|
.....Next
to the decision to commit one's life to Jesus Christ, marriage
is the most important commitment that a person can ever make.
It will affect the rest of his or her life along with the
lives of their family members. An unwise decision in this
matter can bring pain and misery for everyone involved. Since
only God knows who will make the best marriage partner for
anyone, He should be consulted first and He should give the
final answer.
.....A
parent may feel helpless in the matter of who his or her child
decides to marry. Yet, this is simply not true. Through prayer,
you can have a significant impact on who your child marries.
Every parent hopes that his or her child will marry a compatible
and godly mate. Prayer is essential in guiding them in that
direction.
.....Magnificent
weddings do not make perfect marriages. Only God can do that.
The Word of God says, "There are many plans in a man's
heart, nevertheless the LORD's counsel-that will stand (Proverbs
19:21)." It is neither the advice of friends nor the
admiration of people that causes a couple to have a strong,
godly marriage. It is not bridal consultants and caterers
who set the bride and groom on the right path. Consulting
God and following His leading do that. It is only the prayer
of parents and concerned people that cause a child to seek
continually the will of God instead of following their own
emotions.
.....The
following are some suggested prayer requests that you can
use to pray about your child's future mate. You can use these
or you could develop your own from them. These requests can
be used in a variety of ways. A parent can use them to intercede
for the child's future or present mate. Grandparents can use
these requests to pray for the present or future mate of their
grandchildren. A concerned individual or youth minister can
use them to pray for young people. A single person can use
them to pray for their future mate. A single person can use
them to seek God's guidance in this important matter. No matter
how they are used, it is important to pray for the future
mate of your child or the child of someone you love.
Father,
I pray that his/her mate would enter into a personal relationship
with God through Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 4:12).
Father,
I pray that You would protect him/her from the spirit of divorce,
which is so common to this age (Malachi 2:14-16). No
matter what age your child is, pray about this today. Divorce
threatens everyone at some time or another. Stand against
this and resist it from getting a grip in your child's life.
If your child is already divorced, pray for all the brokenness
to be healed and that there will be no more divorce in his
or her future.
Lord,
grant that he/she would hunger for You and seek to serve You
with all his/her heart (Psalm 42:1-2, 63:1, Matthew 12:23).
Father,
I pray that You would teach him/her the basics of spiritual
warfare, how to flee temptation, how to take thoughts captive,
and how to stand firm against the devil's schemes (1 Peter
5:8-9; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; James 4:7-8).
Lord,
I plead that You would teach him/her how to pray and would
give him/her a heart for prayer (Colossians 4:2; Luke 18:1;
1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Father,
enable him/her to remain a virgin until he/she is married.
Guard him/her from immorality, "outercourse" (petting
experiences), sexual abuse or harassment, and exposure to
pornography. Grant him/her a desire for sexual purity.
(Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4; Ephesians 5:3).
I ask that You would show him/her what You want him/her to
do with his/her life. Make Your will known to him/her. Cause
him/her to seek You will for his/her life (1 Corinthians
10:31; 1 Timothy 4:12).
I pray
that he/she would be committed to truth and would choose honesty
in every situation even when tempted to lie in order to lessen
the consequences or the punishment (Ephesians 4:25).
Father,
I plead that You would teach him/her to be a good parent.
Grant his/her parents' good parenting skills and if not provide
him/her with good role models of parenting (Psalm 68:5-6;
Matthew 6).
Lord,
I pray that You would grant him/her a healthy, God-centered
view of money and possessions. Help him/her have a proper
attitude toward money in giving, working, and receiving. I
ask that You would enable him/her to learn how to save, tithe,
and budget money (1 Timothy 6:6-11).
Father,
I ask that he/she would develop good communication skills.
Enable him/her to speak only those things that are good and
uplifting. Guard him/her from profanity, foul language, and
angry responses (Colossians 3:8; Ephesians 4:29).
Lord,
grant my child's mate deep and satisfying personal relationships
that will prepare him/her for marriage but that will not compromise
his/her purity. Teach him/her how to care and love for another
person and deliver him/her from selfishness and self-centeredness
(1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Ephesians 5:22-33).
I ask
that he/she would put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor,
and evil speaking along with malice. I pray that he/she would
grow in kindness toward others, would be tenderhearted and
forgiving of others as God for Christ's sake has forgiven
him/her (Ephesians 4:31-32).
Father,
I pray that he/she would develop a servant's heart. I ask
that he/she would be given a heart to serve others and not
himself/herself (Matthew 20:28).
God,
I ask that he/she will have a burning desire to share the
gospel with others. Make him/her into a powerful witness of
the Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give him/her a vision for the
world and a heart to support missions (Matthew 28:19-20;
Acts 1:8).
Father,
I ask that You would grant him/her the desire and commitment
to be an active part of Your Son's church. I plead that he/she
will know his/her spiritual gifts and will use them for Your
glory and for the building up of Your Son's church (Hebrews
10:25; 1 Corinthians 12).
Lord,
I plead that You would deal with anything in his/her life
that would hinder or be destructive to his/her marriage. Enable
him/her to overcome sins or character weaknesses that might
do damage to the marriage relationship and to the children
(Psalm 147:3, Galatians 5:22-23).
Lord
God, I pray that he/she will love You with all his/her heart,
soul, mind, and strength. Cause him/her to worship and serve
no other God but You. Never allow anything to become more
important to him/her than You (Matthew 22:37-38; Exodus
20:1-3; 1 John 5:21).
Father,
I plead that he/she will love others as himself/herself. Create
within him/her a compassion and a concern for others (Matthew
22:39).
.....Your
prayers can have a significant impact on the kind of person
that your child marries. They can also bring changes in the
person to whom your child is already married. It is not that
you should pray for the perfect mate for your child. It is
that you should pray for your child to marry someone who is
becoming all God wants him or her to be.
Dr. Kevin
Meador © 2001...............CLICK
HERE to view a MS WORD version of this guide.
|
