Have you ever wanted something so badly, that you did everything you could just to try and make it happen? I know I have.
There have been times in my life when I wanted a position, a career, or even a relationship so much so that I was willing to invest whatever it took.
But looking back on my life, the sad reality that I’m almost afraid to admit is that I’ve had a tendency to plot and to plan, much more than I’ve had a tendency to pray.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe, like me, there are times in your life where you’ve try to “do the work” first…and follow it by prayer, second. Maybe there have even been times when prayer was actually the last resort.
But if I’d known then what I know NOW about the power of prayer…I believe my life would have looked drastically different along the way.
If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance you’re single, or looking for love. There’s a good chance you’ve tried a lot of different things and find yourself feeling hopeless and discouraged along the journey. There’s a good chance you’ve been doing all the “hard work” of relationships, only to find yourself back where you started.
And sometimes, that’s a really hard place to be.
If that’s you, I want to challenge you to try a different kind of “work” this year as it pertains to your love life – the work of faith, the work of hope, and the work of trusting God for the things that are outside of your control. You see…
Long before I met my husband, I prayed for him.
Long before I knew his name, or had any ideas of his features, I prayed for him.
Long before I knew if I would even marry or have a family, or if God would call me elsewhere, I prayed for my love-life.
During the time in my life when I was single as single could be, I was filled with the urgency to pray for a person I had never yet met. At times, the thought of marriage seemed so far away that I found I wasn’t even praying for a person, but simply, a concept.
God had called me to pray for my love-life, and I believe He’s calling you to do the same.
As we look at Scripture, we see that relationships are close to God’s heart. But why then, do we often spend so much more time worrying about our relationships than we do praying over them? The truth is, there is no power or force on this earth that is greater than that of prayer.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6).
My time of prayer filled my heart with hope. But more than anything else, it drew me closer to Jesus. It allowed the Lord to transform my heart, my thoughts, and my desires, bringing them into alignment with His perfect plan for me.
And not only did it prepare and bless me, but it blessed the man I would one day marry. It moved our hearts in supernatural ways, and I truly believe it moved us toward each other.
So, how do you pray for your love life? Where do you even begin?
I’m not going to pretend I have the perfect formula of how to pray for love, but what I do have is a three-part approach to prayer that helps us to pray in a FAR more focused, deliberate, specific, and meaningful way:
Upward Prayers: Upward prayers, first and foremost, are about getting right with God. They call us to recognize our role, but then acknowledge that there are some things that ONLY God can do. It’s a time of asking Him to fill us with courage, strength, discernment, and the ability to TRUST HIM MORE. It’s looking to Him to give us hope when we doubt, and to help our moments of unbelief. It’s trusting Him to work behind the scenes, moving mountains that we might not even know exist.
Inward Prayers: The focus of inward prayers is to look at the things WE need to change in our own hearts and lives. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to “find the one” that we lose ourselves along the way. We make lists of things we want in a spouse, without ever taking the time to confess our own weaknesses, failures, and sins. Inward prayers are our chance to position ourselves where we need to be in order to be able to recognize and receive LOVE when it comes our way.
Outward Prayers: Outward prayers give us the opportunity to grow our faith, because we’re praying for a person that we’ve never even met! “What’s the point of praying for your future spouse…I mean, what if I never even get married”, you might be worrying. I think that’s a really valid question, but how I see it is you can either grow bitter, or you can grow better. You can either worry about it, or you can commit your time to praying about it. And only one of those two things has the power to impact God’s heart!! Outward prayers are your chance to specifically pray for your future spouse, asking God to heal him/her, grow thim/her, protect him/her and prepare him/her for the relationship that’s to come. There is nothing more meaningful you can do for your future relationship than commit your life to prayer right here, and right now.
For those of you interested in digging deeper, and doing the REAL WORK of prayer, I want to encourage you to check out my brand new program called 21 Days to Pray for Your Love Life. It was JUST RELEASED this weekend, and all the launch weekend prices and extra bonuses are only available for a short time!
In this program, I take the three categories above, and break them down into 21 SPECIFIC DAYS OF PRAYER, offering you specific prayers to pray over you and your future love each and every single day. I believe this prayer has the power to change everything, and I believe this program is one way we can focus our energies in the right place…by pouring our heart out to the ONE AND ONLY God who holds our future in His hand.
Don’t wait another day. Check out the program by clicking on the photo below, and commit your love life to prayer starting TODAY.
Debra Fileta is a Professional Counselor, national speaker, and author of the book True Love Dates: Your Indispensable Guide to Finding the Love of Your Life, and 21 Days to Jump Start Your Love Life, where she writes candidly about dating, relationships, and how to find true love. You may also recognize her voice from her 150+ articles at Relevant Magazine or Crosswalk.com! She’s also the creator of this True Love Dates Blog! Connect with her on Facebook or Twitter!
