Marriage is not easy. Falling in love is easy, but marriage can be hard work. Marriage relationships require unconditional love and forgiveness from both parties, and a commitment to making a life together.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says that two are better than one as they can help and support each other and verse 12 says that a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
When we invite Jesus into our marriage, that threefold cord is created. It is no longer just the two of you working at it, but you have the resources of heaven to call on as well.
God’s Word is powerful, and it says that the prayers of the righteous person are powerful and effective (James 5:16).
As we pray scripture God promises that it will accomplish His purposes and prosper (Isaiah 55:11).
Here are 19 scriptures you can pray for your marriage.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.
Lord, thank you that you have a good plan for us, and our marriage, and we claim Your hope and Your future for us in Jesus Name.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
Thank you Lord for Your love for us, help us to demonstrate Your love to each other.
Proverbs 24:3-4
Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.
Lord, thank You that You are Wisdom, and that You have promised to give us Your Wisdom if we ask for it (James 1:5). Fill us with Your wisdom for all areas of our marriage and family.
Hebrews 13:4
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
Thank You Lord for the blessing and gift of marriage and we ask that You would protect us from anything that would try to destroy or undermine our marriage and our relationship with each other.
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
Thank You Lord for Your kindness and Your forgiveness toward us. Help us Lord to show Your kindness and forgiveness to each other.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.
Lord, help us to delight in You. May our marriage be like the tree planted by the streams of water, growing, prospering, and producing good fruit.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Thank You Lord for our marriage. Help us Lord to always encourage each other, support each other, and build each other up. May we always remember to keep You central to our relationship.
Isaiah 62:5
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so your God will rejoice over you.
Help us Lord to rejoice, celebrate, and delight over each other, just as You rejoice, celebrate, and delight over us.
Romans 15:5-6
Now the God of perseverance and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, that with one accord you may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, grant us unity of mind and harmony with each other, and with You, that we may glorify You together.
Philippians 2:14
Do all things without complaining and arguing.
Help us Lord to be more patient and considerate and to do all things without complaining or arguing.
Hebrews 10:24
Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works
Help us Lord to be more encouraging of each other.
2 Corinthians 12:9
He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Thank You Lord that You have promised that Your grace is available, and sufficient for us, not matter what our circumstances, and we ask for that grace, especially in our times of need.
Isaiah 64:8
But now, Yahweh, you are our Father. We are the clay and you our potter. We all are the work of your hand.
Lord, we are the clay in Your hands, mold us, and our marriage, into Your likeness.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Lord, we ask that You would help us to grow in, and display, the fruit of Your Spirit in our lives and in our marriage.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Lord, we ask that our speech would always be glorifying to you, that we would think before we speak, and that our words would be encouraging to each other.
Philippians 2:3-7
Doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.
Thank You Lord for Your example of humility and a servant heart, may we be more like You, looking to the needs of each other more than our own.
James 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
We come to You Lord, to draw near to You, and we thank You that You promise to draw near to us.
James 5:16
Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
Help us Lord in our forgiveness of each other, and also as we need to ask for forgiveness, remembering Your grace in forgiving us. Help us to hold each other in prayer and continue to lift each other up and encourage each other.
Habakkuk 3:18
Yet I will rejoice in Yahweh. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
Together Lord, we rejoice in You, and in the gift of our salvation!
The enemy wants to destroy marriages and families. We are not just in an earthly struggle, but a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). God wants to be a part of our lives, and our marriage, to protect, encourage, strengthen and sustain us. May the truth of God’s Word be at work in your lives, and in your marriage (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
What is prayer? Simply, it is communicating, or talking, with God. Just as we communication and talk with the people in our lives who are closest to us, our partners, family, friends, in order to grow our relationships with them, so it is with God, and growing our relationship with Him.
Even Jesus, who was God incarnate, felt the need to pray and communicate with His Father in heaven. He gave thanks, He prayed for His disciples, He prayed for healing, He prayed for God’s Will, He prayed for the Church. He prayed because He knew the importance of keeping open communication between Himself and His Father.
So, what are the different types of prayer?
Let’s take a look at the main ones.
Adoration
To adore someone is to show deep love and respect for that person. When it comes to adoration prayer it can take the form of praise and worship. Praying through the Psalms can be a good way to adore and worship God. I really like to use music and song as a way of worshiping God. Some people love to dance as an expression of their love and adoration for God.
God is worthy of our love, respect and adoration and He is worthy to be praised.
The Psalms are a great place to get started. Some good ones to begin with are Psalm 150, Psalm 8, Psalm 111, Psalm 76, Psalm 100, and Psalm 146.
Confession
After spending time worshipping God and reflecting on His amazing love and character, it can often lead into a place of confession as we recognise who we are and how we fall short in relation to our holy God.
Confession requires us to be open, honest, and transparent with God. It’s acknowledging and agreeing with God about where we have fallen short of His Holiness.
Psalm 139:23-24 is a prayer asking God to search our innermost thoughts and being, and asking Him to reveal anything in us that is out of harmony with Him. This can be a good place to start.
