Over the past year, I've noticed that students often feel disconnected from God despite attending church and youth groups. After our recent Youth For Christ Camp, I saw many struggle to see how God fits into their busy lives. When I asked if they pray, they said, “No. I don’t know how.”

I remember my teenage years and the struggles I faced in connecting with God when I lacked an intimate prayer life. God was part of my life, but he was relegated to the time allotted for him at Church and in my devotions. The rest of my life was compartmentalized for school, work, sports, and fun. When I thought about my future and the possibility of new responsibilities taking up more of my time, I wondered where God would fit into my busy schedule.

With our Summer Psalms Series, it's a good opportunity to address the imbalance of time spent studying God’s Word and time spent meditating, praying, and worshipping. While resources like sermons and Bible studies help with our understanding of Scripture, there is a growing need to emphasize our relational walk with Christ. The Psalms can guide us.

A THIRST FOR GOD

When I was younger, I didn’t understand the Psalms because they are poetry, and the language and context weren’t always clear. Over the years of studying and preaching them, they became one of my favorite books of the Bible. However, I want to acknowledge my early struggle. 

In high school, I approached all of my circumstances with a fearless, optimistic outlook, believing I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I wasn’t desperate for God because I was protected from most of life’s dangers. I felt secure in my environment. My parents provided for all my needs. I was satisfied with life and only needed God when things didn’t go the way I expected. 

The language of the Psalms about hungering and thirsting didn’t resonate with me. I read the Bible because I knew I was supposed to. When I forgot my daily devotions, which happened often, I felt guilty, but I didn’t feel malnourished. That changed dramatically as I matured and came to recognize how important and central God’s Word is to my life. 

Psalm 42:1-2, 11, ESV
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation and my God.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

On my first night in the dorm as a freshman at Bible college, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the ominous uncertainty of what lay ahead. I crawled out of bed, got down on my knees, and cried out to God, “I don’t want to rely on myself anymore. I want a new start.” 

As life became more challenging, I remembered I Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” I didn’t even know what it meant, but I was desperate to make prayer a part of my life. I took a penny and put it in my shoe as a reminder to connect with God whenever I felt it. I kept that penny in my shoe for an entire year. It changed how I walked with God. 

Suddenly, prayer became an integral part of my daily life. It wasn’t easy. I faced difficult challenges that left me with painful experiences, but, looking back, I can attest that God has been faithful every step of the way. Those were experiences I wouldn’t exchange for anything. I developed a deep longing for God in my life, and I experienced his faithfulness. 

Psalm 46:1-3, 10, ESV
God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

“Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

For the next three years, I was dedicated to ministry. I traveled all over the world, proclaiming the gospel and living by faith. But I was exhausted. I thought that the more I threw myself into ministry, the more I would feel rewarded, but that wasn’t the case. 

I remember writing in my journal at the age of twenty-one, “I feel like every time I get a drop of water in my cup, I have to spoon it out and give it to someone else. If this is ministry, I don’t want any part of it.” 

I was still wrestling with relying on my own strength rather than on God. When faced with a challenge I couldn’t overcome, I would pray, but my prayers were overwhelmingly focused on my needs. God had already done so much for me, yet the moment I didn’t get what I asked for, I felt abandoned. 

My relationship with God was transactional. Everything I did fostered an entitled expectation of reward. I was growing bitter. While my prayer life had improved, my appreciation had not. I was asking a lot of God, doing what I thought he wanted, yet I was ungrateful. 

I hadn’t stopped to consider what God desires from me. I assumed he wanted my performance, but what he truly wanted was me. 

Psalm 50:12-15, ESV

(God is speaking) “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,

    for the world and its fullness are mine.

Do I eat the flesh of bulls

    or drink the blood of goats?

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

    and perform your vows to the Most High,

and call upon me in the day of trouble;

    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

SEEKING THE LORD

A week after I had complained in my journal, my ministry team was performing at a local church. One of our team members announced that she would be leaving to return home to be with her family. 

I was irate. Even though I was secretly complaining and thinking about walking away from the ministry, I took it out on my friend because of my own guilt. I accused her of abandoning us, “Where else is a better chance to serve God than here?” 

Her response struck me: “It doesn’t say that God rewards those who diligently serve him.” I knew that verse right away. I had memorized it as a child. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (ESV). 

How could I have missed it? I had been sacrificing to God, but I wasn’t drawing near or seeking him. That moment completely changed my trajectory. Instead of doing ministry to earn credit with God, I was free to seek the LORD, and the ministry would overflow from the abundance in my cup. 

Psalm 63:1-4, ESV

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

    my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,

    beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

    my lips will praise you.

So I will bless you as long as I live;

    in your name I will lift up my hands.

LEAVING A GOSPEL LEGACY

I wonder if you can remember what it was like to be young in the faith. Can you relate to the struggle to connect with God? Have you noticed how your need for prayer has grown over the years?  

I hope you have come to realize God's faithfulness in your life. It takes a long time of walking with God to understand how much we need him. Teenagers cannot foresee what their future holds, but we can testify to the blessings of a long life following Christ. Students need to hear that a life of faith is worth it. 

Demonstrate the importance of prayer. Let the teenagers in your church know you're praying for them and reassure them that God is faithful to guide them through whatever lies ahead. Emphasize the value of a relationship with Christ. Sing passionately, even if the songs aren't from our generation. Demonstrate that God is good, worthy of our praise, and answers prayers.  

Psalm 71:17-18, ESV

O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs,

    O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,

    your power to all those to come.