To pray for the people you mentor, follow Paul’s example in Philippians 1. Thank God for them with joy, pray with confidence that he will finish the work he started in them, and ask him to grow their love, knowledge, and discernment so their lives bear fruit. Praying this way keeps you dependent on God and keeps your mentoring focused on Jesus.

Start With Joyful Thanks

Discipleship is simply helping someone know God’s truth in love and live it out. Whether you’re a parent, a small group leader, or a mentor meeting one-on-one, the people you’re investing in need more than good advice. They need God to work in them, and that’s why prayer is the most important thing you’ll ever do for them.

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi from prison, and his letter overflows with affection for the people he had led to Christ. Before he asked God for anything on their behalf, he gave thanks.

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It’s easy to treat prayer like a hospital list, where we only mention people when they’re sick or struggling. Paul shows a better way. Thank God by name for the people you mentor. Celebrate their growth, their honest questions, and even their small steps of obedience. Gratitude reshapes the way you see them, and it reminds you that they’re God’s work before they’re ever your project.

Pray With Confidence

Mentoring can be discouraging. People miss meetings, fall back into old habits, or seem to stall out spiritually. That’s why Paul’s confidence matters so much: God started this work, and he intends to finish it. Your role is to keep showing up and praying, trusting that the outcome rests on his faithfulness, not your skill.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Pray for the people you mentor with that same assurance. Ask God to keep shaping them, to protect them from temptation, and to help them stay faithful when life gets hard. When you’re tempted to give up on someone, let these words remind you who is really doing the heavy lifting.

It also helps to make your prayers practical. Keep a short list of the people you mentor, jot down what’s happening in their lives, and let them know you’re praying. A quick text that says “I prayed for you today” can encourage someone more than anything you say in a meeting.

Pray for Love, Knowledge, and Fruit

Paul didn’t just pray in general terms. He asked for specific things, and his request gives mentors a simple pattern to follow week after week.

Philippians 1:9-11 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

First, pray that their love would grow, both for God and for the people around them. Second, pray that their love would be guided by knowledge and insight, so they understand God’s truth and can discern what is best in real-life decisions. Third, pray that they would bear the fruit of righteousness that comes only through Jesus. Love, truth, and a changed life: that’s the full circle of discipleship, and it’s worth praying for every week.

If you aren’t mentoring anyone right now, start by asking God to bring someone into your life you can walk alongside. Jesus told his followers to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers, and he loves to answer that prayer.

The Takeaway

When you pray for the people you mentor, give thanks with joy, pray with confidence in God’s faithfulness, and ask him to grow their love, knowledge, and fruit. Praying Philippians 1 over the people you lead keeps your mentoring dependent on God and pointed toward Jesus.

Discuss and Dive Deeper

Talk about it:

  1. Read “The Takeaway” above as a group. What are your initial thoughts about the article?
  2. Who is someone who mentored or coached you growing up, and what’s one thing they taught you?
  3. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your prayer life for the people you lead? Who do you usually pray for, and how?
  4. Read Philippians 1:3-8. What stands out to you about the way Paul felt about the people he discipled?
  5. When have you felt discouraged about someone’s spiritual growth, and how could praying with confidence change your perspective?
  6. Look again at Paul’s prayer for love, knowledge, and fruit. Which of these do the people you mentor need most right now, and why?
  7. Read Matthew 9:37-38. Who in your life could you begin to disciple or mentor, and what’s one step you could take this week?

See also:

Print Friendly, PDF & Email