God Talks to Teens

My son, Daniel, is approaching his junior year of high school. We are looking for scholarship information and colleges. It is an exciting time for our family. There are so many questions and yet I couldn't help but wonder as I repeatedly heard him share his goal for life, what did God want him to do?

I prayed God would show him what He wanted Daniel to be. As I heard Daniel speak of his choice for life, I longed to hear him speak what I felt God had shown me about him. I explained to him he needed to ask God His opinion. I told him God has a plan for his life and exhorted him to ask God. I promised him God would answer his question about his destiny.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

The next morning I dropped him off at school. We had not discussed this issue at all that morning. As he got out of the car, he stopped and looked back at me and said he had not heard from God. What a surprise! He had prayed and was actively looking to God for an answer. I was so excited. I asked him to give God a little more time. Then I prayed, "God please answer him."

About a month later, I was filling out information about his college choices when I told him what I had put down for his life choice. I listed architect, business administration, etc.; when all of a sudden I heard him say to take architect off the list. I froze. I could not believe what I was hearing. I asked him if he had changed his mind. He told me God had spoken to him. I was so excited I could hardly believe it. Then the words I longed to hear came out of his mouth. He said what he would be doing was not his first choice and yet he knew he had heard from God. His words were God wanted him to be a preacher.

That is what I felt God was calling him to do. I had felt that his whole life. There were no signs it would ever happen and now, well, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

So who said God doesn't talk to teens? God talks to teens! He talked to mine. He showed him His plans for himself. He will be leading the Devotion this week at their youth meeting. He has really come a long way.

God longs to speak to our kids. He will pour Himself into them as they seek His will. Daniel is still my big, strong, young man who loves to argue with his sister (we're working on that part). But he now knows he has decisions to make and someone bigger than himself is actively a part of his life.

Let's pray for our kids. Let us encourage our teens to seek God for the choices they are making. God will answer them. It is never too early or too late and is always the best thing to do.

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

Copyright Martha Noebel, used with permission.