s never-failing love and care in our lives.
So download the app — on your phone and on hers. And if she’s willing, talk with her about she’s reading. But even on the days when she isn’t, know this — you are doing a great job!!
Looking for a devotional app for your teenage daughter? We love this one from @anniepajcic. #prayersforgirls Click To Tweet
xoxo,
Teri Lynne
P.S. Earlier this week I listened to a great podcast episode from Family Life Today. An interview with Brian and Angela Haynes, authors of Relentless Parenting: The Crucial Pursuit of Your Teen’s Heart. Y’all, it was so good and eye-opening. Because the truth is, no matter how much we want to, we’re going to get some of this parenting thing wrong but we’re also going to get a lot right. The Haynes have three daughters and so much wisdom to share. I highly recommend listening to this 30-minute interview — Pursuing the Heart of Your Teen.
Teri Lynne Underwood
Word lover & idea slinger || Scott’s wife, Casiday’s mom || Loves busy women, girl moms, and really good coffee || Prayers for Girls founder and ringleader
prayersforgirls.com
QUESTION: What are some prayers for teens?
ANSWER:
Consider these prayers for teens.
When you need friends: “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).
Heavenly Father,
You are a gracious and loving Lord. I don’t have any friends, and I really miss having them. Please bring some people into my life that I may share with them memorable times. Open my eyes to see the good qualities in people around me. Help me be the type of friend to others, as the type of friend I seek. I thank You, Heavenly Father. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources: Psalms 119:63; Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 27:10-11; Ecclesiastes 4:9-10; Malachi 3:16-17; Acts 20:35; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:3-7.
When you need guidance: “The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8).
Heavenly Father,
I know you are the great counselor! I am in need of guidance, for I don’t know what to do. Help me to do what You want done in this situation. Please send someone to show me the steps I need to take. I depend on You, and I thank You, Heavenly Father. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources: 2 Samuel 22:9; Psalm 31:3; 25:9; 48:14; 78:24; 107:7; Proverbs 3:5; 16:3; Isaiah 30:21; 48:17; 58:11.
When you need money: “And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!” (Luke 12:28).
Heavenly Father,
Help me to have faith that You will provide what I need, when I need it. Open up a job that will fit the hours I have available outside of school to pay for my expenses. I trust in You, Lord. Thank You for providing for my family and me. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources: Psalm 23:1; 34:10; 37:25; 111:5; Isaiah 33:15-16; Joel 2:26; Malachi 3:10; Philippians 4:19.
When you feel tempted: “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow” (James 1:2-3).
Heavenly Father, I know You are strong. I need help right now, because I am being tempted to join activities that I know are not good or appropriate for me. Give me strength to say ‘no thanks’ to this pressure. Help me to find something else to keep myself busy in place of the activities my peers want me to participate in. You are my strength in this, Lord. I thank You Heavenly Father for understanding all the temptations that face teenagers today, and what it takes to refrain from being lured in the wrong direction. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources: Psalm 1:1-3; 119:11; Luke 22:31-32; Ephesians 6:10-11; Hebrews 2:18; 4:15-16; James 1:12-14; 4:7; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 John 4:4.
When Your family needs prayer: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9).
Heavenly Father,
I know You see everything and know how each situation turns out. I will trust in You. My family needs help. Show me what I can do to make life easier for them. Help my family find Your salvation so we don’t fight like we do now. Help me to show them You in my life. I thank You, Heavenly Father for your love and concern. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources: Acts 11:14; 16:31.
When you need a sense of purpose: “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name” (John 15:16).
Heavenly Father,
I look to You in my time of need. I don’t feel like I matter much to people in this world. My self-confidence is really low right now, and I don’t know where to turn. Do You really have a specific plan for my life? That is an awesome thought.
Help me to see myself, as You see me. Teach me the things I need to learn to fulfill that purpose. I place myself into Your hands, because I trust in Your opinion of me. Thank You, Heavenly Father for believing in me. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources: Jeremiah 1:5; John 14:13; 16:24; Romans 8:28-29; Romans 12:4-13.
When you feel threatened:“Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up” (Hebrews 12:3).
Heavenly Father,
I don’t know who else to turn to for making the bullies stop their aggression. It seems no one can stop them. They intimidate and frighten everyone. I don’t like being afraid, and it upsets me when I see them beating on others. Help me to know when to make a stand and when to ignore the threats. Please send us someone who can get them to stop.