As God reveals things to us, whether it is an action we have taken, (such as an angry outburst), a thought (such as jealousy), something we should have done but didn’t (such as forgive someone), or allowing our negative emotions to take control instead of allowing faith and trust in God, whatever it is that God reveals to us, He wants us to confess this to Him, to admit our shortcomings, and to want to do things differently going forward.
Confession also requires repentance. It is not enough just to confess, or admit, our shortcomings, but we need to not want to fall short again. Of course, we will never be perfect, only God is perfect, but we do need to be sorry. We are not truly sorry if we plan on going ahead with our wrong attitudes and actions. Repentance means to change our mind, about something, to decide that instead of acting in this way, you will act in that way.
So, if we confess, agree with God about our where and how we fall short, and repent, genuinely not want to fall short, but to choose a better way, God has promised to forgive and restore us.
1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins to Him, because of His faithfulness to us and His justice, He will forgive us of our sins, and not just forgive us, but cleanse us of all unrighteousness, which leaves us righteous in His eyes.
God has promised in His Word that He will remove our sins as far as east is from west (Psalm 103:12), that He will drop them into the depths of the ocean (Micah 7:19), that because of Jesus death on the cross, we can, and will be, forgiven, and He will remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).
Thanksgiving
The Bible encourages us to give thanks to the Lord (Psalm 107:1). Thanksgiving differs from adoration in that adoration is about praising God for who He is, whereas thanksgiving is about praising God for what He does. Of course, what God does comes from who He is, so there can be some similarities and cross overs but basically it is thanking God for the things He does for us and expressing our gratitude to Him.
We can thank God for His gifts, for life, love, the Bible, our Salvation, God’s blessings, our family, our homes, creation, the sunshine, the rain, our jobs, friends, His provision, the list is endless.
Thanksgiving is a choice. A thankful heart and attitude is something we can express to God, even if we don’t feel like it. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 encourages us to give thanks in all circumstances. This can come easy when things are good, but it can be a little more challenging during the hard times.
When things are tough, giving thanks and being grateful to God can help us to re-focus and get us through.
Intercession
Intercession is where we pray for others. God gives us the opportunity to partner with Him in bringing other people’s needs before Him.
In James 5 we are instructed to pray for each other, we are also encouraged to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2), for the sick (James 5:14-15), and even for our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you move into intercession for others. Sometimes God may put a person on your heart or mind, and even prompt you to pray a certain way for them. For example, someone might be on your mind to pray for and as you bring them before the Lord you may feel prompted to pray for them in their job, or their health, or their family. Listening to God’s promptings is how we partner with God in our prayers.
When interceding for others we should always be careful though not to pray our will on anyone, but only ever God’s will for a person. What I mean by that is, for example, instead of praying that Mary would take that job that’s been offered to her because you think it would be good for her, instead pray that God would give Mary His wisdom and that she would know God’s will as to whether she should take the job, and that God would bless her in her decisions and continue to provide for her. By praying this way you are working with God for Mary and praying His will for her.
Using scripture is also a great way to pray for people. Here are just a few scriptures you can use to pray for others.
Matthew 13:23
What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”
Ephesians 1:15-18
For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints, don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts[ enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire of goodness and work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I will say, “Rejoice!” Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
Petition
Petition is where we get to pray for ourselves. This is probably the one that most of us find the easiest to do, after all, who knows our own needs better than ourselves.
But it’s not just about us asking God to give us stuff, yes, He wants us to bring our needs and desires to Him, but He also wants us to grow to become more like Him.
A few ideas you can use to pray for yourself are: you can pray that you will understand who you are in Christ, that you would be more aware of God’s presence with you through the day, that God will give you His wisdom, that you would develop Godly character, that you would use and choose your words wisely, that you would be filled with the Holy Spirit, that God would equip you for spiritual battle, that God would give you His strength.
As you read through Scripture, and learn more of who God is and who He wants you to be, you will find more ideas from the Word about how you can pray for yourself.
God is waiting to hear from you, to commune with you, and He wants to bless you.
We work hard in the physical and emotional realm to give them the best that we can, of our love, our time and to provide for them to the best of our ability.
As Christians we have access to a spiritual realm and power to pray for and nurture the love of God in their lives.
A mother who prays for her children is both a beautiful thing and a powerful thing as you partner with God in your prayers for your children, committing them to Him, praying through Scripture and allowing God to work in their lives.
Ephesians 6:17-18 tells us that God’s Word is our sword, our weapon against the enemy and in Isaiah 55:11 God promises that His Word will accomplish and prosper in His purposes.
We can have confidence in God that He hears our prayers and answers them and that as we pray through God’s Word we are praying according to His will (1 John 5:14-15).
The following verses can be used as a starting point for praying for your children.
Thank God for the blessing of children
Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
Give your anxieties to Him
Philippians 4:6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
Pray for their safety
Psalm 91:11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 34:7 Yahweh’s angel encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Pray they will be kept from temptation
Matthew 6:13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Pray God’s peace for them
Isaiah 54:13 All your children will be taught by Yahweh; and your children’s peace will be great.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
Psalm 4:8 In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, Yahweh alone, make me live in safety.
