By Lyndal Walker
National Prayer Coordinator

“Are you having nightmares?”

That’s the question I asked a teenager I had only just met during a visit to the youth detention centre he was incarcerated in.

“How did you know?” he responded with somewhat defensive interest.

I was hanging out and chatting with a large group of teenagers in the detention centre and often while I’m talking with them, I’m also having conversations with God to see if there’s anything He wants to bring up or encourage them with.

I knew I had to speak with this young man in particular. On the outside he seemed rough and tough but that initial prayer – of simply asking God what I should start conversation with – led to an in-depth discussion about God and how to have a relationship with him.

Youth for Christ is all about giving young people opportunities to become followers of Jesus. And when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our conversations it always ends up at that point.

I shared very simply about God’s love using a testimony I had heard that week as an illustration. As I did, he became even more engaged because what I was sharing was a similar experience to what he had been through.

Youth for Christ is all about giving young people opportunities to become followers of Jesus. And when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our conversations it always ends up at that point.

That’s why prayer is so vital.

Ultimately, all the issues our young people face are solved by knowing who Jesus is and who they are in Him! As we see young people capture this, we will see crime rates drop, families restored, self-harm decreased and young people empowered to fulfil their life-long callings.

So thank you for persevering with YFC in prayer for our nations youth. Your prayers continue to open up opportunities that impact young lives around Australia.