You Can Pray For Friends

We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.

“I know a lot of people, and I’m a part of a lot of activities,” Kate admitted to her younger sister Addison one evening when Addison had biked over to see her. “But I don’t have any close friends.”

“But you’re always with people,” Addison responded as they sat together on Kate’s front porch. She knew her older sister was friendly and outgoing.

“I am,” Kate said. “But I’m still lonely. So I’ve asked God for friends. And now I’ve invited a few women from my church to be a part of a book club at my house.”

A few weeks later, Kate told Addison on the phone that all the women she’d invited had agreed to come. Even after only a few meetings, they began to share the good and hard things happening in their lives, cheer one another on, and pray for one another. Kate’s prayer had been answered. “You can ask God for friends too, Addison,” she said, as they were about to finish the call.

Kate’s words resonated with Addison. She asked, “Would you pray with me?”

“Of course!” Kate said.

The next day at school, Addison noticed a new girl walk into her choir class. “Hi, I’m Addison,” she said to the girl. “There’s a chair by me if you want it.”

The girl nodded yes with a grin. As she sat down and they began to chat, Addison felt good that she had taken the advice of her sister to pray for and then actively pursue friends.

You don’t have to wait until you are older to have a group of really good friends. You can ask God to help you find friends, no matter how old or young you are. God loves to answer our prayers, and he does not want us to have to go through life alone. The Bible says that if we ask for anything that pleases him, we can be confident he hears us. Just like Kate, we can pray and then be bold in taking a step of faith to make a new friend.

Things to Think About

• Can you remember a time you were lonely? How did you make a new friend in that time?
• Who around you may be feeling lonely that you could befriend?

DAILY ACT OF FRIENDSHIP

When you feel lonely, pray. Ask God to bring you a good friend. Then be on the lookout for who your new friend could be and start a conversation.