For where two or more are gather in my name, there am I with them. -Matthew 18:20

You may be wondering why I chose to write a devotional on marriage on a health and wellness website. Well, I truly believe that every area of our life has the potential to make an impact on our well being, but most definitely the most important relationship in this life, which is marriage. For this reason, I felt the Lord prompting me to share about how God has transformed my own marriage by His grace, and how the power of prayer has radically blessed the relationship between my husband and I. But first, let me tell you a little bit about my husband and I, and how we met...

I met my husband when I was 16 years old at our high school homecoming dance. I was the new girl in town, and I got asked to go to the dance with his best friend. It didn't take long before I noticed Sean, and he had his eye on me as well. Let's just say that his best friend was pretty bummed out when I ended up spending most of the night talking to Sean... and the rest was history! We ended up dating all through my junior and senior year of high school and all through college.

After almost seven years of dating (and the year before I graduated from nursing school), Sean proposed to me. He surprised me by flying out to Orlando, Florida, where I was on a spring break trip with my family. One night my family and I went to Disney's Cinderella castle for dinner. As I was being seated, out of the corner of my eye I saw my prince walking towards me! He got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride...to which I responded, "Well of course!"

After five years of marriage, I can honestly say that this was the best 'yes' I've ever said, (outside of giving my heart and life to Jesus). On August 8, 2009 (the summer after I graduated from nursing school) we got married, and embarked on our life-long journey together.

As wonderful, exciting, and blessed as our journey has been so far, there have also been some really hard days, seasons, and trials that have come our way. This may come as a shock to some people, because let's face it, the hard times are not the things that are captured in pictures or featured on Facebook or Instagram... But it's true, we have had our fair share of storms, just like every other married couple!

Now don't get me wrong, the majority of our married life has been absolutely wonderful, and I look forward to the years to come! However, just like everyone who has been married for any length of time, we have endured some hard days together. Some of them have been the result of natural life events, such as facing loss, stress, changes of careers, etc.

These 'storms' of life are bound to come, but there are also things that come against us that feel like a direct attack on our marriage. These are the types of attacks that I am convinced are meant to steal, kill and destroy our marriages. It is important to recognize that they are sent by the enemy, and they are bound to come (John 10:10). How do I know this? Because I know the devil hates marriage, especially when it is a marriage with God in the center. Why!?! Because marriage between a man and a woman reflects the relationship between Christ and His bride (the church). Not to mention, a couple joined together with the dream to expand God's kingdom puts a serious threat on the kingdom of darkness.

Does this mean that every marriage is doomed to failure? Certainly not! God has given us everything we need to be victorious in marriage, and He is for us! So, what can be done to protect and guard this beautiful relationship that God has created between a man and woman? Just like everything else in life, I am convinced that the power is in prayer!

Now, before I go any further on the subject of praying for your marriage, I do want to be sensitive and address the fact that some couples would benefit from seeking Godly counsel, and I truly do think it is wise for all married couples to have mentors in their life regardless of circumstances. I also want to add that praying for your marriage is a vital part of God's plan for marriage, but it is not the only thing that encompasses a healthy marriage.

That being said, I can speak from personal experience that prayers won't only improve, but they can completely transform your marriage. In fact, it has been a huge part of my personal testimony and the testimony of what God has done in my marriage, that praying prayers based on the promises of God can radically change, heal, and deliver anyone out of any circumstance!

You may be wondering, what kind of 'power' is there in praying prayers based on scripture!?! Well, I'm glad you asked!

The Word of God is alive, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword! When we pray according to promises in the Word of God, we are praying in agreement with what God says about us and promises us.

Now, I want to also mention that this is not the only way to pray, in fact, God also longs to hear from you, throughout the day, as you talk to Him from your heart! Also, we can see in Ephesians 6:18 that we are instructed to, "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." So, I say all this to say, please know that there is so much more to prayer than just praying prayers based off of scriptures, but I truly do believe that this kind of prayer is a powerful and effective tool to bring about change, because it is based off of Gods word, and His word does not go void! (Isaiah 55:11)

Nothing has impacted or changed my life and my marriage more than when I started praying the promises of God over them. I started doing this years ago in relation to my health and body image issues, and it was so life-changing that I decided to do the same for my marriage a few years ago.

I asked the Lord to show me scriptures to pray over my husband, over my marriage, and over myself to become the wife that He created me to be. It didn't take long before I started to see the fruit of God's Word coming forth in my marriage, just as it did in other areas of my life. The great thing about praying for your marriage, is that it is even more powerful when you and your spouse do it together, as we can see in Matthew 18:20!

To be honest, I don't know why it took me so long to start getting serious about praying for my marriage, but now that I have begun to see the radical transformation that it has brought, I will never stop! In fact, that is why I am sharing this with all of you! God has such great plans for every single married couple, and I can promise that a huge part of walking in His plan comes by prayer!

Whatever season you may be in with your marriage, or whatever difficulties you may be facing, I want to encourage you that God's Word has an answer, a promise, and way through! When we agree and focus our attention on God's promises, we can and will overcome anything that comes our way!

I encourage you to seek the Lord for scriptures and promises from His word to pray specifically over your husband, yourself, and your marriage. But, to get you started, I have included some of my personal prayers that I have written for my marriage.

I pray you are encouraged today by these prayers, and that the awesome Word of God reminds you of the great plans He has for you, your husband, and your marriage.

Feel free to print these scripture-based prayers on marriage out for yourself! You could also write them down on notecards or in a journal.

CLICK HERE TO GET SCRIPTURE BASED PRAYERS FOR YOUR MARRIAGE

If you are not yet married, but hope to be one day, I encourage you to start praying for your husband now! There is nothing more powerful than praying for the man that God has made for you! If you are married, I pray God's blessings over your marriage! May God bless you, keep you, makes His face to shine upon you, and give you His peace!