When it is said
Pray it for friends you are thankful for, or for a friend who has stood by you.
Its first line also makes a good message to send a friend.
Where it comes from
Author known
A letter from a man in chains
Paul wrote this letter to the Christians of Philippi, a leading city in Macedonia (Philippians 1:1; Acts 16:12). He was in chains as he wrote it (Philippians 1:13). The prayer leaves out two verses in which he tells them “I have you in my heart” and says God knows how much he longs for them all (Philippians 1:7-8).
The King James Version, on eBible.org; The Acts of the Apostles in the King James Version, on eBible.org
Friends who stood by him
The Philippians were generous friends to Paul. When he left Macedonia, theirs was the only church that shared with him in giving and receiving, and while he was in Thessalonica they sent him help more than once (Philippians 4:15-16).
The Scripture in it
I thank my God every time I remember you. In every prayer 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.
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 test and prove 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.
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.
In Greek
Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ μνείᾳ ὑμῶν,
πάντοτε ἐν πάσῃ δεήσει μου ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν μετὰ χαρᾶς τὴν δέησιν ποιούμενος
ἐπὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡμέρας ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν,
πεποιθὼς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἐν ὑμῖν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐπιτελέσει ἄχρις ἡμέρας Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
Καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι, ἵνα ἡ ἀγάπη ὑμῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον περισσεύῃ ἐν ἐπιγνώσει καὶ πάσῃ αἰσθήσει,
εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τὰ διαφέροντα, ἵνα ἦτε εἰλικρινεῖς καὶ ἀπρόσκοποι εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ,
πεπληρωμένοι καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης τῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς δόξαν καὶ ἔπαινον Θεοῦ.
From the Patriarchal Greek text of 1904, on Elpenor (ellopos.net).