Prayer for My Friends

Prayer for My Friends

Genuine friendships are an incredible blessing! Healthy relationships have benefits that can impact our lives in various ways.

For example, they can help our mental health by bringing joy and laughter when life can get overwhelming. They can benefit our physical health by giving us someone to go to when our health is suffering. And some friends are great at helping us avoid unhealthy lifestyles.

Friendships can nurture our spiritual health as well. They can encourage us to grow in our faith and can also provide accountability in areas we need support.

I remember in middle school, my friend and I would quote Proverbs 17:17 as “our” verse because of the deep friendship we had, even as young teens. Here in scripture, we read “… a friend loves at all times.” And though our friendship wasn’t perfect, there was a sense of belonging and comfort knowing we had each other in those sometimes awkward years.

Good friends are trustworthy, good listeners, and an encouragement in good and bad times. The support each friend gives can look different depending on the person. Some friends may offer words of encouragement or a random act of kindness, while others are gifted in offering a thoughtful note that touches deeply.

There are many ways we, as Christians, can be a good friend. One of my favorite ways to honor my friends is to encourage and walk alongside them in prayer. Praying for our friends is a practical and life-changing way to love them. 

Short prayer for a friend

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your goodness in our lives. You are a loving father and I give you all the praise. Thank you for my dear friend. I am grateful you placed them in my life and for the friendship we share. I pray you would meet them where they are. Strengthen them and give them wisdom and peace. May they hear your voice clearly and choose to follow you even when it’s difficult. May they see you in their circumstance and know they are not alone. Thank you, Lord, for the work you are doing, even when it feels like nothing is happening. You are Almighty God, and we love you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Power of Prayer When Praying for Friends

I believe understanding the power of prayer is the foundation of utilizing this beautiful gift we have in life.

In Kay Arthur’s book, Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days, she explains that the strength of our prayers begins in knowing our Father.

Prayer is our way of communicating with Him. As believers, we have the privilege of being in communion with the Holy Spirit. Knowing who we are and whose we are, gives us the boldness to come before the Lord with a humble heart.

There are seasons in life when we have friends who are going through a difficult time. Although we may not have the words to comfort them the way we think they need, we can always say a prayer for them.  In addition, if they are open to it, we can take time to pray with them in that moment of crisis.

Prayer is a priceless gift that can always be given and given freely. The saying “prayer changes things” is not just a cliché. It is a spiritual truth that we can stand on with confidence. 

When we pray for our friends, we are dedicating time to intercede for them. Though we may have miles between us, our hearts are joined in this process. And where two or three gather in His name, the Lord is with them. (Matthew 18:20) When we call on God and come to Him in prayer, he hears the cries of our hearts.

What is Intercessory Prayer?

When we pray for someone, we are interceding on their behalf. Bob Sorge describes intercession in his book Secrets of the Secret Place, as the priestly ministry of a go-between, someone who stands between heaven and a need on earth and petitions the Father for breakthrough. 

There are several examples in the Bible of intercessory prayer. Moses interceding for the people of Israel is a prime example of how our prayers can affect the lives of those we are praying for. Moses sought the favor of the Lord and pleaded to save his people. (Exodus 32:11) As Moses stood in the gap and interceded for the people of Israel, God heard and relented. (Exodus 32:14)

Ultimately, we desire God’s will fulfilled in our lives, yet we can be a part of His plans through intercessory prayer.

How do you start a prayer for someone?

Do you have a hard time finding the words to pray? Maybe you didn’t grow up praying and praying does not come easily to you.  The more time you take to pray, the more comfortable you will become.  But if something is just too heavy and you don’t have the words to pray, God knows your heart. In fact, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. (Romans 8:26-27)

Typically, I begin praying by praising God for who He is (Psalm 100:4). Starting our prayers with a heart of thanksgiving is Biblical and sets our attention on our Lord and Savior rather than solely praying our lists of requests to Him.

Scripture explains how we should pray. Philippians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Here we are instructed to come to the Lord with gratitude and present our requests to Him. 

We can always give thanks no matter the situation. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) It might be difficult to do at times, but there is something to be thankful for even in the direst of circumstances.

Coming to Him with a grateful heart can change our perspective and how we see the situation. Not only that, but there is also victory in praise. Giving praise even amid trials can change the trajectory of what happens. Knowing this, I encourage you to start your prayer with praise.

