CULTIVATING THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OF PRAYER WITHIN OUR STUDENTS (pt. 1 in our Prayer Series)
I’ll pray for you.” It’s a common phrase that all too often spills from a well of good intentions. In fact, one high school student recently shared among a group of believers that this phrase is “more of a nice way of saying, ‘I’m thinking of you.’” As her peers nodded in agreement, another student chimed in and honestly admitted, “I mean, I think I know what prayer is, but I really don’t know how to pray. Actually, I don’t know what I’d do if I ever had to pray in front of someone.” This was only the beginning of this discussion on prayer as several more students questioned if prayer really even matters while others confirmed that they rarely pray, if at all. Does this sound familiar? The list of student thoughts and experiences related to prayer could most certainly go on and on.
How then, as youth leaders, do we develop a generation of believers who are committed to the biblically essential discipline of prayer?
Over the course of this three-part series on prayer, we will dive into this very question and explore:
Part 1: How to cultivate the spiritual discipline of prayer in our students lives.
Part 2: How to lead students to pray with and for the lost and saved of their generation.
Part 3: How to create a culture of intergenerational prayer in the church.
As we jump into part one in an effort to cultivate the spiritual discipline of prayer in the lives of our students, it is vital to first teach them the why behind prayer. With a biblical basis for prayer established, students must come to see that prayer is essential to their relationship with Jesus. Then, students may willingly choose to embrace prayer and be motivated to learn how to pray. With this in mind, there are three basic questions we can enlist to frame our focus on developing prayer in our students’ lives:
Why do we pray?
Why do we not pray?
How do we pray?
WHY DO WE PRAY?
First, why do we pray? By pointing students to Scripture, they will learn that God’s Word abounds with instruction regarding prayer and that this instruction is relevant to them, even as teens. Contrary to the perspective of some, prayer is not exclusively reserved for pastors, mature adults, or the “spiritually elite.” Instead, continuous prayer is “God’s will in Christ Jesus” and is essential to every believer in every stage of life as a matter of obedience to God’s Word (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Jesus himself demonstrates a life of perfect obedience to God as his life and ministry were fueled by prayer in reliance on the Father.
With this understanding, let us encourage Christian students to imitate Christ’s life of prayer as they submit to the One they have professed as Lord of their life (John 14:15). This submission, however, is not rooted in legalism but in the authenticity of joyful obedience (Psalm 119:47). While there is need to obey, let us also emphasize that there is blessing in obedience and help students see that prayer is a gift for the believer and the church (a gift that Annie so eloquently details in her blog).
Although it is often practiced as a rehearsed formality, prayer is a gift of access to our Sovereign God. This access was made possible only by the precious blood of Christ that tore the veil so we may now approach God with humility and confidence, from any place at any time (1 John 5:14; Matt. 27:50-51; Eph. 3:12; Heb. 4:16). By teaching students this gift of access to God, they may humbly approach and depend on Him in every moment.
Through a posture of obedience and dependence, students are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live out their faith in a world hostile to Christ (Eph. 6:10-18; Acts 5:32; Rom. 8:29). The same is true for the church. In the book of Acts, we see time and time again that the church grew exponentially as believers gathered in prayer with and for one another. Here, we see God’s power on display as He advances His Kingdom in response to His people gathered in prayer (Acts 4:31; Jas. 5:16). Therefore, let us establish a biblical foundation for prayer so students may come to experience God’s power revealed through personal and corporate prayer. To do this, consider the following:
● Evaluate the priority of prayer in your own life. What does your prayer life communicate regarding prayer as a biblically essential discipline?
● Encourage fellow leaders to evaluate the priority of prayer in their personal lives and in the ministry. How well do they believe the ministry does or does not reflect prayer as a biblically essential discipline to students?
● As a student ministry team, come together for a short series to establish a biblical basis for prayer. Invest the time to develop a healthy team of individuals who live out the priority of prayer personally and corporately. Then, re-do this study! Only this time, invite a small group of high school students/leaders to participate. This will prepare these students to join adults and lead the same study for the student ministry.
● Before teaching students, evaluate their preconceived notions and current prayer practices. Provide them with time to reflect on their current understanding of prayer with guided questions followed by measurable responses (such as a 0-10 never/always scale). Provide space for free-text journaling as well.
● At the conclusion of a ministry-wide series centered on the “why” behind prayer, provide the same evaluation referenced above so students (and their leaders) can measure changes based on what they have learned. Provide space for students to develop a response in obedience to God’s Word.
