A Prayer for a Struggling Teenager

Father, the door is closed again and I am standing outside it, not knowing whether to knock or to wait. My teenager is hurting in a language I keep failing to translate, and the silence between us feels like a canyon.

I confess my impatience, the times I met their storm with my own, the lectures that landed as judgment when they needed an open hand. I miss the child who used to tell me everything.

So I come to You, who sees the heart behind the slammed door, who knows exactly what is breaking in them when they cannot find the words. You are not locked out of any room.

Steady them through these churning years. Guard them in the places they think no one is watching. Send them one true friend, and give me the patience to keep loving without keeping score.

Your word says You are close to the brokenhearted and You save the crushed in spirit. Be that close to my child now, closer than their headphones, closer than their fears.

I release my need to fix this by tonight. Help me stay soft, stay present, stay here. Carry my teenager through this valley, and let them come out the other side knowing they were never alone in it. Amen.