Pray they will be strong
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
Pray for the fruit of the Spirit in their lives
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Pray for wisdom for them, and for you – to make wise decisions
James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Proverbs 1:5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:
Pray for God’s guidance in their lives
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.
Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gets understanding.
Proverbs 2:6 For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
Pray for them to have courage
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Yahweh your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:9 Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.
Pray their lives will be guided by Truth
2 Timothy 2:15 Give diligence to present yourself approved by God, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, properly handling the Word of Truth.
John 17:17 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.
John 8:31-32 Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Pray for hope in their lives
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.
Ephesians 1:18 Having the eyes of your hearts[a] enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.
Pray they will know God’s love and forgiveness in their lives
Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage. He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness.
Psalm 103:8-12 Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor repaid us for our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his loving kindness toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Pray for their salvation
Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.
Romans 10:9-10 That if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation.
2 Corinthians 3:16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Pray that God’s Word will fall on ‘good soil’
Mark 4:20 Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times.
Remember, God loves you, He loves your children, and He wants the very best for them and for you.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
What is prayer? Prayer is simply communication between you and God.
It is a two-way relationship where we talk with God and listen to Him as He seeks to communicate with us. There is nothing complicated about it.
Whilst God wants us to bring our needs, desires, thoughts and feelings to Him prayer is not about coming to Him with our ‘shopping list’ of things we want Him to do.
As with any relationship, in order for it to grow it requires good communication, both talking and listening. So it is with our relationship with God.
There are many examples in the Bible of Jesus’ prayer life, how He prayed, and what He prayed for, here’s just a few.
He gave thanks (Matthew 15:36), He prayed for God’s will (Luke 22:42), He prayed for children (Matthew 19:13-15), He prayed for the church (John 17:20-23), He prayed for forgiveness for others (Luke 23:34).
He gave an example to His disciples of how to pray which included adoration to His Father, praying for God’s will, prayer of request, and of confession, and for deliverance (Luke 11:2-4).
As followers of Jesus we want to be guided by His example. Jesus prayed as an example to us and to demonstrate to us the need be in communication with God.
If Jesus did it then maybe we should take notice.
To grow our relationship with God
The act of communication helps us to be connected in our relationships, it strengthens relationships, builds positive emotions and builds trust.
This is also true in our relationship with God. Prayer can help us feel more connected with God, strengthened in our relationship with Him, helps us to trust Him and build positive emotions.
To overcome temptation
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus knows what it is to be tempted.
We see this demonstrated in Matthew 4:1-11 when, just after Jesus’ baptism, He goes into the wilderness to pray and commune with His Father. During this time the devil comes and presents Jesus with three temptations which He refutes by quoting Scripture. Jesus drew strength from His prayer life to face the coming temptations.
Jesus encourages us to ‘watch and pray’ so that we don’t enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41).
To know God’s will
Before Jesus chose His disciples He spent the night in prayer. Why? To know the Father’s will.
As we spend time in prayer, laying our questions, thoughts and desires before Him, it allows us to draw closer to Him where we can begin to see things more clearly and from His viewpoint.
To equip us for spiritual warfare
Ephesians 6 tells us that in spiritual warfare we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers and spiritual forces. The passage encourages us to ‘pray on’ our spiritual armour to protect us in our fight against the unseen enemy.
Does it matter where we pray? What about when we pray?
No it doesn’t…or does it?
In John 4, when Jesus was speaking with the woman at the well, He said that it didn’t matter so much where people worshipped, or prayed, so long as they worshipped in spirit and in truth.
God desires us to commune, speak with, pray to Him, always, anywhere, anytime.
Ephesians 6 encourages us to pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and requests.
Daniel prayed three times a day (Daniel 6:10).
Jesus often withdrew overnight to pray, possibly because He could escape the crowds at that time. He also got up early in the morning and went to a deserted place to pray (Mark 1:35).
There is no ‘right’ time to pray, nor is the a ‘right’ place to pray.
But, as the example of Jesus own life shows (Luke 5:16), it is important to set aside some time where we withdraw from the busyness and noise of life and take some quiet time to pray, where we can allow His Spirit to lead us and where we can hear His still small voice.
Ask the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth (John 14:16-17) to help you to pray (Romans 8:26-27). He has promised to help you pray, to guide you and lead you in your prayers.
Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
There are so many needs in the world and in our own lives that we can pray for. Sometimes though its hard to keep track of them all. It great to ave somewhere to write them down, so not only can you keep track of them all, but you can also keep track of the ones that have been answered.
I have created a “To pray for” page you can print out and use to keep track of it all. There are lots of different patterns to choose from, and you can even use a different pattern for different things your praying for.
Some ideas of things to pray for are:
Family
Husband
Wife
Children
Marriage
World – or a specific country
Health
Things your thankful for
Things your asking for
Emotions
Decisions
Finances
I hope this helps you!
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Hi, I'm Steph! I want to equip you with faith resources to encourage a love of Gods word in your life.
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