Prayer For Those That Are Engaged To Be Married

English Vocabulary: Marriage

Prayer For Those That Are Engaged To Be Married

It is very easy to ask someone to marry you. You just ask, “Will you marry me?”

Of course, you need to say lots of romantic things …

I want to spend the rest of my life with you!

I never want to be apart from you!

You are the best thing that has ever happened to me!”

When you want to talk about the moment that you ask someone to marry you, there are different phrases you can use.
 

propose (to someone)

My sister is very excited! She thinks her boyfriend is going to propose to her tonight!

ask for someone’s hand in marriage formal, old-fashioned

It was such a romantic proposal. He got down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage!

In English-speaking cultures, the traditional way for a man to ask a woman is for the man to bend down and put one knee on the ground. (Go to Google images and search for “on bended knee proposal” to see some photos.)
 

pop the question informal, slang
The question here is, of course, “Will you marry me?”

Those two have been dating forever! When is he finally going to pop the question???

say yes
“Will you marry me?” is a yes/no question. There are only two answers. The exciting answer is “yes.”

She said yes!

Be Engaged

There is a period of time between the proposal (when someone asks you to marry him or her) and the wedding. During this time the couple is engaged. The couple is engaged to be married. During this period the man calls the woman his fiancée, and the woman called the man her fiancé.

Did you hear the news? They’re engaged! They got engaged last month.

I’m engaged!

He’s engaged to a woman he met online.

Have you met my fiancée?

Marry (Someone)

You can use marry as a verb. Marry is not used with a preposition, but it is usually followed by a person.

I want to marry my boyfriend.
X: I want to marry with my boyfriend.

I am going to ask her to marry me.

We married young. We didn’t want to wait.

My parents want me to marry a lawyer or a doctor.

 
Learn more: English Listening: 53 Years Together | Episode 07

Get Married

The verb phrase get married (to someone) is used to talk about both the day of the wedding and becoming married.

They’re getting married on June 16th.

I really want to get married and have a family.

We got married when we were very young.

We got married on May 5th.

say I do informal
During a traditional Christian wedding ceremony, the couple says their vows. These are the words when the couple makes promises to each other. You may have seen this part of a wedding in American TV shows and movies. As part of the vows in English, the bride and groom say “I do.”

So, when are you two saying ‘I do’?
(When are you getting married?)

walk down the aisle informal
In a traditional Christian wedding in a church, the bride (the woman) walks down the aisle of the church to meet her groom (the man), and the ceremony begins. After the ceremony, the married couple walks back down the aisle together.

Two days to go until they walk down the aisle together!
(Their wedding is in 2 days.)

tie the knot informal

After dating for several years, Ken and Erin have decided to tie the knot!

get hitched very informal, slang

Did you hear? Adam and Betty got hitched in Vegas last weekend!

leave (someone) at the altar
The altar is the area at the front of the church where the bride and groom stand during the ceremony. You leave someone at the altar if you decide not to marry someone at the last moment, or very close to or on the day of the wedding

He got cold feet and left his fiancée at the altar. She was so embarrassed!
(get cold feet = get nervous)

 
Learn more: English Vocabulary: Weddings

Be Married

After the wedding, you are married (to someone). Use the preposition to, not with.

We were married on May 5th.

I am married.

She is married to Jim.
X: She is married with Jim.

I’ve been married 3 times.

Types of Marriages

an arranged marriageA marriage where the parents (or other close family member) choose the person their son or daughter will marry.

Источник: //www.englishteachermelanie.com/expressions-marriage-asking-someone-to-marry-you-getting-married-and-types-of-marriages/

15 Relationship Prayers for Couples Married, Engaged and Dating

Prayer For Those That Are Engaged To Be Married

Praying for your spouse is just one way you can be in service to your significant other. Whether you are praying for each other or praying together for other couples, these relationship prayers for couples married, engaged and dating will provide you with the armor of God you need.

Prayer #1

Please optimize, upgrade, deepen and strengthen my relationship with (insert name) as a healthy, successful, monogamous, faithful, fun, playful, passionate, adventurous, flirty, committed, loving, adoring, respectful, romantic couple to it’s highest level possible for a for our ultimate pleasure, happiness, fulfillment and potential as long as we both shall live. Amen.

Prayer #2

Lord, help us remember that our love for each other reflects your love for us. May we empower one another to fulfill our purpose in life. May our love be an example for our children and a model for all.

May our experience as a couple give us a preview of the oneness we will experience someday. Help us to see that everything is either love or a call for love. Help us to celebrate our similarities and honor our differences. Help us to accept our limitations and utilize our talents.

