Dear Parents,                                                                            

Peace for Parents of Teens is for parents with teens who experience struggles as they try to mature and discover their own identity in this world.  

Each week has a topic from the Bible.   Every day of the week there is a verse of encouragement, a quote and a prayer that you can pour over your child.   Also a tie-in paragraph addresses some of the struggles teens are dealing with today.   The questions personalize the verse and prayer, so find how to utilize these tools to best fit your approach.

Before you turn the page I want to tell you that no matter how you feel, you are a good parent.   Any other kind wouldn't be reading these devotionals.

In Him,

Beth

WEEK 45-WORSHIP

DAY 1-

Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Psalms 48:9

Ask Your Teen:

What do you do during worship time in church?

 

It doesn't matter the way a teen worships just that they are worshiping. It is Biblical for us to raise hands, dance, and sing as we praise God. It is also okay to remain silent and just take it all in. God knows their heart.

 

“God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us.” Augustine

 

Lord, let the joy of your heart flow through ___ as they worship You.
 
DAY 2-

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name, worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalms 29:2

Ask Your Teen:

Is your image of God one of glory and splendor and holiness, or is it one of a more ordinary, human nature? Describe your image of God.

 

It may be hard for a teen to know what their vision is of God but good to think about so they can make Him a personal God, and to delight in his holiness.

 

“There is just one way to bring up a child in the way he should go, and that is to travel that way your self.”

Abraham Lincoln

 

Lord, let ___ see Your promises, Your ways and Your power. Let them acknowledge you in all things.
 
DAY 3-

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness, tremble before him, all the earth. Psalms 96:9

Ask Your Teen:

If you tremble in front of someone, what would probably be the reason for your trembling?  When we tremble before God, how do you think He is expecting us to feel about Him?

 

If your teen can think of having such admiration for someone that they are almost fearful, that might be the start of how much we need to revere God.

 

“Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank.”

Anonymous

 

Lord, let ___ feel Your holy, awesome power and feel the shield of protection You put into action each day for them.
 
DAY 4-

Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool, he is holy. Psalms 99:5

Ask Your Teen:

Kings were worshiped at their footstools. If you were writing this verse in today's language, how would you phrase it and why?

 

Is there is something your teen thinks highly of that could be the comparison to this? If so it can give them a greater understanding to this scripture reference-

 

“No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” Calvin Coolidge

 

Lord, give ___ the favor of basking in Your presence, the kind that can move mountains.
 
DAY 5-

Worship the Lord with gladness, come before him with joyful songs. Psalms 100:2

Ask Your Teen:

Are these the words that describe your feelings at worship, or are your feelings more serious and somber? Which works better for you?

 

Let your teen glorify God as creatively as they are as individuals. Let their hands fly and voices lift up to the Lord or be still and meditate on the songs of praise-

 

“To love is to learn the song that is in their heart and to sing it to them when they have forgotten.”

Anonymous

 

Lord, give ___ an extra measure of faith today and feed their soul with Your glory.
 
DAY 6-

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress. Psalms 107:6

Ask Your Teen:

Do you think these people had their problem disappear, or do you think God gave them peace with the problem?  Why do you think that?

 

If a teen can think beyond the problem, the solution becomes clearer. Separating out the emotions from the facts will help to find a reasonable solution but can be hard with a teen full of hormones and mood swings. Correct timing can be crucial when discussing the issue.

 

“When we call on God, He bends down His ear to listen, as a father bends down to listen to his little child.”

Elizabeth Charles

 

Lord, let ___ seek you, rely on You, be led by you and acknowledge You in all things.
 
DAY 7-

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name?  For you alone are holy.  All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:4
 
Ask Your Teen:

Does it seem likely in the world today, that “all nations will come and worship before God”?  What could make it happen in “your world”?

 

Help teens to see into the future, maybe not theirs but someday, and what it will be like. Prepare them for what's to come. Leading others to Christ, making atonement for their sins, being ready in their spiritual lives for whatever may happen.

