How to Pray for a Friend Who Is Ignoring You

Along the way, you may encounter tensions in the church. One example is when a friend in the church seems to be ignoring you. Such things can happen either in the context of the church or outside the church, but whether the friend who is ignoring you is in church or not, our response must be Christlike.

We pray for a friend who is ignoring us by praying for their well-being. It may be that the person has something they’re going through in their life. You can pray for the person’s strength and comfort and that they will be okay. In your prayers, you seek the well-being of the person. 

Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

[1 Peter 3:9]

While it may hurt when a friend seems to be ignoring us, the Bible teaches us to show mercy to them and not repay evil with evil; instead, we should bless them. One way we bless them is by praying for them. 

Here is an example of a prayer for a friend who is ignoring you:

Heavenly Father, You are the God Who sees all our afflictions and the One Who looks after us. I pray that if [name of the person] is going through something, You would give him the strength to persevere through it. Comfort him and give him the grace that he needs. I thank You because You are the One Who cares for his well-being and sustains him. Remind him that he can still live victorious through Christ Who strengthens him. I also pray that You would touch his heart, that he won’t ignore me, and that if something is bothering him, he would share it with me and allow me to carry the burden with him. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do you respond when you are ignored?

Whenever a friend is ignoring us, this is when we can exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, Who is in us and produces that fruit in us. Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we can display love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which are all part of the package, being one fruit. 

We respond to those who ignore us by still loving them. That is what being Christlike is all about. Even if others have hurt us by ignoring us, we still love them, do good to them, and reflect the character of Christ toward them.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

[Galatians 5:22-23]

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

[Matthew 5:46]

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

[Luke 6:27-28]

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

[John 15:12]

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

[Ephesians 4:22-24]

Sometimes you may find it hard to respond in a Christ-like manner when a friend has been ignoring you, but you can succeed because of the Holy Spirit Who is in you. You don’t operate in the flesh but in the Spirit in Christ. The Bible also tells us to keep in step with the Spirit.

What to do when a friend is distancing themselves from you

When a friend ignores us, we sometimes tend to conclude it’s based on what we observe without even asking the person. What we should do, however, is pray and ask the Holy Spirit to impress in our hearts what things we can do to help or minister to the person.

This also shows that if a friend is ignoring us, we should not wait for the friend to come and approach us but take the initiative to talk to them. You don’t know, but a person may be going through something difficult, and he or she is withdrawing from people altogether. Or perhaps he or she may have been busy at work, and there is something at work that bothers him or her a lot. You won’t know unless you ask, and you can’t help unless you know.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

[Galatians 6:2]

As a church, we are called to carry one another’s burdens. One of the ways that we can do that, apart from people sharing their burdens with us, is by asking them how they are doing from time to time. The same thing applies even when it comes to friends who ignore us. Even if a friend continues to ignore you, at least you have told your friend that you are there for them if they need you.

What to say to a friend who is ignoring you

As Christians, we ought to be there for our friends even if they are ignoring us, especially if our friend is our fellow brother or sister in Christ. The Bible tells us that we should rejoice with them if they are rejoicing and weep with them if they are weeping. We are to love one another with brotherly love and build up one another. In other words, we are to be there for them.

One of the ways you can let them know that you are with them is by telling them that there is no pressure to talk to you if they don’t want to, but in case they need you, you are there for them. This is reassuring them that you are there and that they are not alone. 

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another

[Romans 12:10]

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

[Romans 12:15]

And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

[1 Corinthians 12:26]

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

[1 Thessalonians 5:11]

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works

[Hebrews 10:24]

As one body of Christ, if a friend ignores us, we don’t ignore them back. We approach them and talk to them and try to work things out. We fight for our relationship, and if they still ignore us, we will still be there for them. We should consistently remind them that they are not alone because we are there for them as one body of Christ.