Some days the hardest prayer is for the person we’d rather not think about. A coworker who talks over you. A relative who always has a comment. A neighbor, a driver, a voice online.

Here’s a simple way to pray for them. It takes about a minute.

Maybe you can already picture the face. First, say their name, out loud or in your head. Second, ask for one good thing for them, in a single plain sentence. Third, ask for patience for yourself. That’s it. Keep it small and honest. If all you can manage is “God, bless them,” that counts. If your honest sentence is “I don’t know what to say about this person,” pray that.

Why bother?

Jesus spoke about this directly:

“Despitefully” is an old word meaning spitefully. Jesus isn’t saying it doesn’t hurt. He’s saying that praying for such a person is part of his way.

There’s a reason underneath it. The first chapter of the Bible says God made people in his own image (Genesis 1:27). It doesn’t say that only about the people we like. It says it about everyone.

So when you pray for a person who is hard to be patient with, you’re praying for someone God made with care. You may find that it doesn’t change them right away. It sometimes changes how you carry the moment.

A word of honesty. Praying for someone doesn’t mean what they did was fine. It doesn’t mean you have to stay close, or stay quiet if something needs to be said. It’s a way of not letting resentment run the rest of your day, and of remembering that the other person has a story you can’t see.

For today

Try this today Pick one person who has tested your patience this week. Pray the three steps once today: their name, one good thing for them, and patience for you. You might try it again tonight if they come to mind.

If you’re not sure you believe prayer does anything, that’s okay. You can start with a wish for their good and see what it does to you.

Know someone who’d like a short, warm letter each weekday? Send this to them.

Who might you pray for today? Tell me, or send your own prayer request. Just hit reply.

Nathan Ellsworth
The Faith Letter