Get a free printable list of powerful marriage blessings and Bible verses to pray for marriages. We pray for our children’s marriages with these marriage prayers and blessings. May this collection give you special words to pray for marriages in your life–your’s or someone else’s! Be inspired with biblical principles that foster good marriages and strong families .
A blessing is the profound act of willing and speaking good into the life of another person. One of the most well-known blessings in the Bible is found in Numbers 6:22-26:
The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
“‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’
In this passage, God stresses the importance of blessing others with his presence and goodness. In Living in Christ’s Presence, Dallas Willard explains, “Blessing is the projection of good into the life of another. It isn’t just words. It’s the actual putting forth of your will for the good of another person.” It is the gift of willing the good of another in the presence of God. (affiliate link at no cost to you0.
The Importance of Praying for Marriage
We’ve just returned from our son’s wedding. I’m still basking in the afterglow. I catch myself reliving the sacred moments as I enjoy the pictures again and again. In a short time, our family has doubled as all three children enter into sacred unions to form families of their own.
- Our son enters more deeply into manhood as a husband, promising to love, cherish, and provide for his beautiful bride.
- Our daughters leave days of adolescence and childhood behind receiving new names as they become wives.
- Three couples begin the process of building a life together in the care and keeping of God,
God reminds me of the many years we’ve prayed for each of our children’s spouses, even before they were born. Through the years, we’ve asked God to nurture, protect, and bless each future husband or wife. With a grateful heart, I rejoice witness the fulfillment of these prayers as three young couples stand before God, committing to love one another for a lifetime.
Now the shimmer of the wedding celebrations settles into the daily choices and challenges of building a godly marriage. It is no small matter to merge two distinct personalities, histories, and lifestyles together. In the days to come, each partner will discover many new things about their beloved and themselves as they learn the art of loving well. Though many days will be filled with joy, they will also face challenges that require patience and sacrifice. (photo credit below: @zachbradleyphotography)
Scripture Can Help Us Pray for Marriages to Receive God’s Blessing
Though many of these Bible verses are not specifically marriage verses, they address character, words, and actions that grow faith and foster healthy relationships. The Bible teaches us much about how to love one another which is foundational for strong and godly marriages.
Each passage includes concepts that I have prayed for my own marriage through the past thirty-four years. They are underlined in my Bible, many of which I memorized over the years to help me remember to apply them to my life. They have shaped my faith and guided me as a wife.
Now I pray these verses as a blessing for my children and their spouses. I hope it will inspire you to bless the marriages of your loved ones with God’s favor and provision. (I have written these prayers to bless my children, but you can change the pronouns to pray for your own marriage. You will find both versions in The Marriage Blessing download available with this post.)
20 Powerful Blessings and Bible Verses to Pray for Marriages
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Lord, it is no small thing to bring two families together through marriage. Help our children to joyfully establish their own households. Blend the best of each background into a beautiful new family. Bless our children as they look to each other for the things Mom and Dad used to provide. Teach them what it means to be one flesh as you bring a healthy and holy unity to their relationship. Inspire our children to invite you into the transition of becoming one. Lead and guide them into what that looks like in the reality of establishing a home in daily tasks such as getting to work on time, making decisions, and cooking dinner.
Matthew 6:33-34
But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Lord, teach our children to look to you to meet every need rather than worry about provisions. Whether the need is spiritual or physical, show them you are faithful to provide the needs of each day.
Mark 10:9
What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.
Lord, in today’s world there are many things that can destroy a marriage. I pray for protection over this marriage. Let nothing and no one separate the two precious hearts you have brought together.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Lord, give our children hearts to obey your command to love one another. Deepen their understanding and experience of your love for them in a way that changes the way they love each other.
Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Lord, pour out your love on this marriage through the power of the Holy Spirit. May they each pursue knowing you with purpose and passion. Equip them with the gift of your Spirit that is the true hope of a healthy and happy marriage. Bless our children with the power of your love working in their hearts.
Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. . .
Lord, help our children to be devoted to one another in friendship and love that grows stronger through the years. Help them to honor one another, putting the other person first. May they cherish one another, seeking ways to honor each other on a daily basis.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. . .
Lord, guide them on the days when love doesn’t come easily. When conflict, disagreements, or differences divide, remind them to stop and pray. Let love calm strong emotions and reconcile misunderstandings. Move them to respond with love rather than react with pride, anger, or frustration. Help them to work out issues rather than harbor resentment. Give them humble hearts that don’t insist on their way or have to say the last word. May they always love with faith and hope that strengthens them with endurance during difficult days. Build a healthy relational foundation with your unconditional love that never fails.
Galatians 5:22-23a
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. . .
Lord, bless their home with joy and laughter for a lifetime of sweet memories. Bless them with the fruit of your Spirit to build a strong foundation for a long and healthy marriage. May they always express the fruit of Your Spirit with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Draw their hearts close to yours and teach them to depend your resources for selfless love and faithfulness.
Galatians 5:25-26
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Lord, may our children desire to live in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Be their leader and guide as they depend on you to not give into the flesh patterns such as pride, strife, and envy.
