Scripture — Proverbs 27:17 KJV
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
Welcome back to 31 Days of Prayer for Estranged Family and Friends—a journey of surrender, healing, forgiveness, and restoration.
Yesterday, we prayed:
“Father, soften our hearts.”
We asked God to remove the stony places and make both our hearts receptive to His truth, His healing, and His direction.
Today we’re going to pray about the people surrounding the person we love.
Proverbs 27:17 says:
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
Relationships influence us.
The people we spend time with can encourage us toward wisdom—or away from it.
So today we’re going to pray:
“Father, send wise people into their life.”
Not people who will take our side.
Not people who will argue our case.
But people who will point them toward God, truth, wisdom, and what is good.
God May Use Someone Else
This can be a difficult prayer when someone is estranged from us.
Because sometimes we think:
“If they would just listen to me.”
Maybe we’ve tried to give advice.
We’ve shared Scripture.
We’ve explained our concerns.
We’ve tried to help them see something differently.
And they simply aren’t receiving it from us.
That can hurt.
But perhaps God can send someone else.
Someone whose voice they are able to hear in this season.
A friend.
A pastor.
A mentor.
A teacher.
A coworker.
A neighbor.
Maybe even someone we will never meet.
And here’s the humbling part:
God doesn’t need us to be the messenger in order to answer our prayer.
Sometimes loving someone means being willing to step out of the way and pray:
“Father, if they cannot hear this from me, send someone they can hear.”
Pray for Wise People, Not People Who Agree With You
There’s an important distinction here.
We’re not praying:
“God, send someone who will convince them that I’m right.”
We’re praying:
“God, send someone who will encourage them toward what is right.”
Those aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Remember Day 18?
We prayed for truth.
We asked God to reveal truth to both of us.
So when we pray for wise people today, we aren’t asking God to recruit people to our side of the conflict.
We’re asking Him to surround the person we love with people who will encourage:
Truth.
Wisdom.
Integrity.
Humility.
Faith.
Good decisions.
And a closer relationship with God.
Maybe a wise friend will encourage reconciliation.
Maybe they’ll encourage a healthy boundary.
Maybe they’ll help our loved one recognize something they need to change.
Or perhaps they’ll help them heal from something we never understood.
We leave that part with God.
The People Around Us Shape Us
Proverbs gives us this beautiful image:
“Iron sharpeneth iron.”
Sharpening happens through contact.
And the people around us affect us in much the same way.
Some relationships strengthen our character.
They challenge us when we’re wrong.
They encourage us when we’re discouraged.
They tell us the truth even when it isn’t comfortable.
They remind us of God when we’ve lost perspective.
Those are precious relationships.
And that’s what we’re asking God to provide for the person we’re praying for.
Not simply companions.
Wise companions.
People who don’t feed bitterness.
People who don’t encourage division for entertainment.
People who don’t exploit wounds.
People who won’t simply tell someone whatever they want to hear.
But people who can lovingly say:
“Have you prayed about this?”
“Maybe there’s another way to look at it.”
“Have you considered forgiving?”
“What would honor God here?”
Those kinds of voices can be gifts from God.
Pray the Same Thing for Yourself
But once again, we don’t want today’s prayer to apply only to them.
We need wise people too.
Ask yourself:
Who am I allowing to speak into this situation?
Are the people I confide in helping me become more peaceful?
More humble?
More forgiving?
More discerning?
Closer to God?
Or do I leave those conversations angrier than I was before?
A good friend doesn’t simply agree with everything we say.
Sometimes a good friend loves us enough to say:
“I think you need to pray about that.”
Or even:
“I think you may be wrong here.”
That’s iron sharpening iron.
So today we pray:
“Father, send wise people to them—and surround me with wise people too.”
Returning to Our Garden
Let’s come back to our echinacea and mustard.
The echinacea reminds us of healing.
The mustard reminds us of faith.
But think about the garden itself.
Plants don’t grow completely alone.
There’s an entire community around them.
Pollinators visit.
Worms improve the soil.
Beneficial insects help protect the plants.
Some plants even grow better when planted near certain companions.
A healthy garden is full of relationships that support life.
Maybe our prayer today is a little like asking God for good companion planting in someone’s life.
“Father, place the right people around them.”
People who strengthen rather than weaken.
People who encourage healthy growth.
People who point them toward the Light.
Today’s Action — Pray for Someone You May Never Meet
Take out your journal and write:
“Father, send wise people into __________’s life.”
Then pray specifically:
Send someone who encourages their relationship with You.
Send someone who speaks truth with love.
Send someone who encourages wise decisions.
Send someone who doesn’t feed bitterness or division.
Send someone who will lovingly challenge them when necessary.
Then write one more sentence:
“Father, I don’t have to be the person You use.”
Sit with that for a moment.
Because that may be today’s greatest act of surrender.
Today’s Prayer
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father,
Your Word says:
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
Today I bring __________ before You.
Father, surround them with wise people.
Bring godly influences into their life.
Give them friends who encourage truth.
Friends who encourage wisdom.
Friends who strengthen their faith.
Friends who will pray for them.
Friends who will speak honestly and lovingly.
If they are making an unwise decision, place someone near them who has the courage and compassion to speak truth.
If they are discouraged, send someone who will encourage them.
If they are confused, send someone with wisdom.
If they are lonely, provide healthy companionship.
If they are struggling spiritually, place someone in their path who gently points them toward You.
And Father, protect them from influences that would exploit their wounds, deepen bitterness, encourage deception, or draw them away from what is good.
Give __________ discernment to recognize the difference.
But Father…
help me release my need to be the messenger.
If there’s something I’ve desperately wanted them to understand, but they cannot receive it from me right now, I surrender that.
You can send someone else.
You can speak through someone I don’t know.
You can use a conversation I will never hear.
You can work completely outside of my view.
And I don’t need credit for any of it.
I simply want what is good for them.
Father, surround me with wise people too.
Give me friends who won’t simply tell me what I want to hear.
Give me people who will encourage me toward truth, humility, forgiveness, wisdom, and a deeper relationship with You.
Help me recognize godly counsel when You send it.
And give me enough humility to receive correction when I need it.
Father, You know exactly who each of us needs during this season.
So arrange the relationships I cannot arrange.
Open the conversations I cannot create.
And use people I may never meet to accomplish purposes I may never see.
Give me faith—even if it is only the size of a mustard seed—to trust that You are capable of surrounding the person I love with exactly the voices they need.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Before we finish today, look once more at our garden.
The echinacea reminds us to pray for healing.
The mustard reminds us to walk by faith.
And today, the whole garden reminds us:
Healthy things often grow in community.
We don’t have to be the only person watering.
We don’t have to be the only person speaking.
And we certainly don’t have to be the person who changes someone’s mind.
Maybe somewhere today, God is preparing a conversation you know nothing about.
Maybe He’s placing a wise friend in someone’s path.
Maybe He’s using another believer to plant a seed you couldn’t plant.
You don’t have to orchestrate it.
Just pray:
“Father, send the right people.”
And be willing to let God choose who those people are.
Plant the prayer. Tend your heart. Pray for wise companions. Release the need to be the messenger. And trust God with the growth.
And as always,
may your roots grow deep and your spirit stay nourished.
God bless you, and I’ll see you tomorrow.
