7 Days of Prayers and Scriptures for Biblical Friendships
When I first started college, I desperately wanted to make friends. After being homeschooled for the last six years, I wanted to make friends outside of my family. While I love my family, there is a need for friends, too, and I strived to make friends any way I could. I felt like college was the perfect place.
I made a few good friends in college; however, we don’t really reach out to each other anymore. Life moves on, and people change. Sometimes we lose friends. Many people say that they are still friends with others, no matter the distance or time, yet nobody can argue against the point that friendships have to be cultivated. If a friendship is never cultivated, it will soon die.
This is why it is important to invest in our friendships and spend quality time together. It is not enough to like someone’s post on social media. True friendship goes deeper than this. We were never supposed to communicate with other people only through technology—we need to spend face-to-face time together. Through the next seven days, we will focus on biblical friendship, how we can be better friends to others, and the importance of following Jesus’ example in our friendships.
Day One: A Friend Who Sticks Closer Than a Brother
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).
When we look at the Bible, we see that it has many things to say about friendship. One of these things is that there is a friend who will stick closer than a brother. While we will have many unreliable friends, there will be friends in our lives who will stay by our side. Maybe this is a childhood friend, a sibling, or a partner. Invest more time into this individual and help them to know how much you appreciate their friendship.
If you don’t have anyone like this in your life, turn to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to help you find a friend who sticks closer than a brother. The answer to your prayer might be realized in a sibling, a new friend, or God Himself. Even if we don’t have any true friends at the present moment, we can rest in the knowledge that God is always our friend. He will stick closer than a brother and keep us safe, secure, and steadfast.
Challenge Questions:
Do you have a friend who sticks closer than a brother? If you do, how can you take time to appreciate them this week?
If you don’t have a friend who fits this description, how can you trust God to help you find a real friend?
At the end of the day, God is our greatest friend. How can you praise Him today for His friendship?
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Day Two: Jesus Showed the Greatest Act of Love and Friendship for Us
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
When discussing friendship, we cannot overlook the friendship we have in Jesus. The Lord showed the greatest act of friendship and love by laying down His life. As Jesus says, there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends.
In our own friendships, we need to mirror this same type of love. Instead of being indifferent or uncaring, we need to extend love, mercy, and compassion in our interactions with our friends. Our friends should know they are valued by us just as we are valued by the Lord. If we are going to truly follow Jesus’ example in everything we do, then we are going to have to follow His example in friendship. While Jesus doesn’t call us to die for our friends, He does want us to love them and be willing to do everything to help them.
Challenge Questions:
Do you think you would lay down your life for your friends? Why or why not?
Jesus is our greatest Friend. How have you seen His friendship in your own life?
How can you follow Jesus’ example when it comes to your own friendships?
Day Three: The Importance of Building Our Friends Up
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
If we are going to be good friends to others, we must be intentional about building them up. All of us have had “friends” who have torn us down or intentionally hurt our feelings. These types of “friends” are fake friends who don't truly care about us. We need to make sure we are not fake friends to others, and the best way to do this is to build them up in the Lord.
If a friend is having a difficult time at school, work, or life in general, we need to build them up and help them feel that they are loved, known, and cared for. It might be hard for them to believe this, but the more we build them up, the more they will feel confident in themselves. In the same way, if a friend has been struggling with their faith in Jesus, we can also help build them up, point them to Jesus, and pray for them. Building others up is a blessing because it helps the friendship relationship grow deeper, as well as their relationship with the Lord.
Challenge Questions:
Have you built up your friends before? How so?
Has a friend ever built you up? How did that make you feel?
What are a few ways you can build up your friends this week?
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Day Four: A True Friend Loves at All Times
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).
True friends love at all times. Even during times of sickness, stress, or worries, a true friend will still love us. As Proverbs 17:17 tells us, a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Whenever we have a friend who belongs to the family of God, they will be the one who stands with us and loves us at all times. They won't shrink away when times get hard, nor will they leave us without help when we are in need. In our own lives, we need to be thankful for friends such as these because they are truly closer than family. We cannot choose our family, but we can choose our friends.
Challenge Questions:
Do you have a friend who loves at all times? If you do, what is that like?
What do you think it means when Proverbs 17:17 says, “A brother is born for a time of adversity?”
How can you be a friend who loves at all times?
Day Five: Be Careful of Who You Befriend
“Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared” (Proverbs 22:24-25).
As mentioned above, we can choose our friends; however, we must be careful with whom we befriend. Our friends have the ability to either cause our downfall or help us to grow into better followers of the Lord. As Proverbs 22:24-25 tells us, we do not need to make friends with a hot-tempered person because we will quickly pick up their ways. In time, we will also become hot-tempered.
This is because who we befriend will influence us. If we are around angry people, we will soon become angry ourselves. Rather than befriending people who are easily angered, we need to befriend people who are kind, caring, and love the Lord. Their kindness, caring nature, and love for the Lord will influence us and help us to become better followers of Jesus. When you are choosing your friends, make sure you really get to know them and stay away from anyone who could lead you into sin.
Challenge Questions:
Are you a friend to anyone who is hot-tempered? If so, have you seen their own anger rub off on you?
Do you have any friends who are good influences? How have you seen them positively impact your life?
Lastly, as an individual, do you think you are a hot-tempered person? If so, what do you think you can do to turn away from being angry?
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Day Six: Two Are Better Than One
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
While many people like to claim they are a “lone wolf,” all of us need friends. God didn't create us to walk through this life alone. Friends are a beautiful gift from the Lord, and we must not take them for granted. As Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 tells us, two are better than one because they have a good return for their work, and if one falls down, the other can help pick them up. Unfortunately, if a person is by themselves and they fall down, there will be nobody to help them up.
This is why we need to prioritize friendships. They can literally and figuratively help pick us up. Whenever we are struggling or feeling discouraged, our friends can pick us back up again and point us to Jesus. This is a beautiful blessing and one we should start including in our lives. If you don't currently have a friend like this, turn to the Lord in prayer, and He will guide you to true friends.
Challenge Questions:
Two is better than one. How have you seen this to be true in your own life?
Have you ever “fallen” and there was nobody to help you? How did you feel?
It is better to be with someone rather than alone. What are some steps you can take this week to make time to spend with friends?
Day Seven: Choosing Friendship with God Rather Than the World
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
For our final day, we are focusing on the importance of choosing friendship with God rather than friendship with the world. As Jesus’ half-brother says, friendship with the world means enmity against God. We need to think over this and truly ask ourselves: “Am I a friend of the world or a friend of God?”
By answering this question honestly, we can start taking the right steps to become friends with God rather than the world. The world doesn't want what is best for us. It will only cause problems and tempt us into sin. Rather than following after the world and seeking the approval of sinful mankind, we need to choose to be friends with God. He is our best friend and the One we can always turn to, no matter what.
Challenge Questions:
Are you a friend to the world or to God?
If you find that you are a friend to the world rather than God, how can you change this?
If you find that you are a friend to God rather than the world, how can you cultivate this friendship?
Prayer: “Dear Jesus, please help me to be a friend to all people and to truly cultivate my friendship with them. Please also help me to mirror Your love and heart for others. Lastly, I want to thank You, Jesus, for being my best friend and always loving me. In Your Name, I pray, Amen.”
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Finn Hafemann
Originally published February 24, 2025.
