Prayer for our Teens

Today, I drove Allie and Austin to school.  No big deal, but I am glad I did.  As we drove up the long, upwards drive to the school, I noticed that there were these little yellow flags lining both sides of the driveway.   Austin and Allie both told me that each of the small flags represents one of the 480 plus people who died in a drunk driving accident last year during Ohio's prom season.

This weekend is Lebanon and Monroe's prom, and a bunch more.  The last two days at Monroe have been somber.  I got a text from Allie saying several people she knows died! On Wednesday, the Grim Reaper visited the school and went in to classrooms and had people follow them.  Those chosen, were to be silent throughout the day.  Each participant that was killed, received a black t-shirt that told on the back how they died.  This has been a lot of the topic of conversation at my house.

Yesterday, there was a massive vehicle pile-up to simulate what could happen to those who get behind the wheel drunk. Then a gathering in the gym, where the "dead" were laying.  I think a lot of it hit home to at least Allie and Austin.  All through school they are taught that excessive drinking is wrong, yet it doesn't change the fact that a lot of them do participate.  I am sure that home life, peer pressure and such plays a huge role in this.

Today, let's pray for all the teens of America.  Let's pray that they will make the right choices and that they will have a safe and fun prom.  Let's keep them all in our hearts and minds today as they prepare for their parties and that next year there will be fewer flags lining school drives.

Psalm 71:1-7


In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
         Let me never be ashamed.
    ²In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
         Incline Your ear to me and save me.
    ³Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come;
         You have given commandment to save me,
         For You are my rock and my fortress.
    ⁴Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
         Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
    ⁵For You are my hope;
         O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.
    ⁶By You I have been sustained from my birth;
         You are He who took me from my mother's womb;
         My praise is continually of You.
    ⁷I have become a marvel to many,
         For You are my strong refuge.

God is reliable. He does what He says, and He delivers on His promises. How many of us can say that? We make promises in our wedding vows, to our families, to customers and we still let everyone of them down. But through Christ and before, God has never let a promise go undone. There may be a few that has not been fullfilled yet, but you can trust that they will.

We expect reliability in a car, a dog, and maybe in that old refridgerator, but sooner or later, they break down or die. God will never let that happen. His promises are true. His words are reliable for every stage of our life. The Bible is full of God's reliability. He saved the Israelites and called them His people. He helped King David, and his descendents as they reigned. He promised us a Savior and through God's love, Jesus is that person.

Never doubt God's love for you. He made these promises with you in mind. He gave you the choice to accept Christ or spurn him. If you love Jesus and obey God's commands, His love for you will always be there. I promise. John 16:27 says 'No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.'

Jesus tells us that he loves us time and time again. His word is totally pure and reliable. We need to remember that the next time we make a promise we don't intend to keep. Maybe our reliability will increase.