We need more prayer for relationships strengthening. Period.
As I started writing this I realized it needs to be in two parts. This is actually part 2: What to pray for your relationship to become strengthened.
Over 20 years of marriage, I’ve learned that prayer changes things. No matter what your situation looks like today, prayer can breathe life back into your marriage.
That is why we need to know what to pray and how to make a prayer strategy that is specific to your specific relationship!
Part 1 was an emergency guide. It turned each of the 17 areas we will cover below into specific prayers for relationships!
Pst. Are you in the thick of it and just need the prayers? Click this link ~~~> Guided Prayer for Relationships in 17 Areas
How To Use A Prayer For Relationships Strengthening
Every day I am asked to stand with someone in prayer for a relationship.
Most often, I am asked for a prayer to fix a relationship or prayers for blessings and peace. They ask because I share how the Lord works to change things in my own marriage.
My favorite emails are those who are writing back to let me know how God moved.
Sometimes we just need a prayer for relationships strengthening to get us started…
Sometimes we just need someone standing with us in prayer for a loved one… Knowing that we are not alone in this struggle makes all the difference!
I will tell you what I tell each person I counsel.
- You must know what God says about prayer.
- Then hold Him to those promises.
Do you know what God says about prayer?
How Do I Ask God To Strengthen My Relationship?
There is something more important than knowing a specific prayer for the one I love. We must know what God says about prayer in general before we start looking for exact wording.
The Scripture says we are to pray about everything (Philippians 4:6-7) and to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). But there are other specific instructions to help our prayers be powerful.
Scripture About A Strong Prayer Life
- Keep a short sin list so you are a righteous person.
“The powerful prayer of a righteous man availith much“ (James 5:16 NASB)
- Ask others to pray with you.
“Where two or more are gathered together in my name I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20 NASB)
- Pray in Jesus name.
“ And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 NASB)
- Pray what is in God’s will.
- Find Bible verses in context that address your concerns.
“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14-15 NASB)
These are some solid rules for praying powerful prayers. Maybe rules isn’t the best word… guidelines…
A prayer life noted by these things will be powerful. That’s what I’m trying to say!
What is a Powerful Prayer for a Strong Relationship?
At the beginning of my relationship with Bud, I was looking for short prayers. A short prayer for couples is something you can say in a breath.
“Lord, help us.”
“Heavenly Father, save our marriage.”
Things like that made up most of my prayer life until I began to read my Bible differently. Instead of a confusing novel, it became more like an instruction manual. Talk about life-changing!
In the Bible, God answers prayer!
It stands to reason then, that there are specific instructions – about how to pray prayers God will answer – in the Scriptures.
Specifically, I was searching for:
- Prayer for a relationship with a specific person
- Prayer for relationship healing
- Miracle prayer for love relationship
- Relationship prayers for couples
- Prayers for marriage restoration
- Prayer for relationship guidance
- Testimonies of God restoring relationships
- Prayer for love to come back
Feels exhausting doesn’t it!?
So I set out to find those answers in Scripture but was met with disappointment.
Relationships In Scripture Are Not Perfect
What I found were NOT specific prayers for relationship strengthening… sad. No, what I found were examples of hope.
You see, the Bible is filled with all sorts of relationships… none are perfect relationships.
There are courtships, friendships, marriages, enemies and so much more. They are all displayed in the Scriptures. Not one relationship was perfect or without struggle.
Seeing this helped me understand so much about relationships. The relationship itself can not be the goal of our prayer life.
Let me repeat that. The relationship itself can NOT be the goal of our prayer life!
No, our goal must be drawing nearer to the Lord and praying for the other person to draw nearer to the Lord.
When offering a prayer for relationships Strengthening, our goal must be drawing nearer to the Lord and praying for the other person to draw nearer to the Lord. Share on XHow Do I Pray to God To Restore My Relationship?
We don’t see a clear president in the Scriptures to pray for God to restore our relationships.
What do we see?
How are we to pray?
Relationships are messy. Many times relationships get broken and people are left hurting.
Doesn’t God care about broken relationships?
Absolutely! God cares. He gave His life to restore our relationship with Himself. God is a relational being!
But the focus of His love for us is not our comfort or happiness. (Read that again… let it sink in)
- God cares about our holiness and righteousness.
- He wants us to grow and bear fruit.
- He wants us to forgive others and be less easily offended.
In the Bible, the healthiest relationships are those where both individuals are walking in the will of God.
How can we pray into that? How can we pray for relationships to be strengthened?
Pray for Salvation and Spiritual Growth
How do I ask God to strengthen my relationship? A prayer for relationships strengthening starts with faith!
- Pray for salvation if the other person is lost.
- Pray for spiritual growth for you both.
Our relationship will be stronger when we are both growing in faith and bearing fruit.
Pray About Areas of Known Sin as a Prayer for Relationships Strengthening
Many times, when helping wives create a prayer strategy, they begin by asking for “relationship prayers for couples” but I shift them to making lists.
