A Prayer When You Have a Difficult Family Member - Your Daily Prayer - February 1
A Prayer When You Have a Difficult Family Member
By Vivian Bricker
Read or Listen Below:
Bible Reading: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” - 1 Peter 3:9
Most of us have at least one difficult family member, who usually has a way of getting under our skin and causing us unneeded stress. Throughout my entire life, my oldest sister has caused me numerous problems. I’m the youngest of three girls, yet for some reason, my parents always took the side of their eldest daughter rather than their middle or youngest daughters. Even with clear signs of abuse, my parents were always on her side rather than my other sister’s side and my own side.
My eldest sister utilizes the victim mentality and never takes responsibility for her own actions. My dad accommodates her and even endorses her restrictive eating behaviors within her eating disorder. There have been many times in my life when she would not eat food for months. How she survives this, I have no idea, but all I can imagine is that God is giving her chances to repent and to come to know Him. While mental illnesses are not sins, they can cause us to do sinful things.
While I may never have a helpful or constructive family, I can pray for them. Specifically, I can pray for my sister and ask the Lord to help her. I have been doing this for many years. All I can do is to continue to pray for her and patiently wait on the Lord. Maybe you are also going through something similar, and you have a difficult family member. Choose to pray for them rather than get angry with them.
Even if our family members have done much evil to us, we cannot repay their evil with evil. Instead, we must repay their evil with kindness and blessing. The Apostle Peter tells us, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). As followers of God, we need to follow this guideline and be kind even to those who are mean to us.
Family members shouldn’t be mean to us, yet they can often be the cruelest people to us. If you have a difficult family member, try to follow 1 Peter 3:9 and avoid returning evil with evil. Be kind, caring, and loving toward them even when they are hateful. We cannot control their actions, but we can control our own. With this in mind, we need to glorify God in our actions and be kind even to the people who have hurt us the most.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord, I have a difficult family member who causes problems for me every day. Please help me to not be angry or irritable with them. I don’t want to return evil with evil. Help me to repay their evil with blessing for this is what You have called me to do. Direct my steps and give me comfort. In Your Name, I pray, Lord, amen.
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Related Resource: Let God Reframe Your Year: A Psalm 107 Year-End Reflection
As we wrap up our year together, I want to invite you into this meaningful spiritual practice: looking back on the year through the lens of Psalm 107 to identify the “fingerprints of God’s faithfulness. In this episode, we'll walk through four redemptive storylines found in Psalm 107—each representing a way God rescues, restores, and reorients His people. Whether you felt lost, trapped, wounded, self-destructive, or overwhelmed by storms, I encourage you to reflect on how God met you in weakness and brought deliverance. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
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