The Invitation, February 9, 2023
Teen suicide is an ongoing issue worldwide and one that has continued to get worse in some countries in the last few years. A recent survey done by a school in the USA gives a glimpse of how prevalent this issue is at the moment. They found that 32 percent of the students said they knew someone who has attempted or died from suicide in the past twelve months, 28 percent said they had seriously considered suicide in the past twelve months, 21 percent said they had made a suicide plan in the past twelve months and 11 percent said they had attempted suicide in the past twelve months. According to a recent study done by the Office for National Statistics, suicide rates among young people aged 15-19 in England rose by 35% from 2020 to 2021. In 2020, Russia had the highest suicide rate in the world, according to the World Health Organization’s suicide rate estimates. Please take a moment right now to pray against teen suicide and please also pray with us on February 9, our prayer day for YWAM’s prayer initiative called The Invitation.
- Pray against the rise of bullying, both in person and online. Please pray that those in positions to stop bullying would have open eyes and an increased sensitivity to know when bullying is taking place. Also pray for miraculous protection online, that comments sent by those seeking to bully others would fail to send or not load when they do.
- Pray for discernment for teachers, school counselors, youth group leaders, and parents. Part of the issue with suicide is simply a lack of awareness or the knowledge of how to deal with it. Please pray for more adults in positions of leadership to learn how to recognize vulnerable teens and to be able to respond with wisdom and compassion.
- Pray for resources and programs to be created that will assist families in addressing the issues of identity and self worth for vulnerable teens. Suicide is societal, a mental health problem, compounded by chemical and spiritual components. Please pray that although this is a huge issue to tackle, people wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this.
Take Action
- In many languages, searching Google or Facebook for “suicide” or Instagram for “#suicide” brings up helpful resources.
- Also, see WhatsApp’s list of suicide hotline resources in many countries: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1417269125743673.
How We Prayed
January 12, 2023: Pray for Revival in the Church
- One person in Spain was very encouraged by this topic and is thinking about becoming a pastor.
- A ministry in Nigeria is meeting regularly and praying for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit upon His church.
- Another person is praying for more harvesters for God’s kingdom.
Join the Invitation
Sign up for prayer emails and find translations in many languages at ywam.org/theinvitation. Please contact us at [email protected] to let us know how you prayed, to recommend a prayer topic, or to request an advance copy of the prayer guide.