 

“It becomes us humbly to approach the throne of Almighty God, with gratitude and praise for the wonders which His goodness has brought.” U.S. Congress 1780

 

Lord, give ___ your vision and know that everything is possible through You. Those that they feel will never be saved, can be. Politics of our country gone in disarray will be repaired. Help them find their part in doing what needs to be done.
 

WEEK 46-BROTHERLY LOVE

DAY 1-

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:1

Ask Your Teen:

When you read this, what is your first thought, that others should treat you better, or that you should treat other people better?  What does that tell you about yourself?

 

To follow this advice is the ultimate in human behavior. Talking about Christ's examples can be helpful but were supernatural compared to what we can do. Help your teen know when to check themselves in dealing with difficult people.

 

“In life sometimes we have to live by what other people want rather than what we ourselves want and we just have to accept it.” Kevin Burns

 

Lord, let ___ always be active in service for you, treating others as You will us to.
 
DAY 2-

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. Luke 10:33

Ask Your Teen:

If you see some stranger in trouble, what is your first thought, to get away before you get involved in something that might hurt you, or to go and help without thinking of the results?

 

Teens that have the confidence to help when needed are mature beyond their years. Empathy has grown cold especially if the peer in trouble isn't one that is accepted by others, just as the Samaritan wasn't in the time of Christ. Remind your teen that they may never know when they may need a favor.

 

“Heroes and cowards have the same obstacles and fears, they just look at them differently.” L.S. Age 13-Ohio

 

Lord, let ___ feel compassion and the desire to help others as only You can instill it into our hearts.
 
DAY 3-

Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to praise God. Romans 15:7

Ask Your Teen:

We know that Christ accepted all kinds of people.  What people are easy for you to accept, and what people are really hard for you to accept?  

If we can accept all of God's people we are fulfilling God's wish for us. This is hard for a teen who is more worried about fitting in as so many are. Reminding them of times when they were the one left out may help soften their heart.

 

“If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. This is to love one another as God loves each of us. And where does this love begin? In our homes.” Mother Teresa

 

Lord, help ___ to understand the need of others and to look at others with Your eyes by Your standards.
 
DAY 4-

Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4

Ask Your Teen:

Do you find it difficult to listen to a friend's troubles when you are struggling with problems of your own?  What must we be overlooking if that is the case?

 

Seeking the Lord's strength in this will help teens be the kind of friend they hope to be and to have. Remembering times they were down and needed a lift will give them empathy for others when they need it.

 

“Love is like a roller coaster ride. Even through all the ups and downs, twists and turns, screams and shouts. I am very glad I got on.”

Submitted by Brittany O. Age 19-Indiana

 

Lord, help ___ to find their identity in you so they can see their true self worth.
 
DAY 5-

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

Ask Your Teen:

Are you a better “carrier of other's burdens”, or are you better at giving others the opportunity to carry your burdens?

 

Accepting themselves in whichever role they play in this will help them see the needed balance of both. The give and take of friendship becomes evident in the roller coaster of life giving them the opportunity to play the part on both roles.

 

“Her little girl arrived home late from school. Her mother asked her why. “I had to help another girl. She was in trouble,” Replied the daughter. “What did you do to help her?” The mother asked. “Oh, I sat down and helped her cry.” Anonymous

 

Lord, let ___ see the unique qualities in everyone and to appreciate them as God's children.
 
DAY 6-

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. I Thessalonians 5:11

Ask Your Teen:

What are a few things you do to build up another person? What are things people do with you that help build you up?  

For teens to know the Golden Rule of treating others as they want to be treated is key. Learning from those who are gifted in this area can help teens follow by example.

 

“One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.”

Dick Gregory

 

Lord, let ___ help others see the peace and security of knowing that they are accepted by You.
 
DAY 7-

Show proper respect to everyone, Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17

Ask Your Teen:

Is this saying that you have to respect EVERYONE?  What is “proper” respect?

