A Prayer For The Marriage Of A Son Or Daughter

A Prayer for the Marriage of a Son or Daughter

O God, we love

Because You first loved us.

And it’s that abiding love

That we as parents

Pray we have passed on to our child,

In our strengths and in our failings.

We pray that we have given them

Roots to grow from.

As this new couple journeys together

Toward You, O Lord,

Tend to their hearts.

Help them cultivate

A flourishing life together.

Help them nourish the soil

Of their relationship

So that they may embody

Love, joy, and peace,

Patience, kindness, and goodness,

Faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

As they prepare for marriage

And commit to each other,

May they know the gift

Of fully giving

And receiving.

Be with them as they

Enter into this partnership.

Wrap them in Your mercy;

Bind them with Your grace.

Give them strength

To admit their weaknesses.

Give them courage

To be vulnerable.

Give them light to cling to

When the road ahead is dark.

Give them a hand to hold

When thunder rumbles

And lightning cracks.

May their love be an offering

To each other

And to You.

May they bring their whole selves,

Even the broken parts,

To each other.

May they be gentle

As they hold each other’s fragile hearts.

May they be tender

As they hold each other’s breakable spirits.

Strengthen their relationship, O Lord,

As they bring together

The profoundly human

And the deeply sacred.

Give them words to express expectations

And call out beauty in each other.

Give them the gift of communication

And the ability to sit in silence with each other

When words won’t do.

May their marriage

And commitment to each other

Be patient,

Be gentle,

And be kind.

Bless their commitment

To be coadventurers,

Colaborers,

And cocreators

In life together,

Rooted in You.

Their souls

Will take many shapes

As seasons come.

Be near in the celebrations

And in the quiet doubts too.

May they walk in

Mutual submission to each other

And joint submission to Christ.

As they create their own family,

May they know they do not subtract

From their family of origin

But rather add to our vibrant tapestry

Of life together.

May they commit to being present with each other

And to pursuing their own gifts and callings too.

May they, together, love their neighbors

With hospitality and warmth.

Bring them encouragers for the journey too.

Give them laughter when they’re weary.

Give them openness when they don’t understand.

Give them hope when they’re tired.

May the challenging moments

Strengthen their bonds.

May they be a safe space

For the other to land

And heal from hurts.

Give them eyes to see each other

When darkness closes in.

Give them arms to catch each other

When one is too weak.

Give them voices to sing to each other

When one has forgotten the words.

May they be rooted

And established in love:

A love that speaks truth to each other,

A love that lays down weapons,

A love that honors,

A love that hopes,

A love that never fails.

Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 5:21; Ephesians 3:17-19