A Short Prayer For Friendship

Whether you are still praying to have good and godly friends in your life or you already have existing friendships, it is always good to pray for them. You pray and ask God for good friendships as you seek them, and you also pray that you will continue to have Christ-centered friendships with your existing friends. Our friendships are an essential aspect of our lives. It will influence our Christian walk. Therefore, it is only fitting to pray for them.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I shall always keep Christ as the center of my friendships. I pray that I will be able to keep godly friends and meet new ones who will also stir me up in love and good works for You. May Christ always be Lord over my friendships. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What can I pray for my friendships?

What you pray for your friendships is God’s will upon it. For example, it is written in Proverbs 17:17 that a friend loves at all times and that a brother is born out of adversity. God’s will for our friendships is that we will love each other at all times and be present for each other in times of adversity. Knowing that this is God’s will for our friendships, we then pray that our friendships will always be the kind where everyone will love each other at all times and be present in times of trouble.

Heavenly Father, I pray that my friends and I shall always love each other at all times, no matter the season. I also pray that we aim to be present, be there for each other in times of adversity, and help each other out in love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

You can also pray based on Proverbs 27:17, which says iron sharpens iron. In other words, it is one Christian who sharpens another Christian. That often comes in the form of rebuke, correction, and also encouragement. That is why in Proverbs 27:6, it is written that faithful are the wounds of a friend, but profuse are the kisses of the enemy. Being corrected and rebuked doesn’t always feel good, but it helps us grow in sanctification and Christlikeness. We don’t want friends who will only tell us what we want to hear but also tell us what we need to hear. A friend who only tells us what we want to hear is dangerous and does us no good, even in our Christian walk.

Father in heaven, I pray that my friends and I shall always sharpen one another and help one another in the pursuit of holiness. Give us the heart to receive and love correction, for it is where we grow in wisdom and holiness, becoming more like Your Son Jesus. I pray that we shall not tell each other what we want to hear but the truth that we all need to hear spoken in love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Of course, friendship is not only about correcting and rebuking one another. It is also from our friends that we get encouraged and built up. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, it is written that we are to encourage one another and build each other up. That is also why in Hebrews 10:25, it is written that we are not to neglect meeting one another because it is where we get to stir up one another in love and good works. Fellowship with our friends and fellow believers is critical to a Christian’s life. It is where we get to be ministered to and enlightened as well.

Heavenly Father, I pray that my friends and I will not only rebuke and correct each other but also encourage one another, build each other up, and stir up one another in love and good works. I pray that each of our respective faiths shall be able to encourage others. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Even though you are all Christians in your circle of friends, chances are that you will all end up hurting or offending each other at one point or another. Conflicts will always be an inevitable part of it. However, as Christians, this is where we act differently from the world. If unbelievers would most likely try to retaliate or dispose of the relationship, we, as Christians, respond in love, grace, and forgiveness toward our friends. If we are the one who ends up hurting someone, we humble ourselves and apologize to the person. We don’t see friendships as disposable. We fight for it and seek peace and reconciliation. As written in Proverbs 17:9, he who seeks love covers an offense. We don’t harbor bitterness against our friends.

Father in heaven, I pray that we always respond with love, mercy, and grace whenever someone offends someone in our circle of friends. I pray that we will cover whatever offense has been made to us, seek peace, and never treat our friendships as disposable. Help us to respond like Christ in times of conflict with one another. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Lastly, the best prayer that you can pray for your friendship/s is that it will be a Christ-centered friendship. If Christ is the center of your friendship, the prayer points mentioned above will follow because you want to always have Christ as the center of your relationship. Knowing that Christ Himself also displayed a selfless, sacrificial love toward us, we also display the same love to others. With Christ as our center, we then show our friends the same kind of sacrificial and selfless love. As written in John 15:13, greater love is us laying down our lives for our friends, knowing the love that Christ has also shown us. The love we show toward each other comes from Christ being the center of the friendship.

Heavenly Father, I pray that Christ shall always be the center of my friendships. May the selfless and sacrificial love of Christ always be the driving force behind our selfless and sacrificial love toward each other that we would even lay down our lives for one another. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

In every prayer point mentioned above, we base them on the scriptures as to what God says a godly and healthy friendship should be. Knowing what God’s will is for a friendship, it is then what we ask or pray for the friendship/s that we would like to have or our existing friendships. 

How can I pray for my friendships?

You pray for your friendships by praying that which God wills for it. That is why every prayer point is rooted in the scriptures in the examples we have given above. You can pray for your friendship by going to God’s Word and knowing what God wants for your friendships. As you know what He wants, you can pray that your friendships will be what God wants them to be.

For example, God wants our friendships to stir up one another in love, good works, and the pursuit of holiness as written in Hebrews 10:25 and Hebrews 12:14. Therefore, we pray that our existing friendships will be those that help us to grow in holiness. If we find ourselves not having the kind of godly friends who help us grow in our Christian walk, then we pray to God to give us such godly friends. Below is an example of this prayer:

Heavenly Father, I pray that my friends and I will encourage one another, correct one another, and motivate each other to pursue holiness. I pray that we shall all help each other grow in Christlikeness and be used by the Holy Spirit in our sanctification. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

As you pray for your friendships, remember that it does not have to be longer than usual. If you have observed the examples we had, all of them were direct to the point and praying what God’s will is for a friendship. In Matthew 6:7-8, Jesus teaches us not to heap up empty phrases in our prayers like the Gentiles, thinking that God will hear our prayers because of our many words. God knows what we need even before we ask, and our prayers are heard if we are in Christ.

Godly and real friends can only be found in the context of the church community. If you are not yet a Christian, it is essential to understand what the Gospel is. The Gospel is the good news that Jesus died for your sins so that you may receive eternal life and forgiveness from God. If you believe the Gospel and repent, you, once an enemy of God, become His friend and child. As you follow Christ, you don’t do it alone. You always walk with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ is the One Who unites all people in the church.