Prayer is the glue that holds a marriage and a family together. Prayer comes in many forms, including: recited prayers, such as the Hail Mary; spontaneous prayer, as a husband and wife might say before bedtime; praying with Scripture; and that perfect prayer–the Mass.
The book, Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, is an excellent resource for your marriage as you explore the Catholic tradition of prayer. Here are some excerpts:
Blessing of an Engaged Couple
The betrothal of a Christian couple is a special occasion for their families, who should celebrate it together with prayer and a special rite. In this way, they ask God’s blessing that the happiness promised by the engagement will be brought to fulfillment. When the engagement is celebrated within the circle of the two families, one of the parents should preside.
When the families have gathered, all make the sign of the cross.
The leader greets those present in the following words:
Brothers and sisters, let us praise our Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. Let us bless him now and forever.
R/. Blessed be God forever.
In the following or similar words, the leader prepares those present for the blessing.
We know that all of us need God’s blessing at all times; but at the time of their engagement to be married, Christians are in particular need of grace as they prepare themselves to form a new family.
Let us pray, then, for God’s blessing to come upon this couple: that as they await the day of their wedding, they will grow in mutual respect and in their love for one another; that through their companionship and prayer together they will prepare themselves rightly and chastely for marriage.
One of those present or the leader reads a text of sacred Scripture.
Listen to the words of the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians: 13:4-13
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Or John 15:9-12: This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.
The intercessions are then said.
Leader: God our Father has so loved us that in Christ he makes us his children and the witnesses of his love before the entire world. Let us, therefore, call upon him in all confidence, saying:
R/. Lord, help us to remain always in your love.
God our Father, you willed that your true children, brothers and sisters in Christ, should be known by their love for one another. R/.
You place upon us the sweet demands of love so that we may find happiness by responding to them. R/.
You call N. and N. to the communion of life and love that binds the Christian family together, mind and heart. R/.
The engaged couple may exchange rings or some other gift that signifies their pledge to each other.
One of the parents may bless these gifts:
N. and N., in due course may you honor the sacred pledge symbolized by these gifts which you now exchange.
R/. Amen.
The leader says the prayer of blessing with hands joined.
We praise you, Lord, for your gentle plan draws together your children, N. and N., in love for one another. Strengthen their hearts, so that they will keep faith with each other, please you in all things, and so come to the happiness of celebrating the sacrament of their marriage. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
The leader concludes the rite by signing himself or herself with the sign of the cross and saying:
May the God of love and peace abide in you, guide your steps, and confirm your hearts in his love, now and forever.
R/. Amen.
The blessing may conclude with a suitable song.
Prayer of a Future Husband
Adapted from Tobit 8:5-7
Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors, and blessed too is your name forever. Let the heavens bless you for evermore and all the things you have made. It was you who created Adam, you who created Eve his wife to be his help and support; and from these two the human race was born. It was you who said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a partner like himself.”
I take N. in sincerity of heart. Have mercy on her and on me and allow us to live together to a happy old age.
Prayer of a Future Wife
Adapted from Psalm 16
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge; I say to the Lord, “My God are you. Apart from you I have no good.” I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me. I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices, my body abides in confidence.
You, O Lord, will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.
Blessing of a Son or Daughter Before Marriage
In the days immediately before the wedding, the family may gather around its member who is to be married, perhaps at a special meal in the family’s home.
All make the sign of the cross. A parent begins:
Let us bless the Lord, by whose goodness we live and by whose grace we love one another. Blessed be God forever.
R/. Blessed be God forever.
Then the Scripture is read:
Listen to the words of the Book of Deuteronomy: 6:4-7
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.
The parents may give a Bible or crucifix to the one who is to be married. Then all join in prayers of intercession for the couple to be married and for the world. After the Lord’s Prayer, the parents and other family members place their hands on the head of their son or daughter as one or both parents speak the blessing.
May the Lord, who gave you into our care and made you a joy to our home, bless you and keep you.
R/. Amen.
May the Lord, who turns the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, smile on you and be kind to you.
R/. Amen.
May the Lord, who delights in our love for one another, turn toward you and give you peace.
R/. Amen.
All make the sign of the cross as the leader concludes:
May the God of love and peace abide in you, guide your steps, and confirm your heart in his love, now and forever.
R/. Amen.
Table Blessing for Weddings
This blessing may be used before the meal at a wedding reception. A member of the wedding party or one of the parents of the newly married couple may serve as the leader.
When everyone has gathered at table and the meal is ready to be served, all make the sign of the cross.
Leader: Blessed be God who has brought us together in joy.