Why do you need to make lists?
Most relationship trouble is really sin trouble.
Until we get very honest about the sin in our lives, nothing will change.
You have sin just like I do… just like your partner does.
I would wager that you can list their sin much faster than you can list your own sin. That is a fine place to begin.
- Make a list of every area of sin you know your pattern is struggling with.
- Find Bible verses about those areas of sin.
- Write those verses out as prayers.
When you wake in the night, pray through those things. I keep them in a journal by my bed to make it easier.
Related Post: How to Create a Prayer Garden in Your Backyard
Pray For Yourself
Just like your partner has sin, you have sin. A prayer for relationships strengthening begins with a prayer for yourself.
If you can’t think of the areas of sin you actively struggle with, begin by praying right here.
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10 NASB)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NASB)
The Lord will show you the areas where you have sin struggles.
Confess them. Do not excuse them!
Agree with the Lord that they are sinful. Agree with Him that they are part of the problem in the relationship.
Find verses about how to live in victory from those sin issues. Praying through Scripture is a powerful way to break the chains of sin in your life and find freedom!
A prayer for relationships strengthening is filled with Scripture!
Related Resource: 10-Day Marriage Communication Workshop
How To Pray for The Restoration of a Relationship
So far we’ve seen that prayer for relationship strengthening is really a prayer for spiritual growth.
Praying for the people we love to love the Lord and walk closer to Him is the best way to strengthen any relationship!
But what about when relationships are broken or damaged and what you really need is healing and restoration?
How can we pray for the restoration of a relationship? These are the areas I pray into when relationships are damaged.
- What does God say about the relationship?
- What is the root problem?
- How can I forgive and make amends?
- Are there ways to rebuild trust?
- How can I better wait on the Lord?
What Does God Say About Relationships?
Most of the time people use the word “relationship”, they are talking about a romantic partner so we will focus on that.
God has a specific plan for what a godly relationship looks like. To work through a prayer for relationships strengthening we must start with this!
- A godly romantic relationship is between one man and one woman. (Matthew 19:4-9)
- Romantic partners must be equally yoked. (2 Corinthians 6:14)
- Abuse is not allowed. (Malachi 2:13-16)
- Flee sexual sin. (1 Corinthians 6:18)
- Love and respect are key. (Ephesians 5:33)
Before we see specific prayers for relationships strengthening let’s dig deeper into different romantic relationships.
Dating Relationships
I want to be honest and gentle with you. When I am asked for relationship prayers for a boyfriend, I immediately ask lots of follow-up questions.
Is he saved?
Is he growing in the same way and level of maturity that you are growing?
What is at the root of the brokenness?
Is there abuse? Is there addiction? Has there been infidelity?
Are you sexually involved?
Most of the time a woman will fight just as hard to save a dating relationship as she would to save a marriage.
But so often, what I see is a relationship that should not continue. Many times we are fighting for a partner who would not make a good godly spouse according to God’s design.
I want to look you firmly in the eye and remind you that there is no covenant yet.
You can step away from this and wait for the partner God has for you. There is a good godly partner for you. Wait!
If you pursue saving this relationship and marry this person when there were so many red flags while dating it will only be worse when married.
Marriage does not fix the brokenness.
Marriage will not be “the thing” you are hoping for if your partner is not who the Bible calls you to pursue.
Related Post: How To Fight For My Unequally Yoked Marriage
Praying for an Ungodly Spouse
But maybe it’s too late for that talk.
Maybe you married a partner that wasn’t God’s best or in line with the Scripture’s standard. If so, and you are here, by now, the marriage is difficult or completely broken.
The prayer for relationships strengthening you will need here is the prayer for salvation and Spiritual maturity.
If you are married and there is no abuse or infidelity, you are committed to this relationship.
God is so good and many spouses have won their lost or backslidden spouse back to faith. There is hope. But I can’t sugarcoat the fact that your marriage will struggle because you are walking at different places on the path of faith.
Prayer will be your most powerful weapon to build a healthy relationship over the long run.
Praying for the Hurting Spouse
Other times, you waited, and found the right partner, but then life got challenging. When life has just been tough sometimes your partner falls away from the Lord, or stops growing.
It those seasons it is our responsibility to keep fighting for them in prayer. When they are hurting and struggling, our prayers over the specific areas where there is hurt can be powerful weapons against the enemy!
Our prayers help us remember who the real enemy is and fight the real battle.
Even then, however, we have to remember not to just pray ABOUT our partner to God… complaining about all their faults and failures. No, we must be praying FOR them, for the burdens they are carrying, for the questions they are wrestling with, for the faith they are losing.
A great prayer for relationships strengthening is a prayer to see our spouse as God sees them!
Related Post: How to Create a Prayer Strategy That Will Change Every Thing
Finding the Root of the Struggle: A Prayer for Relationships Strengthening
No matter whether you are in a good godly relationship or if you jumped into a difficult one with an unsaved or struggling spouse, sin is still at the root.
