STEP FIVE

Share Your Secrets 

I wonder what comes to your mind when you think of prayer. We are really excited for you to discover what the Bible teaches about prayer. Prayer is one of the greatest gifts God has given us—it’s a gift God offers you!

Prayer isn’t a religious ritual or a transaction—it’s just talking. Talking to God, pouring out your heart (Psalm 62:8), telling God everything going on in your heart (Proverbs 23:26), telling him what’s on your mind, asking him to reveal to you the things on his mind too—this is prayer. It’s communication.

The Bible tells us that even crying is a form of prayer (Romans 8:26), because God is able to read the thoughts of our hearts even when we don’t have the words to speak!

God invites us to pray. He tells us that he listens. He responds. Best of all, we don’t have to know exactly what to say—he knows us better than we know ourselves and knows what we are trying to tell him.

We know it’s probably hard to talk about what’s happening in your life. Maybe the thought of talking to your earthly father is scary.

The Bible says that your Heavenly Father cares for you always. He wants to meet with you regularly. He wants to hear the secret things you tell no one else. He wants you to be able to share everything with him. You can trust him.

Even our best friends, who are great at listening, and who we share our deepest secrets with, often can’t do more than listen and comfort. But God our Father says he knows what we need. He says there is reward waiting for those who come to him. That’s because he’s powerful, and after he listens, he acts.

The songwriter in Psalm 27 says this: “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in” (ESV). The Bible says that when mom and dad aren’t there for you, you still have a Father waiting to take you in and hold you close.

The way we can approach God the Father is through Jesus’ loving sacrifice on the cross. Jesus paid for our sins through his own suffering so that when God sees us, there is only love in his heart, no more anger towards our sin. If we have put our trust in Jesus, then God only looks at us with love. Jesus says to us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Jesus wants to take your hand and lead you to meet with the Father. That’s where your heart will find safety and rest.

Do you have a place you go to be alone? Maybe your room? Maybe the skatepark? Maybe a lunch table off to the side at school?

Where’s your secret place?

You have a Heavenly Father that wants to meet you there, wants to hear your secrets, the thoughts in your head and burdens on your heart you can’t share with anyone else.

BIBLE STUDY

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

(English Standard Version)

Matthew 6:5-15

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(English Standard Version)

ACTION STEP

Take Step Five

1. Check out a song that might encourage you to pray. We found this song that we really enjoy called “Talk to Him.” It’s a country song by Chris Tomlin featuring Russell Dickerson. Look it up on your favorite music streaming service. It has a fun and happy sound, but it shares the same message as the previous Bible passage.
2. Pick a place, pick an amount of time, and determine to go visit your Heavenly Father. Try to pick a time every day to share your heart with the Father. We suggest you spend a week seeking him each day.
3. Begin by reading the previous passages of the Bible to remind you of his kind welcome. Do just what the Bible says, “cast all your anxieties on him”—there’s no right way. Shut your door and pray to your Father who is in heaven, and trust that he hears, and he will reward you. This action step is the beginning of a habit—prayer is a relationship, remember, not a ritual.