A Prayer About Neighbors

A prayer about Neighbors - Looking to help

ALMIGHTY GOD,

You want your people to represent you in the world, telling others the Good News about Christ, serving in your name, and meeting needs. And this happens person to person. Yet I admit I don’t know much about those who live near me: next door, across the street, around the corner. I see them occasionally, and we exchange greetings, but that’s about it. All of us, me included, keep to ourselves, driving into the garage, closing the door, and going inside. We don’t know one another. We live privately, not in community. So I have not been an effective representative for you. I want to be a good neighbor, willingly helping and not worrying about their noise, yard, cars, and kids—the usual areas of conflict. Give me opportunities for conversations, to build friendships with them. And when I hear of a need, motivate me to respond immediately and enthusiastically. If I am truly serious about wanting people to know you, reaching out must begin where I live, right in my neighborhood.

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you. Proverbs 3:27-29