Thank you for this opportunity, this life, and for my loving partner. Amen.

Prayer #3

O Lord,

You are Lord over all creation. Everyday we are surrounded by the miracle of life. Your creativity bursts across the skies at sunset, it emerges from spring buds that bloom. Thank you for the beauty of marriage. three streams that merge into one single river, you are journeying with us. You are the creative, restoring current that runs through our relationship.

May we stand strong in our friendship a tall oak tree. May we pull together through the different seasons of our lives so that we become closer. May we ride out the storms and rest in the fair weather. May we care for one another, so that we blossom and bloom as individuals.

May we have your vision as we soar above the everyday to glimpse the kingdom of heaven. May we learn the truth of real beauty as we change and age together. And may we reflect your love, hope, and truth that you have poured into our union.

Thank you that through your strength and grace we are able to love, care and provide for our loved ones and the wider world. Amen

Prayer #4

Bless our relationship and draw us both even closer to You and to your will for our lives. May I never be unequally yoked. Lord, teach and guide us that we will always seek You first in everything we do. May our love be fill with genuine affection and may we honor each other at all times.

Prayer #5

Bless our lives in our journey together and fill us with Your Glory. May we be bonded together, Lord, in the type of love Your Son Jesus showed on the cross. Let our lives be a wonderful reflection of Your grace, as we abide in it forever. In Jesus’ name, I humbly pray, Amen.

Prayer #6

Almighty God, hear this prayer.

Dear Lord, I offer you this prayer, to help me with my current relationship situation. Please take away all the pain and hurt in my heart. Fill it with love, joy, patience, and understanding.

Bless me and my partner, so that we may never surrender to whatever challenges that come our way. Fill our hearts with love for each other, and may you make each one of us realize each other’s worth. Please touch the heart of my partner,fill it with much love for me.

Make our complicated relationship become uncomplicated. I seek for your mercy and blessing that you may allow us to spend the rest of our lives with each other. Please make this feeling mutual for both of us. Lead us not into temptations. Guide us wherever we go. Always put us in each other’s heart and mind. Thank you Lord for hearing my prayer.

I love you. Amen.

Prayer #7

Dear Lord, you know what path I am on right now and that I am in agony. I am having a disharmony in my married life. You have instituted marriage since You found that it is not good for man to be alone.

I deeply believe that You have given me this person to love and to hold for the rest of my days. The Bible has taught me that a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Come and be with us, Lord, for only You can make two broken hearts understand each other. You are the King of Peace and I know You are able to change any sad situation in my life.

Father, I know it is Your will that we should lead a loving and peaceful life with one another. Hear me, dear god, to fill us both with more love and to understand each other better to bring unity to our relationship. Help me become more understand to my partner’s needs and feelings.

Grant me wisdom that I may know how to deal with this unly situation so I can build a house in Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, O Lord. Amen.

Prayer #8

Dear Lord,

We are so thrilled to have found each other, and excited to be engaged to be married. We are so blessed to have discovered a best friend, and feel content by the intimacy and trust we have found together.

We are so thankful to be your children, adopted into your family, and so grateful to be living in your grace. We feel so privileged to be planning our special wedding day. May it be fill of your truth, hope and love.

Amen.

Prayer #9

Dear God, thank you for the gift of family that you have given me. You know my heart hurts because of the disharmony in my family. I have lost my peace and my health because of the messy situation in our home.

I have no one to turn to but You, Lord. You alone can understand the hearts of Your followers as You have created each and every one of us. Only You can bring together the hearts of Your men together.

Help me forgive other family members, O Lord. Let my family not defile Your name by this disunity.

Help us forgive one another of the mistakes we have done to each other and bring us back together in Your name, Father God.

Fill each one of us with your love and understand so we can fully exalt Your name in glory. I know that you will bring back the peace and unity that was once present in our home. I ask this in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer #10

Almighty God, hear this prayer.

Almighty God, hear this relationship prayer. As You are first in my heavenly heart and mind and spirit, so do I desire a companion for my earthly heart and mind and being. Guide me to the partner You know is perfect for me.

Help me walk in faith until that time of our first meeting.

Show me how I can become a partner worthy of love. Then guide me through every stage of our relationship, so that,

as we move ever closer to You, we grow closer to each other in Love, in Joy, and in Faith.

Thank You God, for hearing my prayer. Amen!

