Getting engaged is one of the highlights of a couple’s life together. Simple prayers— waiting prayer for proposal, blessing for an engagement, healing prayer for a broken engagement, and prayer for wedding planning — invite the engaged and those seeking marriage the opportunity to share their lives with God more deeply.
Waiting Prayer for a Proposal
Sometimes one member of a couple has to wait for the other one to be ready for marriage. To prevent nagging and pushing the partner who needs more time, the following prayer may comfort the partner eager for the altar:
"God of eternity, please don't make me wait that long to become engaged! Grant me patience and hope as I wait for the right time for [insert name of partner stalling engagement] and myself to commit to marriage. Let me love [insert name of partner] enough to wait. Surround us with Your love and grace, that we may fully consecrate our future to You and surrender ourselves to life together with You on Your time. Amen."
In addition to a private devotion for the partner ready for marriage, this prayer might also help bring a couple closer as they discern marriage. For the partner who can’t wait, repeating the phrase “let me love [insert name of partner] enough to wait” may help calm impatience and increase reliance on God.
Blessing an Engagement Announcement
After the proposal, the engaged couple often celebrates with family and friends. This or another blessing may help center the engagement announcement more fully on God:
"Loving God, thank you for guiding [insert engaged couple] on their journey together in you [insert specific joys and trials, if desired]. May Your grace and power be with them as they celebrate their engagement and deepen their relationship on the path to marriage. Join them together in Your love, that they may feel Your presence in every step towards their wedding and beyond. Amen."
This prayer may be shared at a family gathering or engagement party at church. Participants may share memories of the couple’s life together if desired. The couple might also share this prayer as a private devotion seeking God’s special blessing upon their engagement.
Healing Prayer for a Broken Engagement
A broken engagement hurts the couple as well as their loved ones anticipating the upcoming wedding and blending families. Prayers such as this one may bring healing and peace to those suffering from a broken engagement:
"God of life and hope, be with [insert name or names of couple who have broken their engagement] in the death of their marriage plans [share reasons for breaking off engagement with God, if desired]. Hold them close as they and their loved ones grieve their lost future together. Let the former couple not sink into despair, but help them trust that the power of Your love will comfort and guide them on the path towards a bright future as they create new lives for themselves, to the glory of Your name. Amen."
If praying this prayer for yourself as you grieve the loss of your partner, change the personal pronouns and feel free to journal on the reasons why the potential marriage may not have worked.
For comfort during the tough times, imagine the path described in the prayer, filled with light and leading you to love elsewhere with God’s guidance and support. Imagine Jesus hugging you and comforting you as you step onto this new path.
Comfort Prayer for Wedding Planning
Getting engaged is exciting and fun, but wedding planning can be stressful and tedious. Between the preparations and the family drama, the engaged couple may wonder from time to time, “why didn’t we just elope?” The following prayer asks God to comfort the anxiety around wedding planning, that all may enjoy the wedding, including the bride and groom:
"God of power and might, be with [insert names of couple] as they plan their wedding. Take any burdens or cares, especially [insert trials such as fighting relatives, difficult caterer, and so on if desired] into Your capable hands. Be a beacon of light and hope for [insert names of engaged], and let all who participate in their wedding be warmed by the beauty of Your love through [insert names of bride and groom]'s special day. Amen."
A couple’s wedding planner or another friend may offer this or another prayer as an intervention to combat wedding stress. The couple may also find healing in offering the burdens and cares of wedding planning to God in great detail from time to time.
Getting engaged is a time of hope and promise. With prayer, Christians can share their engagement and love as a couple more fully with God.
For more wedding prayers, Prayers for Wedding Planning or Prayers for a Wedding Anniversary may be of interest. If family drama threatens your marriage and your mind, Meditations for Difficult People may also be helpful.
Melissa Roberts - A trained hospital chaplain, Melissa is a freelance writer, teacher, retreat leader, and spiritual director.
