1. Listen to what your friends do and don’t say.
Many times your friends won’t ask you to pray about the things they’re going through. But you may be able to tell when something is bothering them. Do they seem anxious? Pray that God brings them peace. Do they seem tired? Pray that God gives them rest.

Even without knowing the details, you’ll often sense when your friends need extra help, and that’s when prayer is your tool. Be attentive and observant, noting that look of exhaustion or that your friend has an upcoming test on Friday.

2. Pray with them, not just for them.
It’s easy to say, “I’ll pray for you” when a friend tells you her parents are fighting a lot or she’s battling depression. It’s also easy to completely forget that promise, so pray right then. Your friend will be more encouraged than if you had just prayed for her on your own.

You won’t always have the time or opportunity to do this, but even if you pray for her as you walk away from the situation, “God, You know what’s going on; please take care of my friend’s need,” the request won’t just fall into the forgotten prayer request file in the back of your mind.

3. Ask how you can pray.
Write down your friends’ requests. Return to the list and check off the requests God answers. Even if you don’t look at the list again, the act of writing down the person’s name and request will increase your chances of remembering to pray for her later.

4. Keep praying.
Don’t just mention your friends to God once or twice; keep praying for them. The Bible says that the fervent, or devoted, prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16). If you don’t see results right away, don’t give up. And while you’re at it, be sincere. Don’t just gloss over the person’s name, but take the time to tell God what He already knows is going on but wants to hear from you.

5. Use Scripture.
As you read and study God’s Word, how does He want you to use what you’re reading about in your prayer life? First Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Maybe your friend Amy is stressing about Friday’s algebra test. Use 1 Peter 5:7 in your prayer about Amy, “God, You say to cast all our anxiety on You. My friend Amy is really worried about our upcoming algebra test. Help her to give You every anxious feeling and thought. Give her Your peace. Amen.”

Check out these verses and see how you can use them in praying for your friends: Matthew 11:28; Philippians 4:7; Hebrews 4:15; James 4:7; and 1 John 4:4.

These verses give us reason to believe that God will hear and answer our requests, He cares about our friends’ needs, and He has the power to meet them.

6. Live like you believe God will answer.
It’s easy to pray as though your words don’t really connect with reality and you’re just listing off things you want to happen but don’t actually expect to see. Remember that you’re talking to an all-powerful God, who spoke the world into existence and parted the Red Sea for His people to walk across on dry land. He has healed lepers, the blind, the mute and deaf, the crippled and people with all kinds of diseases.

If you’re going to ask God to do things, you have to believe that He can. At the same time, make sure you ultimately pray for God’s will to be done.

7. Recognize God’s answers.
When you’ve been praying for God to deliver your friend from some stressful situation, and He does, make sure you thank Him for His faithfulness. In fact, make sure you thank Him in front of your friend, giving glory to God because He is worthy of our praises and gratitude.

8. Just do it.
Now that you know a little more about praying for your friends, the final word of advice is to just do it. The best way to move beyond good intentions is to start talking to God about your friends’ needs.