Sometimes I wish life had a pause button. I would use it after dinner when we have our family dance parties or game nights. I would point the remote toward my daughter when she plays teacher with her stuffed animals or rides her bike on the road behind our house.
Watching your children grow is one of the most rewarding, yet at the same time challenging, things parents go through. We get satisfaction from seeing our children accomplish new tasks and take on new challenges, but we know that with each passing day they are closer to being on their own. Each day they move a tiny bit further on their path to self-sufficiency. It’s a place where you no longer make their decisions for them; a place where trust and faith take over.
As a father, I don’t like to think a long way into the future. While I know that I won’t always be the only man in my daughter’s life, I’m still reluctant to give her future husband the attention he deserves. By burying it, I’m missing out on the valuable opportunity to commit him to prayer. My daughter’s future hangs in the balance, yet I waste time focusing and worrying about the here and now. Yes, I believe that God’s in control and we shouldn’t worry (Luke 12: 22-26). We shouldn’t be anxious, but we should take it to the Lord. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:5-7).
Being uncomfortable with the idea of my young daughter having a future love life shouldn’t stop me from praying about it. Once that fact is established, here’s a good place to start.
First, pray for your daughter. Pray for her to have a close relationship with God. Pray that her first love will always be Jesus. Everything – and everyone – else will come and go, but God will always be there. I heard a pastor give an example during a sermon about his single days. Instead of focusing on finding a bride, he let his pursuit of God be his first passion. He began running as hard as he could toward God, then he looked to the side and found a woman – his future wife – running right alongside him. It’s a brilliant example of priorities – God first, and everything else second.
Next, pray for the young man. Pray for God to raise up a “man after His own heart” for your daughter to share her life with. King David was famously referred to as such a man. “And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will’” (Acts 13:22). David certainly sinned. But, he also repented and was known as a man who would “do all of [God’s] will.” My prayer for my daughter is that her future husband will be a man who seeks God’s will first, and always.
Third, pray for the young man’s parents. Pray that his parents would teach him well, or that he would have Godly role models in his life right now. For those of us with young children in the home, these are very important years. These times are when values are instilled and morals are established. We should pray for our children’s future in-laws today. Pray that God would grant them wisdom and discernment to lead their children well and in the ways of the Lord. It could be that my daughter’s future husband will come from a different, or more challenging, home environment. I pray that regardless of his current living situation, that God would surround him with godly role models and influences to start him out on the right path.
Last, pray for yourself. Pray that you would display a biblical example of marriage for your daughter to see. You’ve probably often heard that there’s “more caught than taught.” Our actions and daily lives set the stage for what our children expect from relationships. For me personally, my daughter needs to observe how I love her mother, and as a result, have high expectations for how a man is supposed to treat her. In your prayer time, pray that you will be filled with that kind of love to your spouse. And, pray that you will have wisdom to know how to act in all situations, because little eyes are watching.
A Prayer for Your Daughter's Future Husband
Father, thank you for my children. While they are still young, I want to pray today for their future. Today, I lift up my daughter to you. Help her grow to be a woman after your own heart. Help her to have discernment in the ways of love. I pray that you will raise up a future husband for her who has a relationship with you, God, and that he continues to grow in that relationship in the years ahead. I pray for his parents or role models. Give them wisdom and discernment. Lastly, I pray for myself. Help me to be a good, godly father and example to her. I commit all this to you in Jesus’s name, Amen.
Brent Rinehart is a public relations practitioner and freelance writer. He blogs about the amazing things parenting teaches us about life, work, faith and more at www.apparentstuff.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
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