pray for your marriage (even if you're not married yet)

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While we've only been in the marriage boat for a little over a year, one of the biggest things that has been impressed upon me was to pray for my marriage. I am a big believer in the power of prayer. I know that God answers our prayers, even when we don't realize it and often in a different way than we think, but He still does. We pray for so many things for healing, forgiveness, direction, peace and most of the time those are in reaction to something else going on in our lives. And those things are important. But one thing I've learned is the importance of proactive prayer in marriage.

What would happen if we all prayed for our husbands and our marriages every day, even the days when it feels like everything is going just right and there isn't much to pray about. It's still important and it's just as important on those days as it is on the hard days. We can't be with or protect our husbands all the time, nor should we, but we can pray for them.

Praying for our husbands each day is one of the best gifts we can  offer them as a wife. God knows what they need far better than we do. This world is crying out for strong marriages and one of my greatest hopes in life is that I can be a part of that. I want to be able to look back and say that I did the best I could to keep my marriage healthy. And praying is crucial way to do that. It puts my marriage into God's hands instead of my own.

So what if you're not married? Still pray. Pray for your future marriage, for your future spouse and for a heart that is open to what God has in store for you in this area in your life.

One thing that helped me understand the importance of praying for my marriage was the book The Power of a Praying Wife. I received a copy of this as a wedding gift and I appreciate the insight the author offers. While prayer can be a difficult topic for some, the author does a good job of explaining how prayer can positively affect your marriage. It's a pretty easy read and even though I've read the through whole book, I still enjoy going back and reading the prayers over and over.

If reading is not your thing, that is perfectly fine. But I still want to encourage you, especially newly married couples, to pray for one another. Protecting your marriage through prayer will have an eternal effect and hopefully bring more joy and love to each day.