The music ushers the wedding party down the aisle. With a collective gasp of awe, we rise from our seats, beholding the radiant bride glide down the aisle. We are thrilled as she takes the hand of her groom. It isn’t too long before they are declared husband and wife. With joy and anticipation, they return back down the aisle and begin a grand adventure. We know God would ask us for our prayers for them as newlyweds. They will need our prayers as newlyweds.
Although we brought a gift, what better support could we give the newlyweds than to pray for them. They have begun a journey that is a lifelong journey of choosing selflessness and unconditional love. They need to turn to God who is the only one who can offer them consistent joy and happiness.
What better gift can we give the two lovebirds as they begin a new life together? They may or may not be anticipating the challenges ahead, but they will need God’s strength and wisdom to love each other well. Our prayers can make a difference as they attempt to grow closer emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Along with prayer, we can look for opportunities to share the wisdom of Scripture with newlyweds through spoken words, texts, notes, and of course, in prayer. Consider writing your prayers for the newlyweds in a journal that you can give them on their first anniversary. You can also include Bible verses by personalizing verses and passages as you write down your prayers for them. Here are good Bible verses to include in your prayers for the newlyweds.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. I John 4:10.
Father God, strengthen this couple to know that true love is sacrificial. They have only begun to know what selflessness is like. Help them.
We love because he first loved us. I John 4:19.
Father God, open their hearts to realize they can love their spouse because they are so perfectly loved by you.
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8.
Father God, I offer my prayers for these newlyweds to be able to receive your gracious love which then releases the expectation that their spouse should meet all their needs. Empower gracious responses because each one realizes they both are sinners and only you are capable of meeting all their needs.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39.
Father God, show them your strength that not only prevents separation from your love but also gives them confidence you can provide a strong commitment to keep their love strong.
Precious Lord, give this couple the strength to release any defensiveness which builds emotional walls between them.
Messiah Jesus and Lord, strengthen this couple to listen before speaking; to be able to release their own expectations of what their spouse should say.
Father God, open their eyes to be able to appreciate the efforts of their beloved even if the result isn’t perfect.
Dear Jesus, through the power of your Holy Spirit, hear my prayers for these newlyweds and strengthen them to release their anger. Help them see that anger doesn’t bring the results they want.
Almighty God, hear my prayers for these newlyweds and teach them how to understand the needs of their spouses.
Holy Spirit, at whatever point this precious couple is tempted to withdraw and shut down their emotions, give them the confidence to risk sharing their hearts.
Loving God, teach this new husband and wife to forgive even if the other doesn’t acknowledge their sin or insensitivity.
Lord God Almighty, if these newlyweds have any financial difficulties, give them the faith to know you already know how you are going to lead them to freedom from debt.
Gracious Jesus, remind this new couple that while on earth, you were kind and gentle with those who responded in fear or lack of faith. Hear my prayers for this newlywed couple to have the courage to admit their own struggles so that they can help each other.
Father God, stir within these newlyweds a passion for praying together. Their lives are going to be so much more complex now and thoughts of praying together might be hindered. You know their expectations of how their spiritual life is going to be. If either one of them is unhappy by unfulfilled desires, give them grace toward the other. Build each one’s communication skills to share vulnerably and honestly but with no accusation. Give both such confidences in your ability to change the other that both can speak their hearts wisely and lovingly, especially giving thanks and credit for the efforts of the other. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Lord, only you know fully the spiritual desires and what each one thought would come so easily to their married relationship. Help them uncover those hidden beliefs and turn them over to you. Draw each one to your promises in your Word that you know exactly the plans you have for this relationship—plans for their good and your glory (Jeremiah 29:11). Open their hearts to honestly face how their desires may not be your hopes for them. I pray for this newlywed couple in faith and trust through the Name of Jesus. Amen.
My God, hear my prayers for these newlyweds who have begun a strange new journey of life. Invariably they will realize the ideas they had of their new spouse aren’t all that they expected. Each one may be tempted to try to change the other. Because of lack of faith in you, each one may think it’s up to him or her to convince, connive, even manipulate the other into behavior and beliefs they think are best.
Faithful God, you know how you created males and females differently and how they are alike. You designed the husband to want to fix the problems for his wife. You designed the wife to want to be heard before being offered a solution. Hear my prayers for these newlyweds as they have only begun the journey of learning how you have made male and female—distinct and unique. And yet, Lord, you have created them to want what every person wants: love, security, significance, and attention.