 

If teens remember how they feel when they are respected maybe they will act accordingly. Even more so they will remember when they were not treated respectfully.

 

“You don't get respect because you want it. You get respect because you earn it.” Marion Ashes

 

Lord, help ___ show others about You. And in so doing this they will better know who they are through You.
 
WEEK 47-PRAYER

DAY 1-

In my distress I called to the Lord, I called out to my God.  From the temple he heard my voice, my cry came to his ears. 2 Samuel 22:7

Ask Your Teen:

This sounds like a prayer of desperation. When do you do your best praying?

 

Sometimes getting in a difficult situation makes a teen turn to God more. Knowing that God wants us to go to Him to rejoice and to thank Him is sometimes forgotten, thinking of only needing him during the crisies.

 

“God invented parenthood. He is for us. He is for each of our children. He is champion of their lives, their years, their calling, and their eternal lives.”

Ralph T. Mattson and Thom Black

 

Lord, let ___ know that You are always there for them no matter what the prayer request is or request for forgiveness. Let them know that You will listen and show mercy.
 
DAY 2-

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress, be merciful to me and hear my prayer. Psalms 4:1

 

Ask Your Teen:

Do you ever pray to God without asking for something? What do you pray about then?

 

If a teen can learn to pray always and not just when in distress they will know Him and themselves better. To have that relationship with God during the good times can strengthen the relationship in preparing for the difficult ones.

 

“Our family is a unit that is not shared by everyone. It is by our design, by tradition, by growth. We love and protect it in our own special way.” Janette Oke

 

Lord, let ___ find comfort when they call out to You. Let them know that You are there and will show them an answer.
 
DAY 3-

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. James 5:15

Ask Your Teen:

You have probably prayed for someone to get well and they didn't.  What does this verse mean in those circumstances?

 

It is hard for teens to understand God's will. To see the reason through the hardship. This is when trust comes into our relationship with Him. Helping a teen to know how much God unconditionally loves us may help them know God has a plan.

 

“Learn the blessedness of the unoffended in the face of the unexplainable.” Amy Carmichael

 

Lord, hear ___'s prayer but also let them know answers are by Your will but with a reminder that everything works for good.
 
DAY 4-

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16

Ask Your Teen:

Do you confess your sins to your friends or your family, or do you save them for God?  What difference do you think it would make to you?

 

Teens asking others to pray for or with them is a good habit to make. They may be more open to it when they are upset but that opens up the opportunity to then pray for thanksgiving when an answer to that prayer comes.

 

“We must become the change we want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

 

Lord, let ___ see the importance in confessing to You and let them not be ashamed because You already know our hearts.
 
DAY 5-

So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Luke 11:9

Ask Your Teen:

If this is the case, why aren't prayers for winning the lottery or a new car answered?

 

Teens may have a difficult time discerning what to seek. Knowing God and his will helps teens better understand what he deems important, things that will glorify Him not us.

 

“Prayer, the key for the day and the lock of the night.” Thos Fuller

 

Lord, help ___ keep us in perspective as to what Your will is for us and what to hope for.
 
DAY 6-

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that worked cannot express. Romans 8:26

Ask Your Teen:

Look at yesterday's devotion.  Does this help answer that one for you?  When you pray, how do you allow the Spirit to help you?

 

For teens to know they have the Holy Spirit to help them pray is a huge consolation. One to go to for guidance when we know desire to pray but can't find the words.

 

“Prayer must carry on our work as much as preaching. Be preacheth not heartily to his people, that will not pray for them.” Richard Baxter

 

Lord, remind ___ of the Holy Spirit and the intervention that goes on there. Helping them not to worry about the words, just the heart.
 
DAY 7-

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer, petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Ask Your Teen:

What are you anxious about?  Pray about it right now and present it to God. Is it in God's hands, or do you still have it?  You can tell by how anxious you are now.

 

Learning not to be anxious for teens is difficult but possible through God. Going to prayer first when the anxiety starts may help them find this a good habit. They can only grow from there.

