Do you wonder if someone you care about is blinded by love?  As family members and friends, it’s natural to have concerns about the potential problems we see in the romantic relationships of those we care about.  Here is a prayer to help us seek God’s help and guidance.

We All Need this Prayer

These days nearly everyone has concerns for family members or friends about the quality and/or direction of their dear one’s romantic relationships.  It’s no longer just parents of grown children who are praying about this issue.  The tables are often turned when adult children become worried  about a senior citizen parent’s vulnerability to a whirlwind romance after the death of a spouse.  Or brothers and sisters might see red flags when a sibling begins dating again after divorce.  Adding to the complexity of sorting out whether our concerns are founded or not, the Internet leads to romances between people who barely know each other and who have little opportunity to get to know each other well because they live far way from each other.

Here is a prayer to help us bring our concerns to God for His divine help, wisdom and guidance.

Romantic Relationship Prayer Concerns about a Family Member or Friend

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that You know what’s in each person’s heart.  You already know that I have concerns about things I observe in my dear one’s current romantic relationship.  I am praying for your perspective so that I’ll know how to handle this.

My first requests are for myself.  I acknowledge that I don’t know everything about the romantic relationship that I’m praying about.  Only You know everything about their relationship.  Here are the things I admit that I really don’t know about it…

You also know that I view things based on my own past experiences.  Here are some of my own relationship experiences that might be causing my worries…

You know how much I care about my dear one and that I don’t want to see them get hurt or to make a mistake.  Here are the reasons they are so special to me…

Because they’re so dear to me, here are some of the most important characteristics of the kind of person I would love to see my dear one married to…

Because I know my dear one so well, I can’t help but think about their past and things that might affect this current relationship.  Here are some of the past hurts and issues I know about …

Here are facts, logistics and external factors of the relationship that concern me….

(Examples: short length of time they’ve known each other, age differences, unfinished business such as education, concerns about economics and making a living, geographical differences that will require a major relocation, children from previous marriage, controlling family members, cultural differences, unplanned pregnancy etc.)

Here are some of the personal factors of the relationship that concern me…

(Examples: Either partner’s habits, attitudes, personality conflicts, interpersonal skills, communication disconnects, high or low self image, control issues, life goals or lack thereof, dependability, inappropriate behavior, immaturity, unhealthy physical or mental lifestyle traits, addictive or depressive tendencies, emotional baggage etc.)

Here are some of the faith issues that concern me about the relationship…

I know that verbal, mental or physical abuse are very serious matters that should be dealt with immediately by professionals.  Please help me to evaluate and act on any signs of abuse that need immediate help…

Because of all of these factors, I need your guidance more than ever.  Lord, You know that I’m walking a very fine line between wanting to advise my dear one to consider the relationship carefully and potentially damaging a relationship that could bring them much joy and happiness.  Help me to pray hard and long before taking any action.  Help me to listen carefully to your Holy Spirit.  Help me to wait to speak and to speak only after I feel very strongly that I have heard from You.  And if you direct me not to say anything, help me to continue to keep praying for the many other ways You are continually at work in answer to my prayer.

Lord, if You do eventually direct me to speak to my dear one, here is my prayer about having the right words and the right time and place…

After I express my concerns, help me be content that I have done my part.  As hard as it is, help me entrust the results to You.  You know I want to be a fixer.  Give me the faith and grace to allow my dear one to make a mistake, trusting that You can redeem all situations.  Help me to prayerfully endureand accept any strain my words of concern might cause in my relationship with my dear one.

Now help me to sincerely be open to getting to know more deeply my dear one’s partner.  Bring to my mind one way I can reach out to them in friendship…

And now Father, I pray for your presence, help, redemption and blessings on the person my dear one is in a relationship with.  Here is my prayer for him/her…

Thank you for hearing my prayer.  Enlarge my heart.  Open my mind.  Guard my mouth.  Keep me in prayer.  Cover us all in your love.  I pray this in the name of Jesus my Lord and Savior.  Amen.