Prayer #11

Heavenly Father, You created this world and all its inhabitants. You found that man is not good to be alone. I pray this to You, O Lord, that I am in need of a partner for my life.

You have showed us in the Bible that finding the right partner made numerous couples live a happy life. Bless me, Father, that I may build a family theirs. I believe, Lord, that You do not deny Your children their joy and happiness.

I pray that the loneliness in my heart will be gone soon. I pray this to You, O Lord. Amen.

Prayer #12

Dear Heavenly Father, how good You are to give us the gift of anticipation about joyous occasions to come! Thank you for the person You have ordained for me to marry, and for directing our relationship thus far.

I pray that you would continue to make your will known to us, in big ways and small, as we pursue your will together. We long to glorify you in our relationship, now and forevermore.

It’s in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I pray. Amen.

Prayer #13

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this life, for the gift of love, and the blessing of our marriage. We give you praise for the joy you’ve poured into our hearts through this love, for the contentment of family, and the happiness of our home. May we always treasure the experience of loving each other in this holy union.

Help us to remain forever committed to our vows, those we made to each other, and to you, Lord.

We will need your strength daily Lord, as we live together with the goal of following and serving you. Develop within is us the character of your Son, Jesus, that we might love each other with the love he demonstrated—with patience, respect, understanding, honesty, forgiveness and kindness.

Let us always be a support to one another—a friend to listen and encourage, a refuge from the storm, and most importantly, a warrior in prayer.

Holy Spirit, guide us through the difficult moments of life and comfort us in our grief. May our lives together bring glory to you, our Savior, and testify of your love.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Prayer #14

Heavenly Father, I pray on today that you would help me to be a better wife to my husband. Teach me your ways oh Lord so that I may know them, and so that you would be pleased with
me.

Help me to show my husband honor as unto you Lord, and encourage him in all that he does. Help me to submit to his authority and not rebel.
For to rebel against him, is to rebel against you. Give me discernment Lord to know what to say, how to say it, and when not to say anything at all. Fill my mouth with good things so that I can build him up with my words.

Let me be that safe, soft place that he can rest on when the world has beaten him down. Let me be the lifter of his head. I thank you for making me a suitable help meet for him. Thank you for making me a Godly wife, so that you may be glorified. In Jesus name, Amen.

Prayer #15

Father God, I thank you for my wife. I thank you for all that she does on a daily basis to make sure our home runs smoothly. I pray that you would continue to give her grace, and that she would not ever feel overwhelmed.

I pray that she would know her worth and her beauty, show her that she is fearfully and wonderfully made. Let her know that you have a plan to prosper her, and not harm her. Let her know that she does have a future and hope through you.

Reveal to her your perfect plan for her life so that she may do only that which is pleasing to you. Help her to prioritize, and give her the boldness to say no when she needs to. Let her be the Godly woman you are calling her to be, and a Godly mother to our children. Give her strength to stand firm, and press through the hard times in her life.

Help her not to be anxious about anything but to always make her request known to you by prayer. Draw her into a closer relationship with you that she may truly know you as her Father, her source. Speak to her in times of quietness and always direct her path as she places her trust in you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Check out this great video from Pastor Rick Warren where he shares how to fight for your marriage so that it will last. Pastor Warren also discusses what your marriage should look according to biblical standards.

About the Author of this Blog Post
Crystal Ayres has served as our editor-in-chief for the last five years. She is a proud veteran, wife and mother. The goal of ConnectUs is to publish compelling content that addresses some of the biggest issues the world faces. If you would to reach out to contact Crystal, then go here to send her a message.

Источник: //connectusfund.org/15-relationship-prayers-for-couples-married-engaged-and-dating

When Muslims and Christians Marry

Prayer For Those That Are Engaged To Be Married

On a blustery weekend this past February, 26 people met at the Cenacle Retreat House in Chicago to reflect on the religious dimensions of marriage. Nothing unusual about that.

What was unusual about this gathering was that it brought together Christians and Muslims who are married, engaged or seriously considering marriage. Attendees hailed mostly from the Chicago area, but also from Valparaiso, Minneapolis, Rochester, Minn.

, and Seattle. One man even cut short a trip abroad, at his wife’s behest, to be present.

“Mixed marriage,” the canonical term for marriage between a Catholic and a member of another Christian church, is a fact of life in America’s religiously plural society. But many may not realize how prevalent it is among Catholics.

A study by Creighton University’s Center for Marriage and Family in 1999 indicates that today roughly 40 percent of all Catholics marry non-Catholics.