If I cannot help them by showing them You in my life, Lord, then get them out of my way. I thank You, Heavenly Father, for protecting me and keeping me safe. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Helpful Resources:
Psalm 18:3; 91:4-15; 34:4; 138:3; Isaiah 41:10; 54:17; Jeremiah 39:17; Luke 12:4-7; John 10:28; Romans 12:14-21; Colossians 3:25; Hebrews 13:6.
When you have thoughts of suicide: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26).
Heavenly Father,
I feel like giving up, for it seems there is no hope in me. I don’t want to go on. I don’t feel like fighting anymore. I need something to hang on to or I’m going to lose it. Show me again, Lord, how much You love me. Please, give me Scriptures that speak of Your promises for me.
I’m very tired, and I need rest. I’m afraid of these thoughts about suicide. Protect my mind, Lord, and clear my head. Help me to think good thoughts about the good things in my life. Remind me of Your goodness to me. I will keep my thoughts on You and praise You.
I thank You, Heavenly Father, for reaching down into my world and drawing me close to You. Thank You for allowing me to soak up your strength during moments like these. I’m clinging to Your strong arm this hour. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 6:13; Philippians 4:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 3:14; 10:23; 10:35-36; 1 Peter 5:8-9
If you’d like to make a difference in the life of a hurting teen, please consider Compassion International. You can effectively help a child in spiritual and financial need through a monthly sponsorship.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
– We have all
sinned
and deserve God’s judgment.
God
, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.
Jesus
, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He
died
for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was
buried
, and
rose from the dead
according to the
Bible
. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your
Savior
, declaring, “
Jesus is Lord
,” you will be saved from
judgment
and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today I am deciding to follow JesusYes, I am already a follower of JesusI still have questions
www.allaboutprayer.org
I pretty much adore the “tween” in my house.
She’s fun and helpful, thoughtful and sensitive.
Oh, and she cooks for me almost every day!
I’m sometimes struck with painful awareness that my time with her in my home is growing limited.
Most likely, she’s more than halfway to the spreading-her-wings-and-flying-the-coop stage of life.
And while I could wallow in how much I’ll miss her (and her chili), or how many times I’ve failed her…
or I could panic about whether she’ll stay close to the Lord, or whether she’ll be safe in these evil days…
on my best days, I choose to pray for her.
She’s not really mine, after all.
She has always been and will forever be His.
And so when I make a choice to forsake worry and turn to Him instead for a little chat about our girl…
well, I know for sure that the time I spend praying for her is never wasted.
The same is true for the tween or teen in your life, friend. Pray for him. Lift her to the Lord. We serve a God who is strong enough to intervene on their behalf, and kind enough to want to.
I invite you to join me in praying the Scriptures for your teen or “tween.”
Prayers for Teens (& Tweens!)
Pray that he would love God’s Word, meditating on it all the day and trusting it as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (Psalm 119:97,105).
Ask the Lord to grant her the grace to flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).
Acknowledge to God that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Pray that she would continue in what she has learned and has firmly believed, knowing from whom she learned it and how from childhood she has known the Scriptures, which are able to make her wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12-16).
Pray that he would walk with the wise, and would thus become wise himself. Ask that God would keep him from having fools for companions, which can bring him harm (Proverbs 13:20).
Ask the Lord to help him love God and keep His commands, Claim on his behalf the promise that he who loves Jesus will be loved by the Father, and that Jesus will love him and manifest Himself to him (John 14:21).
Implore the Lord to give her a love for others, in the same way she has been loved by God (John 13:34-35).
Beg God that she would never be deceived about the state of her heart before Him. Pray that her faith in God would be evidenced by good fruit in her life (Matthew 7:21).
Pray that he would grown in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). Lift every aspect of his life – physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social – to the Lord in prayer.
Ask God to implant a strong sense of her identity in Christ as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for His own possession. Pray that she would be aware that her identity wasn’t secured only for her own sake, but so that she may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called her out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)
Acknowledge to God that where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Pray that God would keep these things from taking root in his life. Ask the Lord to grant him wisdom from above that is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy (James 3:16-17).
Pray that she would follow God closely and be sensitive to His leading. Ask Him to help her not be like a horse running ahead of God, or like a mule lagging behind. Pray that she would keep in step with Him always (Psalm 32:9).
Ask the Lord to keep him from loving the world and the things in the world (I John 2:15), and that he would instead set his mind on things that are above (Colossians 3:2).
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for my child – this young person on the verge of adulthood, anticipating the wonderful adventures You have in store for her life. I pray, Lord, that Your name and Your glory would be the desire of her heart all the days of her life. I ask that she would find fullness of joy in Your presence, and unmatched pleasures at Your right hand. Any other way You choose to bless her would just be icing on the cake. It’s in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray. Amen.
adivineencounter.com
