Praying 1 Corinthians For Your Marriage

It’s so nice to have some wedding gifts that can be displayed in the house – this way, they bring us warm happy thoughts year round! Bjorn and I have a beautiful wooden board from a friend with words from 1 Corinthians 13 printed on it:

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I grew up with this verse – and most people are probably familiar with it, considering it’s read at many wedding ceremonies! But I’ll be honest – as is often the case with things we’ve heard so many times, I haven’t taken the time to really think through what these verses mean – until recently. I’ve been moving and sorting and organizing things like crazy this past week, so when I set this piece of art in a new location, it got me rereading and thinking about these verses all over again.

These verses are read and emphasized at weddings, and are cherished as a beautiful romantic quote… But are they something that could really impact my personal life?

I submit that they could. And that they should!

As I reread those verses, I realized that I certainly did not exemplify all of those character traits in my interactions with my husband. So here’s the prayer that I began to pray – and something I hope you, too, might commit to pray for your own marriage! Well, maybe insert your own husband’s name where applicable… though you could pray for us and our marriage if you really wanted! 😉

 Love is patient  — Lord, help me to be patient in how I act around Bjorn. Help take away any impatience I might have so that it doesn’t cause tension in our marriage. Guide me to trust in my husband’s timing – but most of all, in Your perfect timing.

Love is kind — Jesus, please help me to remember to be truly kind to my husband in all of our interactions – never harsh.

It does not envy — May I not be quick to compare our relationship, our season, our life to others’. Remind me to be fully satisfied in you, Jesus – and entirely dedicated to our marriage.

It does not boast, it is not proud — God, I don’t want to be haughty or condescending. Keep me from having a “so there!” attitude in those more difficult moments.

It is not rude — Help me not to say things out of spite or a bad mood.

It is not self-seeking — Jesus, please guide me to serve Bjorn wherever and however I can, even in the littlest act of service. Take away my selfish thoughts so I can more clearly honor You by going out of my way to be a true help-mate + teammate for him.

It is not easily angered — Work with me in moments, Lord, where I want to say something snippy or snide. Instead, help me to honor my husband by treating him how You treat me.

 It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. — God, take away my human-selfish desire to constantly keep score. We do not want any arguments or situations to be a means to “get even,” like the little-kid in all of us wishes to. Remind us of Your great love for us, in how you treated us while we were still sinners.

It always protects — Jesus, help me in my desire to always uphold and protect my husband, to speak of him respectfully, to always only add to his reputation, never to bash him or laugh at him. Help me also to protect the sanctity of marriage and our relationship by not sharing details with others that shouldn’t be shared. Keep our marriage protected from the Enemy, who always loves to see marriages weakened.

Always trusts — Bless our marriage with the gift of truth, honesty, openness, and trust. Keep us from hiding things from each other as we eventually leave the newlywed stage. Keep us always as each other’s close confidant and best friend.

Always hopes — Lord, please help us to remain each other’s greatest cheerleader and encourager. Give us the continued special gift of seeing the other’s potential. Help me to help Bjorn realize his own dreams. Give me the ability to lift his chin and spirits whenever he is discouraged.

Always perseveres — Finally, Jesus, I recognize that it is only in You and through Your blessing and power that we can persevere in this world. Help us never to give up on each other, regardless of circumstances. Teach us how to push on through the difficult times and how to fully, joyfully cherish the good. Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of doing life together you have given us. Help us to further your kingdom in the process!

Looking for other posts on marriage? We’ve got a whole category on the subject! Just click the word “Marriage” at the left!