It's a beautiful thing to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Here are five things to pray for a Christian friend, all based on 1 John 3 v 11-22. Why not print this list out and keep it with your Bible?
Almighty Father, please give this friend…
1. Outward-looking love
“We should love one another” (v 11).
Give thanks for this brother or sister in Christ, and for the love you have for each other. Then pray for your friend’s relationships with other Christians in their church; that they would be filled with love for all God’s people, and not just their close friends or the people they naturally click with. Ask that God would make your friend more and more loving.
2. A Willingness to suffer
“Do not be surprised … if the world hates you” (v 13).
Think through some of the ways and situations in which your brother or sister is facing hostility for their faith: perhaps it’s a colleague who likes to pick a fight, or a family member who makes them the butt of every joke. Pray that your friend would always be willing to be hated by the world, just as the Lord Jesus was.
3. Sacrificial love
“Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters” (v 16).
Praise God that Jesus was willing to lay down his life for us. Pray for yourself, that you would lay down your life for this friend; not out of selfish motives, but as an overflow of Christ’s love. Prayerfully think about some sacrificial, practical ways in which you could do this.
4. Rest in grace
“We set our hearts at rest in his presence” (v 19).
Even when we know the doctrine of grace, often we still fall into the trap of trying to earn God’s favor or forgiveness through our own effort. Pray that this friend would stop striving and rest in God’s presence.
5. Confidence in prayer
“We have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask” (v 21-22).
Thank God that we can approach him confidently in prayer. Pray that your friend would regularly make time to pray confidently and listen humbly to God through his word. What concern is your friend praying for at the moment? Join them in praying for that thing now. Has your friend recently been disappointed by God’s response to their prayers? Pray for faithful persistence and eyes that are always keen to see God at work.
For more prayer ideas, take a look at 5 things to pray for the people you love and 5 things to pray for your church.
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Rachel Jones is the author of A Brief Theology of Periods (Yes, Really), Is This It? and several books in the award-winning Five Things to Pray series, and serves as Women's Ministry Lead at King's Church Chessington, in Surrey, UK.
