Praying In Anger

I have a question concerning my sister. She used to be a very strong Christian and held firm in her faith and would share it with anyone. Since getting a divorce she has fallen away from the church and pulled her children out as well. How do I pray for her in a way that is glorifying to God when I cannot seem to get control of my anger and hurt towards her?

Q. Thank you for your website and all of the tools that you give people to help grow in the Lord.

I have a question concerning my sister. She used to be a very strong Christian and held firm in her faith and would share it with anyone. Since getting a divorce she has fallen away from the church and pulled her children out as well. She has gotten into a bad relationship that helped this along and is also pulling her away from the family. I pray for her continually but sometimes I wonder if God hears my prayers due to the anger that I have inside towards her. I am tired of seeing her hurt the family and her children while turning her back on God. I have also prayed about the anger that I have toward her. How do I pray for her in a way that is glorifying to God when I cannot seem to get control of my anger and hurt towards her? I don’t know if any of this makes sense but thank you for any help you can give.

A. You’ve answered your own question. You can’t pray for your sister while you’re still angry with her. In Matt. 18:21-35 the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant makes it clear that the Lord forgave you when you were still a sinner. And it wasn’t just a little thing, it was for everything. So you must now forgive your sister from your heart just as He forgave you, and do whatever is in your power to reconcile with her. Then you can be an effective prayer warrior on her behalf.

Ephesians 4:26-27 admonishes us not to let the sun go down on our anger, because it gives the devil a foothold in our heart. Footholds become strongholds. Ask for the Lord’s help in doing this, and He will empower you.