A Prayer for Friendships
By Emma Danzey
Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."
Maybe you have many friends, you might have one close friend, or you could be lonely and in need of a friend. God designed relationships to be a benefit to us and to others. It is important that we take time to pray for our current friends and future friends. Whether we are in a new city hoping to develop new friendships or we have lived in the same town for many years with close-knit friends, the Lord values friendships.
Jesus, Himself calls us friends in John 15:15. As believers in Christ, we have this privilege to be friends of God Himself. This means that He wants an active and personal relationship with us. The way that He modeled friendship is a great way for us to follow. Jesus loved all people and he had a variety of friends, but his closest friends were believers. We, of course, want to be friends with everyone, but today we are going to spend some time praying over those core friends who we can point to Christ, and they can share Him with us.
Let's pray:
Dear Lord,
Thank You for friendships. Thank you that You created us to be in community. We pray over those who are lonely and in need of friendship. You say in Ecclesiastes 4:10, "If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” Would you please help them to see that You are their friend? Would you open their eyes to potential relationships around them? Give them the courage to initiate with others. Heal where there has been hurt or rejection in the past. We pray for others to take a genuine interest in friendship with them and pray that they would feel seen and loved by the church and You.
We pray for those friends in our lives who are closer than brothers and sisters. Help them to sharpen one another like iron sharpens iron. Give them Your help in the ways that we speak truth in love, pray for one another, and laugh together. We ask for blessings and growth in these relationships to be deeply rooted in You and to be faithful witnesses of Your love to those around.
Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” We pray for those who need reconciliation in friendships. Relationships are hard to navigate, and it can be such a struggle to love other sinners well. Please help those who are holding hurts and grudges to release them to You. Mend what is broken and reunite them in Your name Jesus.
Jesus, You said in John 15:12-13, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We pray for the Holy Spirit's power to love well and to be genuine with others. We ask for the Holy Spirit to fill us up so that we can love with the sacrificial love that You have loved us with.
God, please protect us from friends that would pull us away from You. Proverbs 12:26 says, “A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Help us to be kind to everyone but not enable the enemy to have a foothold over us in this area. Give us discernment in who we hang out with and when. Reveal to us any boundaries that need to be set up.
Lord, You tell us in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to encourage one another and build one another up. We pray that our friendships would not just be shallow fun but would be in-depth relationships that are encouraging to each other and build up each other in faith. Thank You for giving us friends as close as family. These are sweet gifts from you, and we pray that we would never take them for granted but regularly praise You in them.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign/Bethany Pyle
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Saturday, 23 July 2022.
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