You Were Told Not to Judge.

Matthew 7:5

Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching the crowds and His disciples not to judge others hypocritically (Matthew 7:1-5).

Lord, I have used Your words to stay silent, and I have had Your words used to silence me. You never told me to stop seeing. You told me what to take out of my own eye first. Give me the honesty to start there, and the courage not to stop there. Make me someone who can be trusted with what I see. Amen.

Jesus said this in the Sermon on the Mount, teaching the crowds and His disciples not to judge others hypocritically (Matthew 7:1-5).

The Scripture

“You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
— Matthew 7:5

Prayer points from Matthew 7:5

Thank Jesus that He tells you what to do with what you see, not simply to stop seeing.
Confess the beam in your own eye, the fault you excuse in yourself while you notice it in others.
Name a time these words were used to silence you, and bring that hurt honestly to Him.
Ask for the honesty to deal with your own wrong first, and the courage not to stop there.
Ask Him to make you someone who sees clearly enough to help, gently and without self-righteousness.
Pray by name for someone whose fault you have seen, asking for their good before you say a word to them.

About this verse

"Do not judge" may be the most quoted line Jesus ever spoke, and often it is quoted to end a conversation. In the Sermon on the Mount it begins a longer teaching. Jesus warns that your measure will be used on you, then paints an absurd picture: a man with a beam in his own eye offering to pick a speck out of his brother's. His instruction is not to stop looking: "First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." The order is first you, then your brother, and the point is to see clearly enough to help. A few verses later He tells His hearers to recognize false prophets by their fruit, which requires discernment. So this passage cuts two ways. It forbids the harsh, self-exempting judgment that sees everyone's faults but your own. And it was never meant to silence someone who has seen something real. If these words have been used to keep you quiet, or you have hidden behind them, they ask for honesty first and then courage.

When to pray this prayer

When someone says "don't judge" to shut down a concern you have
Before you confront a friend or family member about something serious
When you've been told to stay quiet about harm in your church or family
When you catch yourself criticizing others for faults you also have
When you're not sure whether you're being discerning or judgmental
When you want to be someone people can trust with the truth

More prayers for strength & courage

Did this help you pray today?

Stay a little longer with Scripture

Watch the Bible word for word, or rest with a painting of Jesus, piece by piece.

Bible MoviesWhole Bible chapters as films, word for word→

Bible JigsawPaintings of Jesus to piece together, each with a verse→

No app? Watch a chapter here · Play a jigsaw here

More prayers for Strength & Courage →

Every prayer here is also a short podcast episode: follow A Short Prayer on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and new prayers come to you.

The whole prayer library

✶ · Our Bible Moments