WHY DO WE NOT PRAY?
Secondly, “why do we not pray?” As in, what keeps students from praying? By asking this question, we can help students honestly evaluate their lives so they may identify potential barriers and develop a plan to overcome them. This will require providing an opportunity for students to reflect and openly share intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to prayer. While you may have already addressed an intrinsic barrier for many students by addressing the why behind prayer, there are several more deeply held beliefs or perspectives that may impede a student’s prayer life that have yet to be realized. Additionally, in a world full of distractions and a culture driven by productivity, there are numerous extrinsic factors that complicate our students’ commitment to a disciplined life of prayer. To address barriers to prayer, contemplate these suggestions:
● Gather students and provide them with two sticky notes – one for intrinsic and one for extrinsic barriers to prayer (ask for at least two examples of each). When they have finished, have students post their sticky notes on the wall or board at the front of the room (anonymously if they prefer). After this, read the sticky notes aloud and compile a large list for all students to see. Make this fun and involve the students as you write them out. Ask if anyone can relate to the barrier and be willing to personally relate when applicable. The hope is to get students thinking deeper about their own barriers during this exercise. Then, provide an open forum where students can freely add to this list out loud as a group.
● After providing time for students to share, start a new list and invite students to openly share relevant solutions to the listed barriers. This may help students find practical solutions to their barriers at the recommendation of peers.
● Provide a copy of these comprehensive lists to small group leaders so they may help students develop a plan to overcome barriers to prayer (perhaps this could even be a small group effort). Consider providing a template that will provide consistent structure to this plan for all students in the ministry.
● Small group leaders may then check in weekly to find out how the student’s plan is going and provide encouragement in prayer (consider the audio message option and pray for the student on the spot – let them see prayer in action as it is modeled by an adult they know and trust).
● Encourage fellow small group members to do the same check in with their peers (consider pairing students with a prayer partner(s) to ensure each member is receiving weekly encouragement and prayer from at least one fellow group member – encourage them to extend beyond their one peer as they are led).
HOW DO WE PRAY?
Finally, “how do we pray?” This question immediately brings to mind the disciple’s request of Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1, NIV). Jesus did not rebuke this disciple’s request. Rather, he immediately responds with, “When you pray say…”' and provides a model of prayer for His disciples to follow (Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:2, NIV). For some of us, this disciple’s request resonates with us personally as we routinely plea for Jesus to teach us to pray. I wonder how life-altering such a request could be if it poured from the heart of the next generation in prayer.
Therefore, as we tell the story of the disciple’s request and Jesus’ gracious response, let us encourage our students to humbly seek the face of the King of Kings and ask him to teach them, as his children, how to pray (2 Chron. 7:14; Jas. 1:5). Then, as you consider your role in teaching students how to pray, contemplate the following:
● Look to Jesus’ model for prayer and establish a basic structure to guide students in following the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13).
o Implement one of the many acronyms that follow the Lord’s prayer. Or get creative as a ministry and collaborate with students to develop one.
o Encourage students to memorize the Lord’s prayer. Then, as they recite the Lord’s prayer they can elaborate with personal prayer.
o Demonstrate this structure and provide opportunities for students to put prayer into practice privately and corporately.
● Come alongside students in the development of a personalized prayer plan (create a template that can fit inside their Bible to be easily referenced).
● Teach students to pray authentically, regularly, and with persistence (Matt. 6:7-8; Luke 5:16, 18:1).
● Teach students the necessity of withdrawing in private prayer (Psalm 46:10; Matt. 6:6; Luke 5:16).
● Teach students the necessity of gathering to pray corporately:
o With one another (Acts 1:14)
o For one another (Matt. 19:13; John 17:19)
Although students may be overly familiar with prayer as a mere word, hopefully by biblically addressing these three questions they will come to see and experience prayer as a discipline essential to a thriving walk with Christ. Now, how do we build on this foundation to lead students to pray with and for the lost and saved of their generation? That’s coming up next in part two of this series on prayer! For now, be encouraged to prayerfully consider and creatively address these questions within your own life and ministry context.
WHAT AN HONOR TO CALL STUDENTS TO PRAY!
As we diligently seek to develop a generation of students committed to prayer, may we demonstrate in word and action the essential nature of prayer in our lives and in the ministry entrusted to each of us (Titus 2:7-8). Through it all, may God be glorified as generations of believers wholly surrender to Him in prayer.
~ Sara
