Marriage in America: Points to Pray for
May 7th is National Day of Prayer! If you haven’t heard of it, it is a day designated to praying for our nation, and our nation needs prayer. Since our organization is a marriage ministry, we wanted to give you some bullet points to pray for in regards to marriage in America. Please join us in praying for these points on Thursday.
-1 out of 3 born-again Christians have been divorced.
This is a sad fact. Christians are supposed to be distinguished by their love to one another. Successful marriages should be a natural reflection of that. Let us pray that the rate of divorce lessens within the Church. Let us pray that the Church as a whole becomes a relational haven to train, equip and heal the marriages and families in their communities. Let us pray for covenant to be taught. Let us pray for Christian’s perseverance in marriage.
-Poor and less educated marriages have a higher chance of divorce than wealthier, higher educated marriages.
Unfortunately, there are many reasons for this. One of them is that marriage help and counseling can be extremely expensive. That is why NAME offers free marriage counseling; couples who would otherwise not seek counsel are getting help for their marriages every week. Let us pray for those in poorer communities that there would be a rise of strong marriages despite the current statistics. Let us pray for NAME and the expansion of ministries like NAME who are trying to minister to this demographic. Let us pray that these marriages would turn to churches for help and that the church would be prepared to help them.
– The Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage
This year the Supreme Court will be setting a national precedent on whether or not same-sex marriage will be accepted by all courts of law. All signs seem to be pointing to the passing of this bill. As Christians, let us pray about how we will handle this. Let us remember that marriage is a covenant defined by God, and ultimately, as Christians, marriage is not an institution created by the state but by the Creator in the Garden! Let us pray for the judges who will be making this decision. Let us pray for non-Christian souls who know not what they do. Let us pray for the Church to handle this issue in a way that will end up leading more to true, authentic faith. Let us pray that the Church will not compromise their beliefs and that they also will not be harmful or violent in expressing their beliefs. Let us pray for the difficult conversations of Christian parents explaining our beliefs to their children. Let us pray for God’s help.
-African-Americans have the highest rate of divorce.
Race has been a hot button issue in 2014 and 2015. Sadly, hardly anyone is discussing that the black community is suffering from a breakdown of the family. Let us pray for the black community that they might be known by their unity in marriage. Let us pray for the nation to exercise mercy on those who have grown up in broken homes. Let us pray for the black family that they would be given resources from churches and ministries to thrive in their homes. Let us pray that racism would end and that interracial marriages would be supported by all of American society.
-The Millennial Generation and the Future of Marriage
40% of the millennial generation believes that the “till death do us part” line should be taken out of vows. Many are advocating for trial or test marriages, and cohabitation is on the rise. Let us pray for the millennial generation to be made aware to the great benefits of long, lasting marriages. Let us pray for churches to start addressing this generation and their hang-ups when its comes to marriages. Let us pray for older generations to stop being angry at the younger generations and instead approach them with grace, teaching them the benefits of true love. Let us pray for the millennial generation, who experienced high divorce rates from their parents, to experience healing from the past and believe in marriage again.
-The Children
Today’s children are being born outside of marriage at high rates. 40% of children are in blended homes. Children are experiencing multiple families and the traditional family is less common than it was 50 years ago. Let us pray for these children who are not growing up with God’s original intent. Let us pray that they might see the value of God’s intent when they are older. Let us pray that they do not feel fought over or experience guilt for the decisions of their parents. Let us pray that God heals their emotional scarring. Let us pray for the children.
-Our organization
Lastly, please pray for NAME. Our organization needs funding in order to serve the VAST needs of today’s marriages. We have so many projects we want to pursue so that we can better minister to today’s culture, but we need God’s help and the help of donors. We cannot do this on our own. Please pray for us, and if you feel led, please make a donation. We greatly appreciate all who are partnering with marriage ministry and who believe in the importance of covenant.
Some of the resources used:
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-03-14-divorce-christians_N.htm
https://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/15-familykids/42-new-marriage-and-divorce-statistics-released#.VUfMx4HF–U
http://time.com/3024606/millennials-marriage-sex-relationships-hook-ups/