R/. Blessed be God forever.
The leader introduces the blessing in these or similar words:
We have gathered here to celebrate the love of N. and N. God has brought them together, and we pray that God will hold them in his love always. As the food we share will strengthen our bodies, may our time together strengthen the love that binds us.
After a time of silence, the leader prays:
Let us pray. Lord God, you sustain all creatures and never cease to give your children the food they need. We bless you for bringing us together in the love that unites us around this table where the food we take strengthens our bodies. We pray that, nourished by your Word, we may grow ever stronger in faith as we strive for the coming of your Kingdom. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
Blessing on Anniversaries #1
When the household and friends have gathered, all make the sign of the cross.
The leader greets those present in the following words:
Blessed be the God of all consolation, who has shown us his great mercy. Blessed be God now and forever.
R/. Blessed be God forever.
In the following or similar words, the leader prepares those present for the blessing.
We have come together to celebrate the anniversary of the marriage of our brother and sister. As we join them in their joy, we join them also in their gratitude. God has set them among us as a sign of his love and through the years they have remained faithful (and have fulfilled their responsibilities as parents). Let us give thanks for all the favors N. and N. have received during their married life. May God keep them in their love for each other, so that they may be more and more of one mind and one heart.
One of those present or the leader reads a text of sacred Scripture.
Listen to the words of the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1:4-9
I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.
The intercessions are then said.
Leader: In the tender plan of his providence, God our almighty Father has given married love, its faithfulness, (and its fruitfulness,) a special significance in the history of salvation. Let us therefore call upon him, saying:
R/. Lord, hear our prayer.
Father all-holy, you have made marriage the great symbol of Christ’s love for his Church; bestow on these your servants the fullness of your own love. For this we pray: R/.
Father all-holy, the faithful one, you ask for and respond to fidelity to your covenant; fill with your blessings your servants who are celebrating their wedding anniversary. For this we pray: R/.
It is your will that all married life should be a lesson in Christian living; grant that all husbands and wives may be witnesses to the wonders of your Son’s love. For this we pray: R/.
The leader says the prayer of blessing with hands joined.
Lord God and Creator, we bless and praise your name. In the beginning you made man and woman, so that they might enter a communion of life and love. You likewise blessed the union of N. and N., so that they might reflect the union of Christ with his Church: look with kindness on them today. Amid the joys and struggles of their life you have preserved the union between them; renew their marriage covenant, increase your love in them, and strengthen their bond of peace, so that (surrounded by their children) they may always rejoice in the gift of your blessing. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
Blessing on Anniversaries #2
Almighty and eternal God, you have so exalted the unbreakable bond of marriage that it has become the sacramental sign of your Son’s union with the Church as his spouse. Look with favor on N. and N., whom you have united in marriage, as they ask for your help and the protection of the Virgin Mary. They pray that in good times and in bad they will grow in love for each other; that they will resolve to be of one heart in the bond of peace.
Lord, in their struggles let them rejoice that you are near to help them; in their needs let them know that you are there to rescue them; in their joys let them see that you are the source and completion of every happiness. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
The leader concludes the rite by signing himself or herself with the sign of the cross and saying:
May the God of hope fill us with every joy in believing. May the peace of Christ abound in our hearts. May the Holy Spirit enrich us with his gifts, Now and forever.
R/. Amen.
Exerpts from Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family (c) Concacan, Inc, 2004. Used and adapted by permission of the Canadian Conferene of Catholic Bishops.
Excerpts from the English translations of Book of Blessings (c) 1988, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Bring prayer into your marriage! Use Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers to:
- Learn the “by-hearts”-the prayers that every Catholic needs to know by memory
- Practice the simple form of the Liturgy of the Hours as a family
- Celebrate the feasts and seasons of the Church year in ritual and prayer
- Bless the Advent wreath, Christmas crèche, and Easter foods
- Lead grace before and after meals
- Pray for family members
- Bless the home before a move and in times of trouble
Additional Resources:
- The Couple Prayer Series
- Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb (USCCB)
www.foryourmarriage.org
Are you praying for a wife or a husband? The preceding marriage prayer is a suitable wedding prayer for you.
God is not only the Creator God but also the God who authored love and romance. The Scriptures begins and ends with marriage — of Adam and Eve and the Bridal body of Christ with Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And in-between the Old and New Testaments, godly men and women of the Bible tied the knot and
fulfilled God’s destiny for their lives together.
Marriage is more than a signed contract between a husband and his wife. It is a divine covenant with God as the third party. Marriage is a blood covenant being sealed when the hymen membrane in a woman is being broken and blood is shed for the first time during consummation. God has placed this institution in the society for married couples not only to procreate but to respond to His call to inhabit and take dominion over the earth and proclaim the gospel to the lost.