If your partner is unsaved, you are praying for their salvation. However, you can still be praying over areas of sin! God can work miraculously to change people through the intercessory prayers of others!!!! I’ve lived that!
And if your spouse is saved, it is even more effective to pray over areas of sin in their lives.
Here are a few that I have already worked through on the site to help you start praying a Scripture-filled Prayer for relationships strengthening in areas of sin.
- Lust
- Pornography
- Gambling
- Gossip
- Jealousy
- Pride
- Anger
Pray About Forgiveness
As a community, we have walked through the power of forgiving others and refusing to be easily offended.
Unforgiveness is the number one issue blocking our prayer lives and stopping relationships from being strong.
Unforgiveness brings resentment and bitterness into our relationships. With those two thugs calling the shots, communication breaks down, intimacy disappears and relationships crumble. We have to be intentional to forgive!
We have to pray for our spouse to be a forgiving person!
Related Post: Free Bible Study On Forgiveness and Reconciliation: 10 Steps
Pray to Build Trust: A Prayer For Relationships Strengthening
A great prayer for relationship strengthening is a prayer to build trust. Weak relationships lack trust. Broken relationships are the result of broken trust.
When trust is broken, nothing else works. Rebuilding trust takes hard work. It takes heart work to open yourself up to trust again. It takes both parties being intentional to change.
Rebuilding trust is something that is easier with the power of the Holy Spirit invited into the situation! We need to pray for this.
Trust is rebuilt over time, through believable changes in behavior, repeated consistently.
That takes God’s hand! That is a powerful prayer for relationships strengthening!
Pray for Patience
Forgiveness, trust, and change from sin all take time… which requires patience. An amazing prayer for relationship strengthening is a prayer for patience.
My mom always warned me not to pray for patience. She claimed we only learn patience through trials.
But the truth is, if you are reading this, there are already trials. So praying for the Lord to help you be patient – while waiting for Him to change you and your spouse – would just be a wise use of the trial you are already in.
Right?
What is The Intercessory Prayer for Relationships?
Intercessory prayer is simply praying for others.
Actually, it is usually a passionate prayer for others. We see examples of people interceding for others all throughout Scripture.
- Jesus prayed for us when praying for His disciples (John 17:9-23).
- Daniel prayed for the nation of Israel, confessing sin and asking for direction (Daniel 9:7-19).
- Hezekiah prayed for the sins of the people before the Passover (2 Chronicles 30:18-19).
We are called to pray for everything. Also, we are called to pray for everyone.
When we are in relationships with others we have a more intimate knowledge of the areas where they struggle. We can intercede for them because of that knowledge.
What Areas Can We Intercede Over?
Anything the Lord draws to our minds can be prayed over.
- Salvation
- Spiritual growth
- Sin
- Character
- Friendship
- Work
- Future plans or dreams
- Health
Prayers for Long Distance Relationships
Years ago, a friend whose husband was stationed overseas, asked for a prayer for long-distance relationships. For her, I advised that she daily ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind anything that her husband was struggling with.
Soon after she shared her list:
- Loneliness
- Focus
- Hopelessness
- Safety
- Pornography
- Godly friends
- Male friends to keep him accountable
These are all things that the Scripture speaks about! She created a powerful prayer strategy for him while he was away!
Pray Blessings
While one way to intercede for others is to pray over areas of struggle, another is to pray for blessings. There are specific areas where the Lord promises blessings on His people.
- Wisdom
- Discernment
- To feel God’s love
- Peace
- Joy
- Strength
In fact, I love to use a morning prayer for blessings each day to cover my husband.
Morning Prayer for Blessings: Prayers for a Relationships Strengthening
Okay, I wanted to leave you with a few ideas for morning prayers for blessings that I love to work through as I wake.
Yes, as I wake. I want to always stay on the offensive in prayer for my spouse. The enemy has a dirty play book and he never rests! So when I wake I want to cover my husband in blessings before that snake begins to curse him.
Some areas you can pray through with confidence because there is ample Scripture are:
- Gratitude
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)
- Protection
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.” (Psalms 5:11 NIV)
- Joy
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)
- Wisdom
“ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5 NKJV)
A Guided List of Prayer for Relationships Strengthening with 33 Bible Verses
I know this was a long article. But when you are looking for a prayer for relationships strengthening you need a lot of resources.
Hopefully, you learned how to create your own prayer strategy for your specific relationship. And while you are creating it, you can feel free to use the prayers I’ve written in the 1st article here ~> Guided Prayer for Relationships in 17 Areas
As you walk through this difficult journey, just know you are not alone. I live in a difficult marriage and there is hope, joy, and peace most of the time… prayer is how it gets there!
Keep leaning into Him and seeking others along the path!
He will hold you together and we will love and encourage you through prayer and community!
in HIS love,
Tiffany of Hope Joy in Christ inspires Christian Women to grow in faith, live out Biblical Marriage Principles and raise Godly Children. Join the Wives Only Facebook Group here or keep up with her through Pinterest.
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