Ephesians 4:1-3
Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Lord, let your calling inspire our children to love each other with gentleness and patience, committing to prioritize unity and peace in marriage. May they always seek to please you with attitudes, words, and actions. Help them to act with integrity and faithfulness, especially when they struggle to get along. Bless them with unity as they schedule plans, make decisions, adjust to changes, and navigate conflicts. Don’t let disagreements place them on opposite sides, fighting against each other rather than for each other.
May each one embrace US over ME, making WE more important than the momentary difference.
Ephesians 4:14-16
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Lord, though this passage isn’t written for marriages, I pray that you will help our children continue to mature in faith and godly character. Help them to grow spiritually as they grow in marriage. Let their conversations be truthful and motivated with love. Cultivate their unique personalities, gifts, skills, and temperaments into a beautiful, strong, and healthy relationship that is a valuable part of the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:26-27
Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.
Lord, teach our children how to process anger without sinful attitudes, reactions, or actions. Navigating powerful emotions like anger is one of the great challenges of living together. Help them to work through anger productively, not allowing bitterness, resentment, or division give the enemy opportunity to weaken their relationship.
Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
Lord, give our children the self-control to guard their speech. Let this verse become a filter for how to communicate well. Help them to build the holy habit of being purposeful with words to build one another up. Give them a check in their spirit before venting words that can tear down their relationship.
Ephesians 4:31-32
All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Lord, may kindness and compassion be the normal for their marriage. Help them to guard their marriage with forgiving hearts, always remembering their own need for forgiveness. Equip them with healthy communication skills to work through discord.
Colossians 3:12-17
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Lord, help our children to pursue love and godly character with energy, faith, and intention. Motivate them to seek you first in all things as you work in their hearts. Let unity, kindness, and gratitude create a oneness in marriage that only comes from your Spirit. Give them the desire to abide in your word, growing in wisdom and godliness that infuses all they do.
1 Thessalonians 13:12
May the Lord cause you to increase and overflow in love for one another. . .
Lord, bind hearts in love as only you can. Deeper, wider, true, and higher—let your love increase and abound in this marriage. Let love for you and for each other grow stronger in each season of life.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Lord, give our children a holy boldness to depend on your power, love, and discipline to work within their marriage. Don’t let fear keep them from doing what is right or working through challenges. Help them to trust you when uncertainty or trials stir up worry and fear.
Hebrews 10:24
Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. . .
Lord, let this couple inspire one another to show love to each other and to others as a consistent way of living. Give them generous hearts to do good deeds and seek to be a blessing in all they do.
1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Lord, give our children ears to listen to the heart, the unspoken words and deeper emotions that are often unsaid. Help them make the most of the good and the least of each other’s faults or weaknesses. Let love be the priority as they make daily choices to love in practical ways. When sin creeps in, may reconciliation be the goal that wins the argument.
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.
Lord, thank you for this marriage. Strengthen our children with the power of your Spirit to be filled with the fullness of your loving Holy Spirit. You are the source of all they need to thrive in live, love, and marriage. May they come to know your love more deeply in ways that empower them to love each other in the faith and fullness of your Spirit. I ask you to bless their marriage above and beyond the words of my hopes and prayers for my children. Fulfill your beautiful purpose in bringing these two people together in love. Be glorified through this marriage with a legacy of faith that continues to future generations.
10 Ways to Use this List of Blessings and Bible Verses to Pray for Marriage
Whether you are praying for your child’s marriage or for your own, there are a variety of ways to use this list. Consider the following ideas or come up with a few of your own. Get the free printable list of Bible verses and prayers to make the most of this practical list to pray for marriages in your life.
- Pray through the entire list on a yearly or monthly basis.
- Meditate on one verse a day or one per week.
- Share specific verses in cards or texts for your spouse or child.
- Use verses as journal prompts for reflection or written prayers.
- Add to the list with additional verses and prayers.
- Discuss how you might apply these truths in relationships.
- Explore the verses as part of a family Bible study on marriage or relationships.
- Reflect on verses with God to identify areas for personal growth and transformation.
- Memorize a few verses so you don’t forget to apply them.
- Add verses to wedding photo album.
What other ways could you use this list to pray for marriages and relationships in your family? Be sure to share your ideas in the comments below!
Get the Printable Version of This Post on Praying for Marriage
Share the Gift of Marriage Prayers and Blessings
As you will the good of your family in the presence of God, I hope you will be inspired to love whole-heartedly in your own relationships as well. Look forward to seeing God’s gift of love working in the marriages you support in prayer. Do you have a favorite blessing or Scripture to pray for marriage? Do you know someone newly married or a couple seeking to revitalize their relationship? Share this post or the link for the printable list to encourage them as they seek to cultivate a healthy and happy life together.
Photo credits for the images in this post.
I’m thrilled to share a few photos from my children’s weddings in this post. Photo credits are in order of the photos in the post.
- Josh Tournemille
- Zach Bradley Photography
- @SydneyTobinPhoto
More Posts to Deepen Prayer in Your Life
- When Bad News Becomes a Call to Intercession
- How to Stay Focused in Prayer
- Powerful Prayers for God’s Direction for our Children
- Powerful Truth Gives Direction for Our Children
- 8 Powerful Ways to Connect with God When He Is Silent
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