When children get into their teens, they often begin to notice people to whom they find themselves attracted. Some parents set a minimum age to begin dating, while some kids choose on their own to wait, and others begin dating as soon as they find someone that tickles their fancy. In either situation, covering these couples in prayer is a wise choice.
There are many pitfalls that face dating couples, and many temptations. There is a push in today’s world to get involved physically and emotionally as quickly as possible, but that is not the wisest course of action and those who are dating need their loved ones to pray them through the situations.
Prayers for Purity
Probably the most difficult aspect of dating for most Christian teens is keeping themselves pure. Television, movies, and peer pressure, to say nothing of one’s own nature, cry out that it is normal to become physically intimate. Perhaps an even bigger danger is premature emotional intimacy. These are best kept to a committed relationship.
For Young Men
“Dear Heavenly Father, please keep my son pure while he dates his girlfriend. Help them to get to know one another but keep them from indulging in physical intimacy unless or until they have committed to marriage. Keep his mind pure from lust and keep his eyes pure. Help them to enjoy laughter and companionship in their friendship and keep them from sin. Help them to choose activities that will bring glory to You.”
For Young Ladies
“Our Lord, please watch over my daughter as she has begun dating. Help her to keep herself pure. Help her to be kind but not flirtatious. Help her to be genuine and not change herself to be what he is expecting or desiring. Help her to resist the temptation to indulge in physical intimacy and guard her heart and mind to keep her from premature emotional intimacy. Bless their friendship with laughter and help them to be comfortable with one another.”
Prayers for Safety
It is sad, but in today’s world there is so much assault in dating relationships that it can make parents concerned for their children. Parents can offer wise advice on how to avoid being assaulted and covering them in prayer can only help.
For Young Men
“Lord God, please protect my son. He is dating and may not always know the other person as well as we might hope. Help him to choose people who are kind and not unstable. Help him to be safe in all the situations in which he finds himself. Give him wisdom when selecting a person to ask out and give him discretion to know if and when to end a relationship.”
For Young Ladies
“Dear Jesus, protect my daughter while she is dating, please. Keep her safe from attacks and keep her safe from traffickers. Help her to remember to use discretion and be alert and aware of her surroundings. Help her to keep from getting into bad situations but if she finds herself in one, give her the wisdom and strength to get out of it. Give her wisdom when selecting a person to date and give her discretion to know if and when to end a relationship.”
Prayers for Affection and Honor
Parents desire for their children to experience ideal love, and that can be difficult for a person to find. Parents can pray for their children to find the kind of love they have (or wish they had); God has promised to answer the prayers of His people.
For Young Men
“Dear Father, our son is looking for a love like Yours. Please assist him in finding the spouse You have prepared for him. Help him as he strives to become the man You have intended him to be, so that he can enjoy a good and happy marriage. If the person he is dating now is the one You have chosen for him, allow him to see that and give them both peace and love. Help them to honor You throughout the process of dating, engagement, and future marriage.”
For Young Ladies
“Dear Lord, our daughter desires to be loved like You love, and to love and cherish the spouse for whom You have created her. Help her to be a young lady after Your own heart and bring her and her future spouse together in Your time. If the person she is dating now is the right one, show her that and draw them closer to You as they grow closer to each other. Fill their relationship with love and may their friendship, engagement, and future marriage honor and glorify You in all things.”
Prayer for Faith
Most of all, Christian parents want to see their children follow God. Proverbs promises that children who are trained up right will remember their upbringing. This does not necessarily mean that they will never make bad choices, but it does mean that they know the truth and will return to it at some point. A parent’s prayer is often a huge factor in that return, or in the young person keeping the faith against all odds.
For a Child Who Has Professed Faith in Christ
“Heavenly Father, You gave us this child, and we are so grateful for what You have done for us. Thank You for showing us how to bring up our children and thank You for the faith that this child has already embraced. Strengthen our child’s resolve and faith for standing against the challenges that will come throughout life. Keep our young person’s eyes on You and may You get all the glory and honor from the actions of our child. Keep our child’s dating relationship right and may You be the center of it.”
For a Child Who Has Not Professed Faith in Christ
“Dear God, You know that our dearest desire for this child You put in our family is that this young person learns to know You and is saved. Draw our child’s heart to You and show Yourself real in everything. May the dating relationship our child is in be honoring to You and be a method of showing to our child Your desire for a relationship to us, as humans.”
Dating can be a scary proposition, but when young people keep God in the center of their dating relationships, things go much more smoothly, and even determining that this person is not their future spouse is less devastating when both young adults are keeping their relationship with God right