Praying for Teen Girls: Partnering With God for the Heart of Your DaughterSample

Lord, give her friends who endure.

There seems to be a shift in the teen years for girls where they begin to define themselves by their relationships. Your teen girl is very aware of where she stands socially at school, church, clubs, or on her sports team. And as much as we have tried to debunk the ever-present stereotypes of teen girls and their narcissistic years, stereotypes also exist in her friendships. Girl squads. Mean Girls. Bullies. Gossips. You can probably name them all. A teen girl’s peer relationships can dethrone most (if not all) other relationships in her life. Her friends mean everything to her. At least in her eyes. And at the risk of being a how-to book more than a prayer book, it would be helpful for us to think about what she needs and how we can pray for her through these years.

What your teen girl wants more than anything is connection, to be known and valued.

And, while she is looking for friends in her peer group who will hopefully understand those things as well, we know what she really needs is a deeply satisfying relationship with Christ. Jesus is perfect at the type of closeness she craves. Hebrews 13:5 tells us that Jesus will not walk away from us. He certainly won’t uninvite us from being His friend via direct message. He stays. Always. Still, who can blame her for wanting a friend who is there right now to grab Starbucks with and swap stories of a hectic day at school? We want that for her too. Let’s pray for friends who endure.

Keep praying. Don’t stop.

A prayer based on Ecclesiastes 4:9:

Father, you tell us that two are better than one because we are made for community. Please give _____________ at least one good true-hearted friend who believes in you and will help her get up when she falls down. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A prayer based on 1 Thessalonians 5:11:

Father, I pray that _____________ will build others up with hope. May they in turn strengthen her faith and cheer her on as she lives for you. In this type of friendship, there is no competition but mutual support. I pray you would give _____________ friends like that. In Jesus’ name, Amen.