Praying for Godly Marriages

February Prayer Calendar

Marriage trends around the world are very complex. In many countries, adults are choosing not to marry. Cohabitation is on the rise, polygamy is still practiced, and abandonment and divorces are easy solutions for many. Sadly, some cultures continue to allow parents to force girls into marriages and permit older husbands to easily divorce these young brides who have no rights.

However, God’s view on marriage has not changed since creation. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). While sin has destroyed the purity of marriage, God continues to work in and through us to help build marriages that honor him. The ugliness of sexual immorality, pornography, greed, alcohol abuse, selfishness, abandonment, physical and verbal abuse, and other harmful behaviors create many barriers to strong, healthy marriages.  

Marriage, like any relationship between two people, involves determination and commitment. It takes enormous effort to develop a marriage relationship so that the two people mature individually and become closer through the joys and difficulties of life. Both spouses need to be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and take responsibility for their own attitudes and actions. We can’t change other people; we can only change ourselves.

For those who get married, whom they choose as life partners is one of the most important decisions they will ever make. Having the same worldview (culture, religion, etc.) will certainly make the process of two lives coming together as one much easier. It is also important to have common views regarding matters such as possessions, finances, children, education, and relationships with the extended family.

A strong commitment to God and a humble attitude of dependence on the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives can help strengthen marriage relationships so they honor God.