A Prayer to Celebrate Marriages
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” - Genesis 2:24
Listen or Read Below:
In society today, the celebration of marriage has taken on an extravagant, party-like tone, where the bigger and the more elaborate the wedding, the better, and where the simpler celebration of the union of one man to one woman is being left by the wayside. Our culture has taken holy matrimony and morphed it into the wedding industry, one based on making big money, noticeably so because of just the fact that it’s now called an “industry” proving the intense marketing efforts and profitable business it has come to be. From costly wedding venue options to overpriced reception halls, couples are spending thousands, sometimes millions, on extravagant weddings, designed to compete with royal weddings that leave attendees in awe, forgetting and leaving the sacred meaning and holiness of marriage at the altar.
Costly Weddings Cause Cold Feet
Tragically, for many couples wanting to take the true cold-water plunge of marriage in life, the costliness of a wedding and reception has become an enormous obstacle and even an excuse for many couples to indefinitely postpone holy matrimony. Rather than focus on the sacrament of marriage itself, couples spend years engaged, putting marriage aside, with some forgoing it altogether, considering it too costly and an unattainable goal for countless couples today. Sadly, the exorbitant costs involved and the high finances required to pull off a wedding nowadays create tremendous stress between couples and families.
Why Marriage Is to Be Celebrated
But marriage isn’t just a reason to hold a grand party or a contract, as many individuals now consider it, making pre-nuptial agreements required for many fiancées to even be able to say “I do” at the altar, starting off marriage focused on finances and community property more than commitment and love. Although many have reduced marriage down to a legally binding agreement, it’s a sacred covenant between a man, a woman, and God. As Hebrews 13:4 explains, one that sanctifies marriage. “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”
God designed marriage where He is the center, holding couples together with His glue created to be practically unbreakable, as Ecclesiastes 4:12 describes the strength of having God in our marriages.
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” So holy and pure of union, created, ordained, and sanctified by God, designed to hold up under the most brutal attacks and barrage of difficulties, mended together so tightly, He sees one person rather than a separate man and woman. “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” (Mark 10:9).
The True Celebration of Marriage
Holy matrimony is created to be more than a name change or updated relationship status. It’s the uniting of two people into one, both physically and spiritually, a picture of a selfless Christ and His beautiful, pure bride, the Church, of the sacrifice a man makes when he marries a wife.
As Ephesians 5:25 explains, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Our hearts are deeply grateful for the incredible gift of marriage, truly special, like no other human relationship on earth and a reason to celebrate every month of the year. Thank You for creating it and being at the center of this holy union, holding couples together, sustaining us, and helping us to keep our commitment to You and to each other. Help us to recognize how You have ordained and sanctified holy matrimony, binding us together and making us one in You, reminding us how marriage is a picture of Christ and His bride the Church. Lead us in celebrating not only our own marriages but the marriages that surround us, making us aware of how we can influence, support, and encourage the marriages of our family members, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Today and every day, O Lord, uplift and strengthen our marriage commitments to honor and glorify Your name.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Serhii Sobolevskyi
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: How to Choose Your One Word for 2026
This month on the How to Study the Bible Podcast, we’re starting a new series called One Word 2026, and it’s meant to be a gentle but intentional way to reflect, respond, and reconnect with God as we begin the year. In this episode, I’m walking you through why I love taking the whole month of January to pause and listen — rather than rushing into resolutions or putting pressure on yourself to “get it all together” by January 1. We’re going to start with Philippians 1:3–11, where Paul reminds us that we can have real confidence because God is still working in us, and He’s not finished.
Then I’m going to share six words I’ve been praying over for our community — six spiritual intentions that I believe reflect the kind of growth God may be inviting us into this year. You don’t have to choose one right away, and you definitely don’t have to force it — but I hope that one of these words will resonate in your spirit and give you a steady anchor for 2026.
This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
