The wedding that’s caught my attention this year isn’t the one most people were talking about early last month. I’m focused on one a little closer to home—my son’s. Since the time he was in the womb, we’ve prayed for the woman God had in mind for him and are absolutely delighted with His choice!
No matter how young or old your child may be, NOW is the time to pray for their future mate. I don’t understand (and please don’t ask me to explain!) what occurs in the spiritual realm when we intercede in prayer and how that affects what’s happening in our lives or others’—but I do know we’ve been given these instructions:
“Devote yourselves to prayer . . . praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door . . .” (Col. 4:1–3).
“Pray for one another . . . The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).
With that in mind, I thought I’d share a few things you might consider as you pray for your child’s future mate:
- Ask God to open their eyes to the gospel and bring them to salvation at an early age (2 Cor. 4:3–6)
- Pray that his/her heart would be completely captivated by the beauty of Christ (Luke 10:39, 42)
- Ask God to establish him/her in truth and spiritual discernment (Ephesians 5:6–13; Colossians 1:9–12; 2:8)
- Pray for him/her to live the crucified life (Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:1–2)
- Pray for him/her to love purity and flee immorality (2 Timothy 2:19–22; Ephesians 5:3–5)
- Ask God to surround him/her with means for spiritual training and growth (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15–17)
- Pray for the cultivation of spiritual fruit in his/her life (Galatians 5:16–26)
In addition to praying for our children and their mates, we need to ask God to work in our own hearts as well. We need Him to prepare us to receive them in loving acceptance as new members of our family.
How have you seen God answer your prayers for your child’s future mate?
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