In this contemporary day and age, the original intent of God for marriage has slowly been forgotten because of the propensity of man towards divorce, legal separation, annulment, illicit co-habitation or living-in, homosexuality, sexual perversion, pornography, and fornication. Those in the Christian circles are not exempted from all these.
However, there are still Christian men and women who are keeping themselves pure and holy while waiting for the right and the best godly
Praying for a Wife
spouse for them. Many of these godly bachelors and bachelorettes have been praying for a wife or husband and fasting to seek the will of God for their lives. Perhaps, you are one of them—patiently waiting and eagerly expecting that one day, you will meet the one God has for you since the foundations of the world.
Do not lose hope because if God has placed a desire in your heart until now to marry a spouse, experience sexual intercourse, and bear children, then be assured that they can happen in God’s appointed time. Begin to pray wedding prayers for your future husband or wife everyday, blessing him and praying for his protection and goodwill. You may list down Bible verses to declare as prayers for him daily and thank the Lord for him even though he has not arrived yet in your life. Thank God in advance for him. You may listen to God for his specific qualities or character and pray them through.
Then, for the practical side of it, prepare yourself for your meeting and for the marriage you have so long been praying for. Take care of your body and make yourself presentable, neat, and clean because any moment could be the day that he will come. Become emotionally stable, mature, and strong in your spirit as marriage is not as easy as you think it will be. Organize your life and make preparations to become a wife or husband. Learn how to cook, clean, fix household stuff, work efficiently, and handle finances. The moment you prepare yourself seriously for marriage, perhaps the faster your spouse will appear before you.
Continue on praying for a spouse and allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind with God’s Word daily and take control over your will, emotions, and heart. Guard your heart at all times as not all prospective men or women is the right one for you. It takes a strong discernment to know and to choose God’s best for your life. Do not settle for anything less. You will know the perfect spouse if you are attuned to the voice of God, rested in His presence, and know His perfect will. The result of love is beauty and life. If this person is imparting beauty and life in you and you are at peace, in joy, and excited then this can be God’s spouse for you.
It is important that you have an accountability partner like a trusted pastor or spiritual mentor or a close friend to consult with the matters of the heart. God is the one who gives a man his wife and He speaks to the man and woman that they are meant for each other and the biological and spiritual family in the church or ministry will confirm it.
You may have prayed many prayers before. You may use this prayer for marriage as a guide —
Our Father God, you know the deepest longings of my heart. How I yearn for someone to be with, to talk to, to love me, and to share my life with. I have spent countless nights crying out to you to bring the right person and ordain our meeting. Instill in him the sense of urgency to find me. Let him long for me as well and speak to him that it is me you have chosen for him. Prepare us now in all aspects of our lives and set us free from anything that binds, ensnares, entangles, and addicts us. Remove the wrong people from our lives and cut all our ungodly soul ties from our past relationships and even our emotional or romantic entanglements now with other persons. I ask You, Lord to mold us to be a responsible and committed spouse for each other that our marriage will last for as long as we live. I pray for him that You will protect my spouse and deliver him from all temptations. Give me to someone who will honor me and respect me, love me, cherish me, and take good care of me. I am praying for the best and right spouse for me, the one you planned for me to marry. Order our steps so that our paths will cross in Your beautifully ordained time. Orchestrate events for us to find each other. Keep us pure and holy at all times even when no one is watching because indeed You are. I bless my spouse that he will become who You called him to be. I bless his spirit, soul, and body to be whole. I plead the blood of Jesus over both of us and everything concerning us. Thank you Jesus for this desire to marry and the hope and excitement to enter into this sacred union with You. Have Your way, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God is our Husband and Maker. Accept His invitation to be the lover of your soul. Love God first and then when He knows that you are completely His, He will give you the man or woman of your dreams because by then God knows that He is your first love even though you have an earthly partner to share the rest of your life with. If you learn this, God will give you the desires of your heart because it is He who placed those desires as you delighted in Him. Every time you feel discouraged and hopeless about getting married, go back to this marriage prayer and be encouraged.
Here is another Prayer for a Husband for you.
Here are some other prayers that may be helpful to you
Jeremiah 29:11-13 Prayer
Prayer for Wisdom
Prayer of Faith
www.missionariesofprayer.org
PRAYERS
Our God and Heavenly Father, You are our Creator and You hold our future. ___________ (name of bride/groom to be) and I are planning to unite in marriage. We seek Your blessings as we begin our lifelong journey down the matri- monial road. We need Your grace and guidance to carry us through.