 

“In this strange patterned time of contemplation that, in time breaks time, breaks words, breaks me, and then, in silence, leaves me healed and mended. I leave returned to language, for I see through words, even when all words are ended. I, who live by words, am wordless when I turn to the Word to pray. Amen” Madeleine L' Engle

 

Lord, show ___ what a relief You can be to them when in need.
 
Week 48-HEART

DAY 1-

I will praise you, o Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of all your wonders. Psalms 9:1

 
Ask Your Teen:

You've heard people say that they love something “with all their heart”.  What do you love with all your heart?

 

Priorities for teens can be confused and need thought and prayer. We say we love everything from tacos to God, not differentiating the difference in these kinds of affection. Separating that is a good way to define what is truly important.

 

“A grateful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.” Cicero

 

Lord, let ___ dig deep into the depths of their heart and find what is real and honest there.
 
DAY 2-

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. Psalms 26:2

Ask Your Teen:

Do you test yourself and examine your own behavior and motives?  What is different about this when you ask God to do it?

 

For a teen to know their own heart when it is forever changing is an ongoing task. Their moods, choices and friends change quickly, but keeping their hearts on God can be what helps them make good choices.

 

“The worship most acceptable to God comes from a thankful and cheerful heart.” Plutarch

 

Lord, help ___ to be honest before You and let them be open to Your shaping and molding them into what You want them to be.
 
DAY 3-

My heart says of you “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Psalms 27:8

Ask Your Teen:

How would you suggest to a friend how they could go about seeking God's face?

 

For a teen to know how to find someone's inner self is a hard concept to take in. To desire to know God so deeply that you know Him the way you know a good friend is a good start.

 

“I, who live by words, am wordless when I try my words in prayer. All languages turn to silence. Prayer will take my words and then reveal their emptiness. The stifled voice learns to hold its peace, to listen with the heart to silence that is joy, is adoration. The self is shattered, all words torn apart.” Madeline L'Engle

Lord, teach ___ to long for You, to know You and be with You.
 
DAY 4-

Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Psalms 27:14
 
Ask Your Teen:

If you aren't waiting for the Lord, what are you doing instead?  How do you know when it is time to stop waiting?

 

It is hard for a teen to wait for anything especially that still small voice. Knowing what to look for and how to still our minds may help open that channel to hear an answer.

 

“Remember me and love me.” Thomas Jefferson to Mary C

 

Lord, give ___ the patience needed before You so they are ready for an answer.
 
DAY 5-

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

Ask Your Teen:

Once we become children of God, all he sees is a pure heart in us.  Why, then, do we feel a need to ask for a pure heart and a renewed spirit?

 

Teens need to know they are to ask for purification daily, because none of us go through a day without sinning.

 

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, make it known through Jesus Christ. Blaise Pascal

 

Lord, let this help ___ see the imperfections in their heart and have the desire to make it pure.
 
DAY 6-

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Ask Your Teen:

The heart must be vulnerable to harm if we are to guard it.  How do you guard it?  What happens to your feelings when something bad happens to your heart?

 

A teen's heart takes a whirlwind of good and bad emotions, learning how to protect without becoming bitter is important.

 

“There are some things that can be learned by the head but Christ crucified can only be learned by the heart.” Charles H. Spurgeon

 

Lord, protect ___ from a broken heart and mend any damage done along the journey.
 
DAY 7-

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. Proverbs 15:13

Ask Your Teen:

This verse implies that we will have both these feelings. What have you learned that will help you when you have heartache and your spirit is crushed?

 

These things happen to us all but teens take them hard as they are first experiences for them. Helping them prepare for these emotions and know how to deal with them before they happen will soften the blow.

 

“Never say that you have no time. On the whole it is those who are busiest who can make time for yet more, and those who have more leisure time who refuse to do something when asked. What we lack is not time, but heart.” Henri Boulard, Egyptian Jesuit

 

Lord, lift ___ away from the hands of idleness and deliver them into Your hands with good wholesome work in Your name.