Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
Are you searching for how to accept others? Needing a prayer to help you accept other people?
Any of these seven direct prayers for accepting others will be helpful to you as you seek to understand the people around you. And trying to understand someone else is the key to accepting that person as they are.
You can choose which prayer fits the situation you are facing. You can also modify each prayer specifically for the specific context you are in currently.
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 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 3.8-9, NIV).
As we seek to understand and accept other people, we can help ourselves as we remember that we are not alone in our journey of relating to the people around us. Not only is God with us, God is for us!
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8.31, NIV).
May you be open to the Holy Spirit as you pray these prayers to understand and accept other people.
Prayer To Accept Others At Work
Lord Jesus, I want to do a better job of accepting other people at my workplace. I feel like I get so focused on the tasks I have to do, or the deadlines that weigh heavy on me, that I ignore my co-workers. I probably come across as aloof or distant, I guess.
Help me to take small steps each day to be more open to the people in my work area. I pray I can look them in the eye and say hello and engage in some small talk. Help me to accept them as they are, and not think that I am better than they are. I need a more understanding and humble outlook toward people. I pray this in the name of Christ, Amen.
Prayer To Accept Others At School
Dear God in heaven, I am going to a new school and there will be so many different people. They are from different backgrounds and different schools, all coming together in the new place. I’m a little nervous about all of this, but I want to be accepting of the new people I will meet.
Help me, Lord, to get to know people in my classes and the new teachers. Help me to accept them at face value and not make snap judgments. They may very well be nervous about the situation like I am. I want to be a positive influence in the school. I also want to make new friends but I don’t want to be held back by my fears.
I pray that you guide me with the words I need to speak and help me deepen my understanding of the people I will encounter. I want this school year to go well. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer To Accept Others At Church
Lord God, there are people at our church that I disagree with. They seem to have a different view on certain scriptures than I do and it’s causing conflict in our interactions at church. I think I’m right and they believe they are right.
I want to accept them as fellow believers and followers of Jesus Christ, but I am looking at obstacles and not open doors. I’ve gone to my pastor and he suggested that we have a class discussion on the scriptures in question. He suggested that each side takes the other side’s view. I’m open to this because I don’t like how I feel when I can’t accept other people with the grace of Jesus.
I’ve been accepted as I am and I need to accept others in the same way. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. Please help me to understand what I’m missing. I want to be accepting of people at church and I need your help. I ask for your help in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Understand People Who Look Different Than Me
Lord, I am realizing that I don’t really understand people who don’t look like I do. I am seeing that it is a problem. I don’t like that I don’t understand, nor do I like that I tend to think of myself as better than them. Just the fact that I view this as me-them is a problem.
I believe that your Spirit, the Counselor, has brought me to this point of truth and realization. So, I also believe that you will help me walk this out. I believe that you want me to change and will help me to change for the better. I pray that you will do this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer To Understand People Who Vote Different Than Me
God, I really need your help. It is getting harder and harder to deal with people I know who vote differently than I do. They are a part of one political party and I am part of another political party. The way things are going in our society, it’s like we can’t be friends anymore. It’s as if because we vote for different candidates, it’s been mandated that we have to hate each other.
I don’t want to accept that. I want us to be able to talk and discuss things, and not avoid each other. Maybe we just decide not to talk about anything political, which could be difficult. I just know that right now, I don’t really understand where they are coming from in their views or why they vote for what they vote for.
It makes no sense to me, but I want to try and at least understand their viewpoint, even if I disagree with it. Help me to do this, because I have no idea how to do it on my own. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Source of all Truth and Love, Amen.
Prayer To Understand My Biases
Lord God, I have been confronted by a very good friend about some of my biases. I accept his insights and yet I am struggling with hearing what he said. I didn’t know that I had these blind spots in my life and in how I view people. I didn’t know that I treat people differently because they are different than me in some way.
I’ve been humbled and brought face to face with a weakness in my personality. I want to change for the better. I am just now realizing that I have a lot of internal work to do in the near future. I know that by your grace I can do it. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind and I pray your Spirit fill me with guidance and truth.
Please help me walk this change out in the right way. I don’t want to rush it or take shortcuts because I want the acceptance and changing of my biases to be deep and lasting. Now that I am aware that I have them, I can’t continue to ignore them. I have to own them and do the work to grow and mature.
I pray that you will help me do all of this by your mercy, and in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer To Get To Know My Neighbors
Dear God, there are some new neighbors who have moved in next to us and I want to try and get to know them better. They have different schedules than we do, so it’s been hard to find a time to go over there.
We are excited to have a new family to be next door and we’d like to start off on the right foot with them. Help us to pick a good time and make a good impression with them. Whether they end up as really good friends or just good acquaintances we have as neighbors, I pray that we can be messengers of your love and grace to them.
I ask for you to help us as we talk with them and for your Spirit to shine through. I pray all of this in the loving name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Consider This
We all need to be aware that we have a bias or two. Once we are aware, we can begin to educate ourselves and learn about the other person. And then we can begin to grow in our own self, and in our acceptance of other people.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3.12-14, NIV).
While it can be a challenge to realize that we may not accept other people, or truly understand them, we can grab hold of the humility needed to understand that other people don’t understand us either. We can accept that, just as God has extended grace to us, so should we extend that grace to others around us.
Share with us your journey below in the comments section.