Most of these unions involve Catholics and other Christians (a more ecumenically sensitive term is “interchurch” marriage rather than “mixed,” which has some negative connotations).

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However, increasing numbers of Catholics are marrying Jews, Muslims and adherents of other religions (the canonical term here is “disparity of cult,” but “interfaith” or “interreligious” marriage are more user-friendly terms).

Catholic-Jewish couples, because of their greater number and longer history in American society, have a growing list of resources, including books, Web sites and support groups the national Dovetail Institute and the Chicago-based Jewish Catholic Couples Group.

But there are practically no pastoral resources for Christian-Muslim couples in the United States, despite the fact that according to many estimates, there are now more Muslims in this country than Jews.

The few print resources available to pastors and couples are either outdated or written for a non-American context. (The Canadian Centre for Ecumenism has just published an exellent document, Pastoral Guidelines for Muslim-Christian Marriages.)

The dearth of resources, combined with the reluctance of many imams and pastors even to broach the subject, has left Christian-Muslim couples at a loss. To whom can they turn for advice about the unique issues they face? Where can priests and campus ministers go when called upon to counsel the small but growing number of such couples?

And Christian-Muslim couples truly are in need of especially sensitive and informed pastoral care. Reaction to such relationships can be strong, and many couples fear vehement disapproval from their families, ethnic group and/or society at large.

Muslim women wishing to marry Christian men face the additional worry of potential ostracism from the faith community, for although Islam permits Muslim men to marry “people of the book” (Christians and Jews), Muslim women marry only within the faith.

February’s conference, jointly planned by Christian and Muslim organizations in Chicago, was an attempt to meet the pastoral needs of these couples.

It attracted a diverse group—Christians diverse according to denomination (Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist), Muslims according to ethnicity (Egyptian, Indian, Thai, American-Polish-Pakistani).

Yet all wrestled with the same concerns: different religious understandings of marriage (sacrament versus sacred contract, divine versus human institution), greater family involvement in mate selection and marriage, Islam’s proscription of dating, potential legal problems in countries with sharia (Islamic law) in force, greater cultural differences (and more difficulty distinguishing the religious from the cultural). While addressing these topics with Christian and Muslim experts was necessary, couples agreed that one of the best aspects of the weekend was the chance to discuss their concerns with others in the same situation.

What follows is a brief exploration of three major challenges facing Christian-Muslim couples, and indeed most interfaith couples: negotiating boundaries, praying together and raising children.

Negotiating Boundaries

On Saturday night, retreatants participated in an activity designed to get them thinking about boundaries.

The couples were asked to split into four groups (Muslim women, Muslim men, Christian women, Christian men) to discuss and list negotiables and non-negotiables in the form of “I shall” and “I shall not” statements. They were also asked to list their fears, rational or not.

Some fears: baptism of their children (Muslim men), moving to a foreign country indefinitely (Christian women); giving up the faith (Muslim women), being rejected by the husband’s family (Christian women).

In their lists of shalls and shall nots, the overwhelming response of the participants, no matter the religion, was: “I will maintain my religious and cultural identity; I will not convert.

” One couple admitted that before they got married, each fantasized about what it would be for the other to convert. “But in the end, neither of us was willing to give up our faith. It’s the core of our existence and identity,” they said.

However, couples also indicated with equal vigor a willingness to learn about and from the other: “I shall learn more about the religion/culture/language of my partner.”

This exercise highlighted the importance of discussing negotiables and non-negotiables as early as possible in the relationship, so as to avoid misunderstandings later. However, even after going through the difficult process of negotiating boundaries, couples cannot presume that the initial lines drawn would be immovable.

The married couples present agreed that all should expect to be changed in some way by the faith of their partners. “I have always deeply felt the need to fulfill my promise to raise my children Catholic, and before they were born I thought that if they ever decided to become Muslims as adults I would be crushed,” said one mother.

“But now I know that if they did, I would be O.K. That’s how far I’ve come.”

Praying Together

Opportunities for prayer were provided at several points during the weekend: a room was set aside for the five daily Muslim prayers, there was Catholic Mass and an ecumenical morning prayer. Mirroring contemporary American society, couples differed greatly in their degree of personal and mutual religious practice.

One married couple hadn’t prayed together “because we never had the chance.” Another couple (engaged) hadn’t prayed together either, but because of a conscious choice.

In this case, the Christian woman felt she needed to go to church alone, so she could pray without constantly worrying about how her partner would react to the crucifix, the Eucharist and so on.

Some couples tried to find a common language that would allow them to pray together.

