Creative Prayer Suggestions for Youth
From The Apostolic Prayer Network, UPCI
Personal
For School Kids-Got Prayer?
•Each day of the week, select a different prayer target or strategy.
•Pray for the people who sit to the right, left, front and back of you in every class you have today.
•Pray for your teacher in each class you have today.
•Choose an attribute of God (such as His love or mercy); thank Him for it and how He shows it to you.
•Every time the bell rings, pray for a Christian friend. Ask that your friend grows deeper in the Lord and for them to be a light in the world.
•Select any topic you want and pray in whatever creative way the Lord gives.
•Pray with friends before school.
•Pray with friends through pages in the yearbook (maybe one page per week).
•Do a “Jericho Walk” around your school; claim your campus for Jesus Christ.
•Pick a day or a meal of the week to fast and pray for your campus.
•Create a prayer web page where others could find requests and praises
•Participate in “See You at the Pole” and keep praying at the pole once a week or once a month.
•Host an Area Prayer Breakfast where teens and adults from local churches gather to pray for their teens and schools.
•Be a Prayer Traveler. Select different locations on a map to where you can travel by car and then pray. Some destinations could include high schools, local hospitals, City/County jail, local teen hangout, malls, courthouse, Congressional offices, and churches.
•Do “doorway praying” by standing at the doorway of your school and praying for every person who comes in the door.
•Design a plan to pray locker to locker for every person in your school.
•Power Words – write and encouraging note with a prayer for someone on it and slip it in the slots on their locker.
Computer Prayer Reminder – How about making your computer password the name of a church leader or a divisional leader? Each time you type it in; take a minute to pray for that individual.
Pray the Newspaper – It is difficult not to become depressed as you read through your local newspaper. When you read of the wars, crime and violence it is enough to burden the strongest of Christians. Why not pray for the needs as you read? Pick a day and let your newspaper be your prayer list.
Missions Prayer – Cut out headlines in the newspaper and mount them on poster paper writing under each headline the name of a missionary who is working near that area.
Bible Promise for Missionaries – Choose the name of a missionary and list a scripture for a Bible promise. Pray that this promise might be experienced in the life of the missionary whose name you have.
A.C.T.S. – This is a good way to always remember the basics of prayer. A.C.T.S. – Adoration. Confession. Thanksgiving. Supplication.
Economy – Pray when you are at the check-out stands for the economy–when you make your bank deposits–when you drive by the banks
Church Bulletin – Instead of throwing it away, take home your Sunday church bulletin and pray over the upcoming events throughout the week.
Schedule a Time for Prayer – Consider it an unbreakable commitment. Keep your set appointment every day for one week. For one solid week, let your scheduled prayer time be the centerpiece of your day arrange everything else to fit around it.
Give God the First Fruits of Your Day – For one week, give the very first 30 minutes of your day to prayer.
Spell It Out – This week, try writing out your prayers. It will help you stay focused and will create a record of God’s work in your life.
Make It Loud – This week, practice praying out loud during your private prayer time. It will make your prayer experience more concrete and will help you keep your mind focused.
Walk and Pray-This week, try walking as you pray. Walk through your neighborhood or around your yard. You will be more able to keep your mind open to new thoughts the Lord might introduce. You are likely to find yourself spending more time with Him.
Reminder – Between you and the Lord, settle on a phrase that He can remind you of throughout the day to call you back into intimacy when you have turned your heart outward. Find a phrase like, “Only You.” Something short and simple that can be a ‘shorthand’ prayer that speaks volumes.
Prayer Positions – This week, during your prayer time, use different worship postures: kneel, lift your hands, and fall on your face before Him. You may do this outwardly, or inwardly—in the inner sanctuary of your own soul.
Kingdom Moments – Your daily prayer time lays the groundwork for an ongoing awareness of His presence. This week, during your prayer time, ask Him to alert you and call your attention to “kingdom moments” throughout your day. Watch for opportunities to enjoy fellowship with Him—waiting in lines, performing mundane tasks, for example. Being consciously aware of His presence will transform life’s irritants into opportunities for fellowship with Him.
Listen – The most important prayer-skill is learning to listen to the Living Voice. This week let listening to Him be the main focus of your prayer time. Let 1 Samuel 3:10 be your only request. Listen for Him in His Word, in the quietness of your heart, in the circumstances of your day, in fresh ideas that come to mind, in new understanding that settles on you. Learn to listen. Write down what you think you sense Him saying to you.
Youth Groups
Stand-ins for Missionaries – Each person holds a placard with a missionary’s name. He/she comes to the front and tells about their work then leads in prayer for the missionary.
Prayer for World Needs – Form groups of no more than four and give each group a newspaper section filled with world news. Say: “Your group has 5 minutes to search your newspaper for one situation you want us to pray for, such as gang violence, drugs, famine, floods, or earthquakes.” After 5 minutes, gather groups and have them describe their situation. Close by praying for each world need.
Write a note – Give each person the name of a missionary and a post card or other writing paper. Ask each person to write a note of support to the missionary and to pray for that missionary each day that week.
Paper Towel Prayer -The prayer leader begins by unrolling a roll of paper towels on the floor. Each person is asked to write a person’s name or prayer concern on each sheet. Re-roll. Each day or youth service tear off one sheet and lift up prayers for that particular concern or person.
Bonfire Prayer – Each person selects a twig or small piece of wood or a piece of paper with your request written on it that is tossed into the fire with a silent or spoken prayer symbolizing our prayers are given in trust up to God.
Prayer Crown Breaker – Divide your group into teams. Give each team a piece of paper and a pen. In five minutes have each team write down as many prayer requests that they can think of. ( i.e. lost family members, healings, church growth, pastor, etc.) At the end of five minutes count the requests and award a prize to the winning team. Then copy the prayer list and distribute them to the team members and have them pray over the list for the week.
Popcorn Prayer – This metaphor for prayer is that of the random popping of popcorn. Anyone is encouraged to jump in with a brief prayer of thanksgiving or request. Again, a leader can open this time of prayer and after a healthy silence, close the prayer time. A word or phrase is all that is encouraged to keep this prayer style moving. It is a good introduction to group prayer. A theme of what people are thankful for could be used throughout this prayer.
Prayer Partners – Team up in twos or threes and briefly share for what or whom you desire prayer. This can be a good exercise for a church council or committee meeting at its outset. Each person is encouraged to share one or two requests and then pray for each other. Some councils will keep their partnerships for the whole year. It is wise for males to pray with males and females with females. This prevents problems in getting together weekly (face to face, or on the phone, or via email). Once people have experienced this level of support, most value it.
Prayer Map-As our postmodern teens have been raised in the virtual world of the internet and video games, many of them are visual and tactile learners. It is wise to play off that reality and download maps and information about life for teenagers around this ever shrinking world. Jesus modeled for us that there is value and power in using your hands to make physical contact by touch while praying for them. Read about the needs of people from a particular congregation or country. Encourage touching the map while you look at the country and pray. This prayer idea has many positives as it increases our global awareness, sensitivity to others, and reinforces the power of prayer.
“Creative Prayer Suggestions for Youth”. Apostolic Prayer Network, UPCI