We pray for a fruitful marriage and the establish- ment of a Christian home where Your name is honoured.
May we learn always to cherish, love, comfort and honour each other. May our love for each other continue to grow and flourish as we seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Bless our marriage, O Lord, for we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen
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by Cindy Vander Haar
Scripture Prayer
Thank you for visiting Scripture Prayer for Marriages. To fully understand the principles of praying scripturally, please read the teaching “Why Pray Scripture?” .
Hearing God: As it is rare to hear an audible voice from God, one of the ways God will speak to us is through His written Word and a small still voice inside us. Before reviewing the scripture references below that address what the Bible says about marriage ask the Holy Spirit of revelation to join you. When certain verses capture your attention more than others, meditate and incorporate those into your personal daily prayer life.
Heavenly Father, we ask You to give complete knowledge of Your Will to this reader, and to give him/her Your spiritual wisdom and understanding as they seek You with all their hearts and lean not on their own understanding. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Marriage Scripture References
(All scripture is quoted from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:7
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 3:33
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105
Roll your works upon the Lord (commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and) so shall your plans be established and succeed. Proverbs 16:3 (AMP)
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:4-8
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God.” Matthew 19:26 (AMP)
O keep me, Lord, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed or disappointed, for my trust and my refuge are in You. Psalm 25:20
Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has freely forgiven you, so must you also forgive. Colossians 3:13 (AMP)
But the fruit of the Holy Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law that can bring a charge. Galatians 5:22 (AMP)
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech that is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption…Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another (readily and freely) as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:29 (AMP)
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. 2 Corinthians 2:10 (NIV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:9
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. Luke 6:32 (NIV)
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14
…but one thing I do (it is my one aspiration) forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the supreme and heavenly prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. Philippians 3:13 (AMP)
Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. Matthew 12:25 (NIV)
If I can speak in the tongues of men and even of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have sufficient faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).
Even if I dole out all that I have to the poor in providing food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.
Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.
It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it (it pays no attention to a suffered wrong.)
It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.
Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures.
Love never fails (never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end.)
….And so faith, hope, love abide (faith-conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to god and divine things; hope—joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love—true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us), these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13 (AMP)
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. Proverbs 10:12
Finally, both of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 2:8-14 (NIV)
Husbands, love your wives (be affectionate and sympathetic with them) and do not be harsh or bitter or resentful toward them. Colossians 3:19 (AMP)
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity; sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. Titus 2:6-8
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 1 Peter 3:1-7
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. Ephesians 5:25
Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun… Ecclesiastes 9:9 (AMP)
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as the Lord loves the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let everyone of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:28-33
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Colossians 3:18
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:22
However, let each man of you (without exception) love his wife as (being in a sense) his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband (that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly. Ephesians 5:33 (AMP)
House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD. Proverbs 19:14
Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as a service to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church. Himself the Savior of His body. Ephesians 5:22 (AMP)
The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:2-5
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:10-31 (NIV)
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16
And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities, not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together as believers, as it is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching. Hebrew 10:24-25
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. Ephesians 4:11-15
But because of the temptation to impurity and to avoid immorality, let each man have his own wife and let each woman have her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights (goodwill, kindness, and what is due her as his wife) and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have exclusive authority and control over her own body, but the husband has his rights; likewise also the husband does not have exclusive authority and control over his body, but the wife has her rights. Do not refuse and deprive and defraud each other of your due marital rights, except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves unhindered to prayer. But afterwards resume marital relations, lest Satan tempt you to sin through you lack of restraint of sexual desire. But I am saying this more as a matter of permission and concession, not as a command or regulation. 1 Corinthians 7:2-6 (AMP)
Let your fountain of human life be blessed with the rewards of fidelity, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:18 (AMP)
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:20-26
Who so loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father; but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance. Proverbs 29:3
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of the God abideth forever. 1 John 2:15-17
Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character. 1 Corinthians 15:33 (AMP)
O keep me, Lord, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed or disappointed, for my trust and my refuge are in You. Psalm 25:20
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Psalms 147:3
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. Psalms 91:14
And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, 14-16
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 1 Peter 1:22
Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? James 4:11-12
Where no wise guidance is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14 (AMP)
Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come. Proverbs 19:20 (AMP)
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel. Proverbs 27:9
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house. Matthew 12:28, 29
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:18-20
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows.) John 10:10 (AMP)
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:19-20 (NIV)
…Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised… Luke 4:18
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
In all my prayers 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. Philippians 1:4-6
But Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but all things are possible with God. Matthew 19:26 (AMP)
Scripture Prayer for Marriages #1
Dear Lord,
We hold up our marriage to you. We understand that our union together is a picture of our relationship with you and it is Holy. We commit our marriage to You, Lord, that You would cause our thoughts to become agreeable with Your will and we would have success in our marriage relationship.