This is often accomplished by the Christian agreeing to adopt Islam-friendly language in prayer—which is not difficult, since Christians and Muslims believe in the same God and both call God merciful, just, compassionate and omnipotent. Compromise is more complicated in the other direction, for a Muslim cannot agree to pray in the name of Jesus, or even to “God the Father.”

It’s not just the language of prayer that can be tricky, but postures too. One Lutheran-Muslim couple said that they did not pray salat (ritual prayer that includes specific movements) together because doing so may be considered a credal affirmation of Islam.

But privately in the morning and evening they are learning to pray side by side, each using their own prayer forms and postures, including prostration, but always praying the du a (supplicatory prayer), which allows for petitions and more freedom in structure and language.

The couple sees praying together as one way of binding their lives together.

Several couples, fearing a “lowest common denominator” compromise, chose not to pray together. They felt more comfortable praying in their own tradition, but in the presence of the other—e.g.

, a Christian wife would say the Our Father at the same time her Muslim husband recites al-Fatiha (first chapter of the Qur’an).

This method of being together in prayer is commonly known as the “Assisi model,” after the method used by Pope John Paul II and leaders from various religions during the World Day of Prayer for Peace at Assisi in 1986.

Still other couples preferred to pray separately, to preserve a “safe place” for their own beliefs and practices.

When Children Come

One of the most emotional sessions of the weekend, “When Children Come,” was led by Anne and Mohammed, a Catholic-Muslim couple married seven years who are the parents of two.

They decided to raise their children Catholic, but with a deep appreciation for their father’s Muslim faith. Reaching this decision was difficult enough, but living it out has been a constant challenge, even painful at times.

Anne recalled that just as she was bursting with joy at the baptism of their first child, she looked over at her husband to see tears streaming down his face.

Anne’s story demonstrates how sensitive an issue baptism can be for interfaith couples. Emotions about the sacrament run deep for both Christians and Muslims, and most people do not realize how visceral their reaction to the mere word may be. A sacrament of Christian initiation, baptism is no mere nicety, easily negotiated.

Baptism means becoming part of the Christian community, and Muslims are very aware of this fact, sometimes more than Christians.

The Muslims—mostly men at this retreat—felt that allowing their children to be baptized meant they had somehow failed in one of their most important duties, to raise their children as Muslims (in Islam, the faith and all it entails is transmitted through the father).

Anne and Mohammed continue to struggle with the challenges of their choice. They emphasize that they are not attempting a synthesis.

They have intentionally chosen to raise their children in a single, coherent system of belief, rather than raising them as bireligious or as “nothing” and then letting them choose later.

They feel that this is the best way to help their children become adults of strong faith.

Another area of difficulty for these couples is how to teach their children about Jesus. Muslims revere Jesus (’Isa) as a great prophet, but do not believe he is divine.

Knowing this, does the Christian parent shy away from describing Jesus as Son of God, or praying in Jesus’ name, even when the couple has agreed to raise their children Christian? If it had been decided to raise the children as Muslims, wouldn’t they be taught the doctrine of tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, and the Muslim belief that Jesus is a prophet but not divine? Do Christians in interfaith marriages feel they must downplay certain aspects of their faith for the sake of harmony? Are their Muslim partners even asking them to do so? On the other hand, many couples feel that focusing on beliefs held in common increases family unity.

Anne and Mohammed’s children are still young (five and three), and they know that more difficult questions are sure to come. “But right now, our children are not confused,” says Anne. “They are being raised Christian, but we do say both Muslim and Christian prayers at mealtimes. Practically speaking, I don’t think that day-to-day, living a Christian or a Muslim life are so different.”

Although the retreatants were concerned about the possibility of making too many compromises and relativizing faith, they did note a distinction between objective theological concepts and the lived experience of faith, a distinction that can make life together possible. Some would argue that the two cannot be separated—and those who believe this may eventually decide against marriage.

But for the rest of these highly educated, moderately to strongly religious couples, while theology is important, it does not have the last word. They are concerned about objective truth, and do live with the tension.

But they are also concerned about living their daily lives in love, and they trust that God will continue to guide them on the challenging path they have chosen to forge together.

“Marriage is about compromise,” says Anne. “In an interfaith marriage, there are definitely hard sacrifices to be made. No question about that. And sometimes it’s lonely being pioneers. But I believe God brought Mohammed and me together for a reason. There must be a purpose. I believe it is to bring us closer to God.”

Источник: //www.americamagazine.org/faith/2001/09/10/when-muslims-and-christians-marry

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