Teens
Teens Prayer for May 23rd
A short, Scripture-shaped teens prayer for an ordinary moment of Christian faith.
The prayer
A prayer to pray now
Father, You promise to finish the work You started in me. There is a person at school whose voice grates on me for no good reason. But they are also a work of Your hands, even when they irritate me. Take the small, ugly judgments I keep running about them in my head. They have a story I do not know. They have a home I have never seen. They are loved in ways I am not aware of. Help me not be the loudest critic of them in our friend group. Help me not roll my eyes when they walk by. Help me want what is truly good for them, even when I don't feel warm toward them. I cannot force myself to like them. But I can choose to refuse contempt.
Amen.
How to pray it
- Read it slowly. Move through this prayer one line at a time, out loud if you can, letting each phrase land before the next.
- Make it personal. Pause where a line meets your day and name the person, fear, or hope it touches before God.
- Carry it with you. Keep one sentence with you — on your phone or in your pocket — and return to it when the day gets loud.
Verses to pray
Pray these slowly, one line at a time. Scripture quoted from a public-domain translation.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;
John 10:14
Questions about this prayer
When should I pray teens prayer for may 23rd?
Pray it whenever the words fit your moment — at the start of the day, in a hard stretch, or when you simply want to turn toward God.
Which Bible verses anchor this prayer?
This prayer is anchored in John 10:14. The "Verses to pray" section above quotes them in full.
Can I save or share this prayer?
Yes. Use the Copy prayer button to copy the words, or open the Chosen Portion app to keep a daily prayer, devotional, and Scripture with you.