Navigating Teenage RebellionSampel

Day 7: Pray for the Outside Influences

There was a time when our rebellious teens could not (or would not) listen to us. Our voices were like Lucy’s from the Peanuts cartoon. “Wa, wa, wa, wa, wa . . .”—in one ear, and out the other.

I began to pray that God would bring other people to speak truth into their lives. Remember the “4 Voices and 4 Choices” from Day 2 of this devo series? Our teens were listening to their own voice, the enemy’s voice, and their friends’ voices. We needed them to hear God’s voice. We prayed for wisdom and for other godly adults to walk this path with them. We sought out mission trip opportunities. We sought out youth pastors. We sought out other like-hearted dads who were close to them. We surrounded them with any voice of truth we could find.

The body of Christ is so important during difficult teenage years. We were grateful to be plugged into a church and life group where we could seek help. We asked others to meet with our teens and to speak truth into them—others whom they actually liked. We stayed on our knees. We remained involved in their lives. We continued to love them in ways they could understand and receive. Warm chocolate chip cookies became a frequent ministry in our home. But in the end, we simply had to rest and trust for God to do His work in their lives.