“For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, and I saw among the naive, I discerned among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing through the street near her corner.” (Proverbs 7:6-23, NASB)

We need to pray for the youth of our generation. If we don’t invest in them, someone else will, namely the enemies of God. One of the many tools that the enemy uses to lure the youth is through the temptation of lust, that is, sexual temptations. We can see this happening all around us. And I believe that one of the main spiritual tools for empowering the youth to stand firm is prayer. I sense that this is what Solomon was thinking as he wrote today’s passage. He writes,

“For at the window of my house I looked out through my lattice, and I saw among the naive, I discerned among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing through the street near her corner; and he takes the way to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the middle of the night and in the darkness. And behold, a woman comes to meet him, dressed as a harlot and cunning of heart. She is boisterous and rebellious; her feet do not remain at home; she is now in the streets, now in the squares, and lurks by every corner. So she seizes him and kisses him, and with a brazen face she says to him: ‘I was due to offer peace offerings; today I have paid my vows. Therefore I have come out to meet you, to seek your presence earnestly, and I have found you. I have spread my couch with coverings, with colored linens of Egypt. I have sprinkled my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let us drink our fill of love until morning; let us delight ourselves with caresses. For the man is not at home, he has gone on a long journey; he has taken a bag of money with him, at full moon he will come home.’ With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him. Suddenly he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, until an arrow pierces through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, so he does not know that it will cost him his life.”

As Christians, youth are our great hope for the future. When we are gone, it will be up to them to continue the work of God, build and defend the church, and share the light of the gospel in the dark world. Let’s commit to supporting them through prayer and planned guidance, fostering the next generation that is deeply rooted in God’s truth and love.

I can feel the uneasiness in Solomon’s heart as he saw “a young man lacking sense” wandering into the arms of an immoral woman in the middle of the night. There are so many symbolic messages that we can glean from this scene, but we don’t need to get into that. The point of the story is that Solomon was seeing what was happening to this young man and couldn’t do anything to help him. He saw his predictable behavior and saw how it would turn out. He recognized that behind the woman’s alluring attire, makeup, fragrances, enticing words, and kisses lay the path to destruction.

Many Christians today, especially older ones, are seeing through the “windows” of our house and witnessing many young people being led away by the hands of the seductress. We can see it in TVs, movies, social media, magazines, and other “windows” to the world. We can see the seductress in pop culture, fashion, Hollywood idols, music icons, and other forms of entertainment. Much like King Nebuchadnezzar, who kidnapped the Israelite youths and sought to conform their lives to the Babylonian ways, the god of this age is also doing it. We need to pray that God will place His hands on Daniel and his friends of today and raise them up.

2 Timothy 2:22 exhorts, “Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” This is our prayer for them that they would “flee youthful lusts.” The psalmist wrote, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word” (Ps.119:9). Yes, God’s words are able to help, deliver, and empower young people to overcome and stay pure. For this to happen, we must pray that God will draw today’s prodigal sons and daughters to Himself and reveal His words to them. Like Solomon, many older believers feel helpless and heartbroken as they see the young people lacking sense, yet not completely hopeless. God has given us the power of prayer to do something about it. Let’s commit to praying that they will flee youthful lusts and run toward the heart of God.

• What emotion do you sense Solomon was feeling as he saw this young man’s situation?
• How do you feel when you see the youth today falling into immorality?
• What is the best prayer we can pray for the youth of today?