Dear Lord, thank You that You know my child deeply and intimately. You formed her innermost being(Psalm 139), including what brings her joy and will make her thrive. All of her days, including those spent in marriage and raising a family, were laid out before You before she took her first breath, and You have promised that Your plans for her are good (Jeremiah 29:11).
Thank You for being so loving, and attentive and true. You know all, see all, and hold all things—my daughter's life included—in the palm of Your hands. I praise You for Your infallible wisdom and Your limitless understanding (Isaiah 40:28). You know precisely who will complement my daughter, and precisely who she will help complement as well. Thank you for the gift of marriage and the relational intimacy my daughter will experience through it.
Lord, please begin preparing my future daughter-in-law's heart. Guard and protect it and fill it with love for You (Proverbs 4:23). May she long to please You above all else. Where there is offense, replace this with love. May humility grow wherever pride attempts to take root, and may grace saturate her deepest and most hidden places. When others hurt her, teach her to come to you, that bitterness would never sink into those tender places meant only for love. Above all, may her heart find her home deep within Your embrace, for she cannot love my son well if she does not first love You well and experience Your love in return(1 John 4:8).
May her love for my son be an expression and an extension of Your love for her and her love for You.
Lord, so many lives and relationships have broken from wandering eyes. Like Eve in the Garden of Eden, we're all drawn to the lusts of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life, which comes not from You and can keep us from the precious gifts you long to give. Help my son's future wife seek You first and find her needs in You. Teach her contentment and remove all those things, like fear of insignificance or unfulfillment that cause women to sin. Help her to find contentment in who she is, her marriage, her relationships, and station in life (Philippians 4:11-13). Remind her that she doesn't need to chase temporary pleasures or false securities. Instead, draw her steadily to You.
May she turn to you for her every need, and may her love for my son flow from the abundance of a spirit-filled heart. When discontentment rises up within her, give her the wisdom, strength, and insight to surrender to You, inviting You to purge all that is unhealthy and diseased within. Where greed attempts to grow, fill her with generosity. When the prickles of fear stir her to accumulate earthly treasures beneath her, draw her instead to deeper trust. When insecurity lures her to financial irresponsibility, flood her with your love and acceptance until she centers her identity in you.
Father,
Today, we praise You for marriage. You know it's not good for us to be alone, and so You provide a way for us to be loved and to live out Your will on this earth with a faithful companion. Today, Father, we first and foremost leave the plans we have for our children at Your feet, understanding that the future we see and wish for them may not be Your will for their lives. Today, we decide to prayerfully place our children in Your capable hands. Our job as parents is to guide them to Your feet. No matter what stage of parenting we are in, guide us as only You can to begin to let go when we need to. Help us to release them into Your full will and plan for their lives.
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.' ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh.'” Mark 10:6-9
Our children are much like us in many ways, but none are carbon copies – nor are the compilations of their experiences, thoughts, and connections to You and the other people in their lives. Help us to meet them with wisdom and guidance relevant to their lives and aligned with Your will. Even in this prayer for their future spouses, we override our desires to seek Your will for them, their spouses, their future families, and lives.
“Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” Colossians 3:18-19
Father, may our children's spouses, wherever they are in life, be blessed. May they know You, know Jesus, and put You first in their lives. May this always be the case, no matter who captures their hearts' attentions, or our child's. May You reign first and foremost in their lives, before they meet, as they get to know each other, leading them all the way down the aisle and beyond. Take center stage in their individual lives, and in their marriages.
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2-3
May our children's spouses be kind. Let the words that leave their lips speak in love and grace. We pray for the qualities of humility and gentleness. In a world that is quick to bite and jump to defense, may our children and their spouses be quick to forgive. When society rushes their agenda, help them to be patient and wait on You, God. Let purity reign in the lives our children and that of their spouses. From long before they meet, let the desires of their hearts align with Yours for their lives, Father. Give them the strength to uphold Your righteousness in their lives long before they are charged to seek You together. As their paths cross, keep their eyes set and focused on You.
“To the pure, all things are pure. But to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.” Titus 1:15
In a world that will tell them anything is OK, set them apart. Let them live according to Your will and word, so that they many enjoy the full joy of a godly marriage. Protect them, alerting them to choices they will later look back on and regret. Fill their hearts with compassion for those around them and compel them to lead others to You with their words and the way they live their lives.
Father, we pray for our children's spouses. Bless them and keep them physically safe. Guard their hearts and minds today and always. May they, and our children, enjoy walking in God's will for their lives. For if marriage is Your will for them, let it be long, lasting beyond all odds. Provide them with the wisdom – and sometimes the miracles – they will need to overcome the many challenges and tragedies of married life. May they be a shining example of Your love. Bless them – as You promise us all – beyond what we can imagine or ask for.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Father, thank You for wooing me to Your heart, just as a husband woos his bride. I pray that my child's spouse will sense your unconditional love for them and realize their need for You at a young age. Make them a person after Your own heart. Put people in their life who will share the good news of the Gospel with them and model for them what a life led by Christ looks like. Give them the desire to follow You and the courage to say yes to You all the days of their life. May their relationship with You grow stronger day-by-day. Help them to trust You wholeheartedly and to always put You first, even after marriage. Amen.
Father, thank you for the intricate way you have knitted us together in our mother's womb. You made every part of us with the ability to relate to You and to others. Help my child's spouse to keep their entire self pure—their body, their mind, and their spirit—as a gift to my child in marriage. Put peers in their lives who value purity and will hold them accountable. Give them role models who are living a life that honors You and honors their spouse. Help them to learn how to rely on You to resist temptation. Show them the way out when it seems too hard to say no. Amen.
Father, thank you for creating us with the capacity to love deeply. We know that relationships begin with the feeling of love, but we know that relationships flourish only by acting in love. You showed us the greatest act of love by sending Jesus to die for our sins. I pray that my child's spouse is experiencing Your great love at this very moment. Help them to receive Your redeeming love in a very personal way. Give them a heart that is full of love and ready and willing to forgive the mistakes that will happen their marriage. Show them what it looks like for love to win. Amen.
Father, thank You for wooing me to Your heart, just as a husband woos his bride. I pray that my child's spouse will sense your unconditional love for them and realize their need for You at a young age. Make them a person after Your own heart. Put people in their life who will share the good news of the Gospel with them and model for them what a life led by Christ looks like. Give them the desire to follow You and the courage to say yes to You all the days of their life. May their relationship with You grow stronger day-by-day. Help them to trust You wholeheartedly and to always put You first, even after marriage. Amen.