5 Ways to Remember to Pray as a Teen

Life as a teen is incredibly busy and full. Between home life, school, work, friendships, and sports, teens can feel like they are being pulled in a thousand directions. As a teen, it is common to struggle with fitting in things you know are important, but more so, it is important to remember to pray.

This is especially true when it comes to prayer. Whether you grew up praying or prayer is new to you, it is normal that you want to find a way to make your relationship with God something that feels comfortable and natural for you. This may mean it looks different than the way your parents or friends do things.

As you explore and discover how you want to connect with God, consider how often you talk to Him.

• Is it something that comes easily?
• Do you have regular prayer time or conversation with God?
• Do you struggle to fit prayer into your life?

No matter how you answer those questions, you can always learn new ways to connect with God. The best thing to do is to make it simple. Try new things and see how they feel. If you want to incorporate prayer into your life more, here are some things you can try.

Set a reminder.

You can set a reminder on your phone or watch to pray at a certain time every day. Sometimes things just get busy, and people forget to pray. Setting a reminder can help you remember to check in and talk to God.

Pair it with something.

You can connect prayer with something you already do. For example, you can pray every time you brush your teeth. Brushing your teeth is the trigger that reminds you to pray. Since you already do this, it is more likely that you will remember to pray. Other ideas for things you can pair prayer with are driving to school or work, working out, or before opening an app on your phone.

Write your prayers.

Writing things down can sometimes feel easier than saying them aloud or silently. Sometimes writing frees you to be more open and vulnerable in your conversation with God. You can use a notebook, a journal, or an app on your phone to write your prayers. When you write prayers, you can also look back and see where God has answered past prayers.

Pray before school.

As a teen, school likely takes up a portion of your day. Along with that can come academic and social stress and pressure. Prayer is a great way to combat that. Begin praying before school. You could pray before you leave, on the bus, or as you walk in the doors. Just make it a point to connect with God to help you through the day ahead.

Try bedtime prayers.

You may think you’re too old for bedtime prayers, but no one is too old to talk to God before bed. Praying before bed is a good way to release the cares of your day. God is there to listen and give you peace to sleep at night.

When you pray there are no rules.

One of the most important things to learn is that there are no rules of prayer. It is all about you connecting with God. You can talk to Him anytime about anything. If you are unsure how to do this or need help, a Christian counselor is available to support you. Reach out to a counselor on this site for more information.