Praying for Your Teen’s Biblical Stance on Homosexuality

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Remember those teachers you had who went above and beyond, who loved their job so much and took their responsibility to train the next generation so seriously that they would make several different versions of the same test so everyone sitting near each other would have a test unique to them?  I can recall talking with friends over lunch who had already been to that particular class that morning and asking about the test.  By the time the lunch period was over, I had assessed my options and I knew with certainty which version of the test I did not want.

And there were those times when I would sit down in my chair, pen in hand, and a cold sweat would come over me as I realized that the test with my name at the top was precisely the one I had so hoped to avoid.

In working on the book Rescue and now the devotional, I can tell you what has been most important to me is that I be honest and authentic.  As I live and breathe, the first test that I hope I’m never asked to take is to lose one of my children to either an addiction or death.  The second is this one right here.  In being completely honest, I am weak, and ask the Lord not to write my name on this evaluation.  I bet you feel the same way.  As a matter of fact, if your sweet name is at the top of a test dealing with a child struggling with homosexuality, I believe you feel the same way too.  No one wants this one.  And no one wants this one for anyone else either.

If you have never dealt with a child of yours struggling with homosexuality, it’s important to remember that we must offer grace and support to those parents who are in such a situation.  What if you asked those parents if you could walk with them and pray together for all your children?  Don’t suddenly avoid them or treat them differently.  We must pray for them and come alongside them as they take the test of their lifetime.

If you are a parent dealing with a teen struggling with homosexuality, I want to remind you that your love for your child is not dependent on lifestyle or obedience.  Your love, like the Father’s, is unconditional.  Your hope is in Him.  You must keep your eyes glued on Him.  You simply take the next step with Him.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  Do not give in to hopelessness.

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  Love protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”  1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

I was recently on a panel with a pastor who was asked the question, “What would you do if you had a 14-year-old son who said that he was gay?”  This pastor’s response was, “Love makes the world go round.  All we need is love.”  His response was frustrating to me, because he was incorrect in that he was simply trying to provide a politically correct, inoffensive response.

However, something beautiful has occurred to me.  The Word tells us that you have been equipped for every good work prepared in advance for you to do.  You have what you need to pass the test.  It may feel as if you have taken a knife to a gun-fight, so to speak, but if you are a parent, and your child is dealing with this issue, you have a weapon for the battle: it is love.  Not the sappy, silly, superficial sort of love, but the kind of powerful, overcoming, life-changing love described in His Word.  This kind of love is never rude or self-seeking, and does not delight in evil but rejoices in truth.  This love always has hopes, always perseveres.  It never fails.

You keep loving that child, by His definition, with all your might.  He is strong in your weakness and He has all the answers to this test…actually they are written on His hands.

Lord, You are always the answer.  As I imagine a child writing the answers to a difficult exam on his palm, I see a tiny, fragile hand with human answers only partly there because our nerves have caused us to sweat away the most crucial parts.  But then I imagine You—holding open Your mighty, strong hand, and the answers there will never fade.  Love.  I love You more than my words can convey.  Amen.

I Corinthians 6:18—“Flee from sexual immorality.  All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”

I Peter 3:8—“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”

Exodus 33:19—“And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

Psalm 116:5—“The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

Psalm 86:15—“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

Psalm 119:156—“Your compassion, Lord, is great; preserve my life according to your laws.”

Mark 8:2—“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

His grace is sufficient for us!

My love,

 

Order the full Rescue Prayer Journal here (great for Christmas gifts!).