Teach this precious new unified pair the strength and desire to give grace when there are misunderstandings. To resist feeling threatened when their spouse looks at a situation different than them. Give a confidence from you that is willing to actually see the benefits of their spouse’s different perspective. Remind them you knew what you were doing when you intertwined them even though they depend upon different goals for life. You want them to grow emotionally and spiritually with the input from their beloved. Thank you for hearing my prayers for this valued couple. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Precious Lord, I’ll be honest. Right now, it seems like what I expected from marriage isn’t being fulfilled. I confess I’m disappointed and thought my spouse loved me by knowing what I would like. Please teach us how to love each other in godly and attentive ways. Help me to release my expectations which I acknowledge can be unrealistic. Give me faith to know that your Spirit will help us grow in our ability to sacrificially love each other in deeper and deeper ways. I’m asking you, Father, to help us. I trust you want to do that. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Lord, I finally love this man you’ve given me the way I’m supposed to—with all my heart and soul. I want to do life with him, grow old with him, rock grandchildren with him. Bring him home to me every time he leaves. Walk ahead of him. Keep him safe—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Take care of him. Amen. — Lori Freeland
Heavenly Father, I confess to you that I allowed anger to gain control over me, and I verbally wounded my beloved. Please forgive me. Please empower my new spouse to forgive me. I need your help to discover the underlying reasons for my outbursts. I’m frightened when it feels like I’m voiceless. That my opinions don’t matter. Dear Jesus, I’m depending upon you to help me know I am loved completely, and you hear me and consider valuable my opinion. Even if my new spouse can’t fully hear my desire to have my thoughts and desires considered important, you know everything about me and value me. Help me to understand how my spouse must be wanting the same thing from me. I’m trusting in you for this because I know your love for us never wavers. In Jesus’ Name, I pray with faith, Amen.
Lord God Almighty, you know our financial situation. Maybe we married too soon, or maybe we didn’t, but you want to help us now regardless. We need your strength to have self-control. We need your godly perspective to see happiness doesn’t come from our purchases. I’m upset because my beloved doesn’t seem to understand that. I need your instruction in how to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). It’s so hard for me to share my opinion and then release the results to you. Give me confidence that as newlyweds, we are only beginning to learn how to support each other in the right ways. Teach us both. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are completely worthy of our trust. As my spouse and I commit ourselves to being trustworthy with each other, empower us by Your Spirit. Grant us grace when we fail. And bless us, we pray, with joy and confidence as we make trustworthiness a priority. Amen. —Dr. James Dobson
Lord, on their wedding day, may every word spoken and every precious token remind them of the One who holds all things together and who makes all things good. Together as this couple stands side by side, and hand in hand, hold them tightly and never let them go. Fill their hearts with unceasing gratitude. Be their vision, their strength, and their constant companion.—Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Abba, these precious newlyweds want everything perfect in these first few hours of celebrating their union. I pray for this couple to be able to be flexible if something goes wrong. Empower them to enjoy every moment even if everything isn’t perfect. Help them give grace not only to each other but to others who may disappoint them. Amen.
Dear God, please smooth out any conflicts between the families of this newly married couple. Hear my prayers for these newlyweds to keep their eyes on each other and you. Teach them how to leave and cleave as they form a new family unit as Genesis 2:24 says. Amen.
Father, if there are any nervous moments for the bride and groom, please cover the couple with Your peace and comfort. Let them know of the love and support of family and friends. Amen.—Melissa Henderson
My husband, Larry, and I have been married for over 50 years and sometimes we reflect on the special day of our wedding with great fondness and some laughter. Little did we know what God had in store for us—which included our spiritual growth through the means of misunderstandings, struggles, challenges, losses, and gains.
Over these many years since then, we know that many have prayed for us, especially our parents and other wise mentors as the years went along. We are thrilled that we can now support through our prayers those who are beginning the joy and challenges of married life. We think of our prayers for newlyweds as beautiful gifts that continue blessings them over many years. God remembers them all.
Related resources: God’s Intriguing Questions: 60 New Testament Devotions Revealing Jesus’s Nature by Kathy Collard Miller and Larry Miller. This book will draw together the hearts of newly married couples as it offers a daily spiritual exercise with biblical insights, two questions they can share their answers, and also a short prayer.
Whispers of My Heart: Daughters of the King Bible Study Series by Kathy Collard Miller. This write-in Bible study is appropriate for married couples to study prayer and pray for each other and their concerns.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Drew Coffman
She also is an internationally traveled speaker and loves to share the hope of heart change, abundant living, and eternal life. She has been Larry’s wife since 1970, and is a mom of two and grandma of two. Website/blog: www.KathyCollardMiller.com Instagram: @KathyCollardMiller. Twitter: @KathyCMiller.
This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Prayers for Healing
Morning Prayers
Prayers for Family
Prayers for Surgery
Prayers for Strength
Night Prayers Before Bed
Prayers for Protection
The Lord's Prayer: Our Father