Marriage isn’t a garden full of roses, and you should never believe the rosy videos and images you see on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media. Marriage is hard work. Both partners must be committed to adaptation, endurance, love, and the ability to forgive.
Instead of screaming “God, when?”, start praying for the unique marriage God has prepared for you. Today, I’ll be sharing the five best Christian marriage prayers you can pray before marriage and over your marriage, putting God first.
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Apart from social media, our parents’ marriage often plays a huge role in how we perceive marriage. If you come from a peaceful home, emulate the good you saw. But if you come from a troubled home, learn what to avoid, things like the triggers, warning signs, and unhealthy patterns.
As Christians, we have seen God turn the most unusual situations around. Personally, I have testimonies of how prayer changed situations and how God did things for me that seemed impossible.
5 Christian Prayers for Marriage
Before we begin, it’s important to understand how prayer works. Remember this scripture: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). This shows how much God loves and cares for us. However, God doesn’t always give us what we ask for, even when we ask for good things.
For example, if your 7 year old child asked for their own armored car to drive to school, you wouldn’t give it to them. You know the road is dangerous and it wouldn’t be good for them.
So before praying for your marriage, let me remind you why prayer is so important, regardless of the outcome.
Prayer is not like using a delivery app, where you add everything you want (a new job, money, health, etc.) to your cart, hit “order,” and expect immediate delivery.
Prayer is much more about building your relationship with God. In prayer, we orient our hearts toward Him. We acknowledge that He is our loving Heavenly Father, generous and kind, and that we are fully dependent on Him for everything, both spiritual and physical.
At the same time, we also believe that God responds to our prayers when we trust Him completely and surrender to His will.
If your marriage is struggling, here are five powerful Christian prayers you can offer to God today to heal, protect, and guide your marriage.
Five (5) Prayers for Marriage
1. Pray for your heart’s roots to grow down into God’s love.
Before praying for your partner, pray for yourself first. Ask God to give you the best character, wisdom, and ability to navigate life and marriage. We often focus our prayers on changing our spouse, but we must first ask:
Do I truly love God? Do I have the capacity to forgive and love?
Let all your actions toward your partner be done in love, not in anger or revenge.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
Loving someone day by day, especially when it’s hard, takes divine strength that only God can give. The Bible repeatedly tells us that real strength comes from experiencing God’s love deep in our hearts. Having deep roots in God’s love will empower you to persevere through difficult seasons.
Prayer (Inspired by Ephesians 3:16-20):
Father God, today I come before Your throne of grace, asking that You empower me with inner strength through Your Spirit. Help my roots grow deep into Your love and give me the strength to love better. Grant me the power to understand how wide, long, high, and deep Your love is. Fill me with the fullness of Christ, Amen.
2. Strength to Live a Life Filled With Sacrificial Love, like Jesus Christ.
It is no secret that God is love and Christ is the perfect example of that love. John 3:16 reminds us of God’s immense love, the sacrifice of His Son on the cross and the promise of eternal life to all who believe.
As your roots grow deeper in God’s love, the next step is to understand and practice Christ-like sacrificial love. This means offering your time, gentleness, empathy, and service to your spouse without comparing what you give to what they give.
Always remember: God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). That same power of kindness can work in your marriage.
Prayer (Inspired by Ephesians 5:1-2 and Romans 2:4):
Heavenly Father, as Your child, I ask for the strength to imitate You in all I do, especially in my marriage. Thank You for showing me what true love looks like through Jesus’ sacrifice. Help me love my spouse sacrificially, with my time, gentleness, empathy, and service. May my love be a pleasing aroma to You. Use my kindness to soften their heart toward You and toward me, and let our relationship grow stronger in love and joy, Amen.
3. Praying that God Turns your Sorrows and Pains into Beauty.
We should never compare our marriages to what we see on social media. Those perfectly filmed “happy moments” are not the full reality, which is why so many such couples later face divorce or worse problems.
Are you experiencing heartbreak, sadness, conflict, or pain in your marriage? Remember that Jesus came so we might have life and have it abundantly. Beauty, healing, freedom, and restoration are available in Christ.
Prayer (Inspired by Isaiah 61:1-3):
King of kings and Lord of lords, I thank You for the words of Your servant Isaiah. You came to bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and set captives free. Even though I am experiencing heartbreak and mourning in my marriage, I ask You to replace these ashes with a crown of beauty. Let this be the set time for favor in my marriage. Above all, let Your will be done in my life, now and forever, Amen.
4. God, Please Light Up My Life Now and Forever.
In the Bible, darkness often represents uncertainty, unrighteousness, despair, and sorrow. But God says, “Let there be light” and “You light a lamp for me. The Lord my God lights up my darkness” (Psalm 18:28).
Prayer (Inspired by Psalm 18:28 and 2 Corinthians 4:6):
Lord, I come before Your throne of grace asking that You shine Your light upon me. Let Your light guide my feet and illuminate my path. Give me wisdom to make right choices that will not jeopardize my marriage. I cast out every darkness and shadow over my marriage. Shine Your light of goodness, knowledge, warmth, and purity in my life and marriage, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
5. God, Please Enlighten Me and Straighten the Crooked Places in My Life.
As Christians, we know sin stains us before God. Though God loves us, we cannot continue in sin. This generation may view sin as “woke,” but it doesn’t take long for any marriage to go from smooth to crooked and difficult.
Prayer (Inspired by Psalm 18:33-36, Romans 8:11, and Isaiah 40:4):
God, I bless Your holy name. Right now my life feels like it’s on a slippery and steep path. Empower me and give me wisdom to walk this path. Make my footsteps surefooted like a deer’s. Carry me in Your loving arms. Straighten every crooked place and make everything good. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
