It is so powerful to have people in our lives who help us to be the best versions of ourselves. It may seem like having people we care about and who also care about us is something everyone has and is often taken for granted. We expect there to be people to cheer us on, to join in our experiences, to live life with. What we don’t often consider is that God places people in our lives for His purpose. God designed us for relationships and friendship.

God blesses us with the people in our lives (yes, even the people who don’t necessarily feel like a blessing). Everyone in our lives is exactly where they are for a reason; to learn from, to teach, to be an example, to love, to be loved, to humble. No one is in your life by accident. God has a way of aligning people’s paths in exactly the right way we need at exactly the right time we need it.

In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul expresses a beautiful prayer that reminds us to be thankful for the friendship God blesses us with.

‘I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ‘

Ephesians 1:16-18

Have you thanked God for all of the people God has placed in your path, and for placing you in their path as well? Do you pray over them, that they may know God better, and do you strive to shine the light of Christ in their lives? When was the last time you orayed over friendship?

We are called to a divine purpose to be the light in the lives of others. Praying for our friends and for our role in their lives is so important and is part of the incredible responsibility and honor God has blessed us with. Even the people in our lives that we struggle to love, struggle to make peace with, struggle to understand why they are in our path, we should never miss an opportunity to thank God for them and pray over them as well.

A grateful heart has the power to change, soften, and warm a heart. When we allow our hearts to be softened we open ourselves up to His blessings and miracles even more. When we pray for God to work in someone else’s heart, never forget that we may be the tool God uses. Allow God to use you for His divine purpose, no matter what that may mean. Allow God to shine through you in the lives of your friends and family. Above all else, never cease to thank God for choosing you for His divine purpose, and for the people He has put in your life.