How do you pray for a friend?

Committing to praying for our friends can sound overwhelming when life is so busy, but I encourage you to write things down.

This is how I am able to consistently pray for my friends. Rather than trying to remember prayer requests in my head, I keep a Prayer Journal. In this journal, I write prayer requests friends share with me. This is a notebook I go through regularly and include praise reports of prayers answered.

Some prayers I have been praying for friends are prayers that have been prayed for a few days or several weeks, while other prayers are ones I have been praying for many years. Prayers that have not been answered on my timeline or the way I would have expected to see them answered have grown my faith and caused me to trust Him more. In all transparency, there are also times when the Lord has answered my prayers, even when I didn’t expect Him to. It is a beautiful reminder that He hears and is not deaf to our prayers. (Psalms 55:16-17)

When I pray for my friends, I have found praying scripture over them is a perfect foundation. It not only gives me words to pray when I might not know how to articulate my prayer, but it is also powerful. We know the word of God is alive and active. It’s sharper than any two-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12)

As we pray for our friends, we are battling for them in the spiritual realm. And when we pray scripture, we are using the sword of the Spirit, which is a part of our spiritual armor. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

Praying prayers shaped by scripture will change your prayer life and those you are praying for.

What is a good prayer for healing for a friend?

When our friends are in need of healing — physical, spiritual, or emotional — we can turn to scripture for wisdom and guidance on how to pray and what to pray.

These are some of my favorite verses to pray:

Jeremiah 17:14 – “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

Jeremiah 30:17– “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds…”

Isaiah 53:5– “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Proverbs 3:8  – “Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.”

Jeremiah 33:6– “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”

Take time to write these verses out in your Prayer Journal so that you can pray these over your friends who are in need of healing.

How do you pray for a friend going through a hard time?

When a friend is going through a difficult time, we may not fully understand the intricacies of their situation, yet our heart aches knowing their circumstances. Praying for strength, wisdom, and peace are three things I consistently keep in prayer for my friends who are going through a hard time. 

Without the Lord carrying them through and giving them the strength they need, the journey will be far more difficult. As believers, we have the Lord who strengthens us in the middle of our storms.  He gives wisdom and peace which are necessary in order to navigate the harsh waters.

Here are a few verses you can pray over your friends with when they are going through a hard time:

Isaiah 26:3 – You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

1 Chronicles 16:11 – Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Who is Barnabas?

When I think of someone in the Bible who was a great friend (other than Jesus himself), I think of Barnabas.

The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement”. But did you know that was not the name given to him by his parents at birth?

His birth name was Joseph, yet because of how he encouraged all those around him, Barnabas was what the apostles called him. (Acts 4:36) I think that says a great deal about the type of person he was.

He is described in Acts 11:24 as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” This speaks to how he led his life and the impact he had on those he interacted with. What a great example of what a friend should be.

How can you encourage like Barnabas through prayer?

I love that we can encourage our friends through prayer. Prayer is a source of encouragement not only in difficult times but in times of celebration as well.

I have a dear friend that prays “birthday blessings” for her friends on their birthday. What a joy it was for me to receive my Birthday Blessing Prayer from her. It is a gift I will always treasure and inspired me to do the same.

Encouragement through prayer is a ministry. It is incredibly powerful and effective. Just as Barnabas encouraged those in Antioch to remain true to the Lord, we can encourage our friends to do the same in the highs and lows of life.

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Final Thoughts

Friendship is a gift we should always cherish.

Knowing that we can pray for our friends and that they can do the same for us is a treasure. The encouragement we give others through prayer is one that encourages us as well.

Have an open conversation with your friends and ask for prayer just as you assure them you are praying for them regularly. Paul does this in Romans 15:30 and Colossians 4:2-3. He is not shy about asking for prayer. We all need it and can encourage each other through the power of prayer.

Whether our friends are in the middle of a storm or celebrating a joyful milestone, prayer is a valuable gift we can give them.  I consider it a privilege to pray for my friends. It’s an honor to come before the throne of God on their behalf. It’s never time wasted and is vital to living this life fully.

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Sonia Amin is a pharmacist, speaker, and award-winning children’s book author. Check out her newest release When Love Flows: The Beauty of Encouraging Others along with her debut book, Bax and His Bubbles: All About a Kid and His Thoughts.

Website: www.soniaeamin.com

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