We agree to be kind and tenderhearted toward each other according to Your word, forgiving one another and blessing one another. We choose to speak the truth in love and listen well to each other. Make us strong where we are weak, Lord.
Help us to pray together, to trust in You and walk in obedience to Your word so that we may have peace and joy in our marriage. Give us revelation of Your great love and an understanding of how to love each other. Teach (husband) how to love (wife) like Christ loves the church and teach (wife) to honor and respect (husband).
Forgive us for our self-centeredness, anger, lust, and foolishness. Give us your patience and help us not to blame and accuse one another. Help us to see You as our source of acceptance, healing, justification, and provision.
Bring healing to our lives, Lord. Comfort and mend those areas where our hearts are broken. and deliver us from rejection and sorrow. Have mercy on us, Lord, and put Your mercy in our hearts for one another. Today we choose openly to receive your healing, love, forgiveness, acceptance, favor, harmony, unity, truth, patience, kindness, joy, and faithfulness and self-control into our lives.
Help us to remember that our bodies are not our own—that they belong to each other and to You. We choose not to deprive each other of sexual love and to remain faithful to our mates alone.
We ask that you remove the blinders from our eyes so we can see the truth and walk courageously in it. We resist the enemy that would try to destroy our marriage. We bind the powers of divorce, division, seduction, rejection, judgment, criticism, addiction, control, self-pity, harshness, unkindness, lying and deception. We put to death the words we have spoken against one another. We forgive each other for past offenses. We agree that the enemy is bound away from this marriage and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives.
Lord, surround us with Godly counsel. Separate us from those who would seduce us into ungodliness. Give us Godly, loving, Christian friends and a church family where we can worship You and grow in the knowledge of Your will. Thank you for teachers, preachers, apostles, evangelists, prophets, and other gifted people who minister to us and help us to mature in You. Draw us into Your word so that we can be cleansed and receive wisdom for our lives.
Lord, thank You for your faithfulness. Thank you that you watch over Your Word to perform it. Thank you that You are at work within us causing us to desire and to do your will. You are the Lord, Almighty, and if You are for us, who can be against us? We love you, Lord, and we entrust our marriage to you.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Scripture Prayer #2 For Other’s Marriage
Lord,
I hold this couple, (husband) and (wife) before You and ask for Your presence and mercy in their lives. If they do not know You, Lord, reveal Your unfailing love to them. Teach them to pray together, to trust in You and walk in obedience to Your Word so that they may have Your peace and joy in their marriage.
We pray that they will be kind and tenderhearted toward each other, forgiving one another and blessing one another. We pray that they would speak the truth in love and listen well to each other.
Draw them into Your Word that they would be cleansed and receive wisdom for their lives. Give them revelation of Your great love towards them and an understanding of how to love each other. Teach him to love his wife like Christ loves the church and teach her to honor and respect him.
Surround them with Godly counsel. Separate them from those who would seduce them into ungodliness. Give them Godly, loving, Christian friends and a church family where they can worship You and grow in Your love for one another. Bring forth laborers to minister to them.
Forgive them for their selfishness, anger, lust, and foolishness. Put a stop to any blaming and accusing. Help them to look to You as their source of acceptance, healing, justification and provision.
Bring healing to their lives. Comfort them and mend their broken hearts and deliver them from rejection and sorrow. Have mercy on them, Lord.
We stand in the gap for them. We resist the enemy on their behalf. We bind the powers of division, divorce, seduction, rejection, judgment, criticism, addiction, control, self-pity, harshness, unkindness, lying and deception. We thank you, Lord, that the blinders are removed from their eyes and they can see the truth and walk in it. Give them courage and show them how to resist evil.
We loose Your healing, love, forgiveness, acceptance, favor, harmony, unity, truth, patience, kindness, joy, and faithfulness and self-control into their lives.
Lord, thank you that all things are possible with You. Thank you that You watch over Your Word to perform it. Thank you for Your great and precious promises and Your mighty love that covers all. We look forward to seeing Your hand at work in their marriage relationship.
In Jesus Name, Amen
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And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
Scripture Prayer for Marriages was written to lift up and encourage the body of believers; sharing your testimony is one of the ways that we continue to overcome the enemy.
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