This short prayer for my marriage is written for the moments when you want to bring your husband or wife before God but do not know where to begin. Pray it in the morning before the day pulls you apart, at the end of a tense evening, or whenever you feel the distance growing. You can read it aloud exactly as written, or use it as a starting point and speak your own words where your heart needs them.
Short Prayer for My Marriage
Lord, thank You for bringing us together and for being the one who holds our marriage when we cannot hold it ourselves. You know the small irritations we carry, the words we wish we had not said, and the silences that have settled between us. Soften my heart toward my spouse. Help me listen before I defend myself, and give me the humility to say I am sorry when I have been wrong.
Father, protect our home from bitterness, comparison and the quiet habit of keeping score. Where we have grown tired of each other, renew our affection. Where money, work, children or worry have crowded out time for each other, show us what to set down and what to make room for. Help us laugh together again and remember why we chose each other.
Give us patience with each other’s weaknesses and gratitude for each other’s gifts. Guard our hearts from anyone or anything that would pull us away from our commitment to one another. Make our love steady, honest and kind, and let our marriage show something of Your faithfulness to the people who watch us. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Lord, bless my marriage today. Soften my heart toward my spouse, and help me speak with patience and kindness. Where we are tired or distant, draw us back to each other and to You. Protect what we have built together, and help us love well in the ordinary hours of this day. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
1 Corinthians 13:4-5
4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, 5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil…
(WEB)
Pray these words over your own habits in marriage. Ask God to make you patient and kind, and to free you from the urge to keep a record of wrongs against your spouse.
Ephesians 4:2-3
2 With all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love; 3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
(WEB)
Use this passage when the friction feels sharp. Ask for humility and gentleness, and for the determination to keep the peace that comes from being bound together in love.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up.
(WEB)
Pray this verse for the partnership you share. Thank God for the gift of companionship, and ask Him to help you lift each other when one of you stumbles.
Colossians 3:13
Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
(WEB)
Bring any unforgiveness you are holding to God as you pray this verse. Ask Him to help you extend to your spouse the same grace He has given you.
Proverbs 31:10-12
10 Who can find a worthy woman? For her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
(WEB)
Let this passage shape your prayers for faithfulness and trust. Ask God to help you be a source of goodness and encouragement to the person He has given you.
How to Pray This Prayer
Many couples find it helps to pray a short prayer like this in the same place at the same time each day, such as at the kitchen table after breakfast or in the car before getting out at work. Keep a pen near your Bible or on the nightstand so you can jot down a concern or a gratitude that comes up as you pray. Holding hands or resting a hand on your spouse’s shoulder can make the prayer feel shared rather than private.
If your spouse is not ready to pray with you, pray this prayer on your own and let it be a quiet offering for the marriage. You might also ask a trusted friend, mentor or pastor to pray for your marriage with you. Asking someone else to stand with you can remind you that you are not carrying the weight alone.
A Blessing to Close
May the Lord guard the heart of this marriage and fill it with patience, kindness and renewed affection. May He give each spouse grace to forgive, courage to be honest, and joy in the everyday companionship of a shared life. May the love they have promised grow deeper with every year.
