It's "Marriage Prayer Friday!"

This online dedication to praying for marriage is becoming a cherished weekly event here on the Walk Right In Ministries blog! It started out of concern and compassion for struggling marriages along with conviction that God WILL bring BREAKTHROUGH. Larry and I want to thank you for coming alongside one another in this way. It is really a privilege to witness the power of the Holy Spirit using Christ-centered community to encourage, comfort and strengthen marriages and families. Even when we don't know one another's name or situations, God hears our collective voices and delights that we stand in agreement that this is a valuable process and we, together, TRUST HIM!

A prayer for your own marriage—

HEAVENLY FATHER, thank you for the abundance I inherit as your adopted son/daughter. You have purchased my freedom, you reveal the mysteries of Christ to me, and you shower me with kindness, wisdom and understanding. As a child of God, I enjoy certain rights and privileges to experience Your blessings, Lord. But as a spouse, I often need to waive my rights and be a servant of grace to my husband/wife. Sometimes that seems to come at great cost, pain or sacrifice, Lord, and I desperately need Your wisdom and strength. God please help me to be clear in my understanding about healthy, godly boundaries while trusting You to be my Protector and Advocate when I feel hurt, violated or misunderstood. Your word reminds me that I can be quiet and still because You are at work on behalf of your precious children (Exodus 14:14). Season my attitude toward my spouse with respect. Show me how to yield to Your ways of loving my husband/wife and keep me from stubbornly holding onto my own perspectives about what I might “deserve.” Bring new freedom of expression and affection into my marriage, Lord Jesus, that I might be both a giver and receiver of Your good gifts through my relationship with this precious man/woman given to me in marriage. I say this in Jesus holy name. AMEN

Something to pray for a friend's marriage—

HEAVENLY FATHER, thank you for the abundance inherited by Your sons and daughters. You have purchased our freedom, you reveal the mysteries of Christ to us, and you shower us with kindness, wisdom and understanding. As children of God, we enjoy certain rights and privileges to experience Your blessings, Lord. But in marriage, it is often necessary to waive rights and be a servant of grace to a husband/wife. I carry names of married friends to You right now, Lord, knowing that some of them are experiencing great loss of things they deserve in their marriages. God, please grant clarity, discernment and discipline where healthy, godly boundaries are needed. But also reassure my friends that they can trust You to be their Protector and Advocate. Your word reminds us that we can be quiet and still because You are at work on behalf of your precious children (Exodus 14:14). Season my friends' attitudes toward their spouses with respect. Show them how to yield to Your ways of loving each other and keep them from stubbornly holding onto their own perspectives about what they might “deserve.” Bring new freedom of expression and affection into these marriages, Lord Jesus. Help my friends, both husbands and wives, to be givers and receivers of Your good gifts through their relationships with each other. I say this in Jesus holy name. AMEN