Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of these revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)
The season of singleness can be deeply meaningful if we live it with God. Instead of just waiting, those not yet married can use this time to draw near to God and serve Him wholeheartedly. These nine prayers for singles help you offer your season of singleness to God. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
Singleness can be a long, lonely and confusing road, especially when you don’t want it. Through most of my twenties, I felt I was born wanting to be married. God finally gave me a wife a little over a year ago, but not before walking with me through a stormy decade of temptation and sometimes failure, of waiting, wanting and wondering.
Over the years, I learned that God does not guarantee His children temporary joys like health, marriage, career success or children. That is because He is fully committed to giving His sons and daughters what is best, at the best time, and only when it is best for us. However good the gift seems right now, however much we long for it, or however long we have waited, God will not withhold the greater good He has promised (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
But we can be tempted to walk away from Him, to abandon His plan for us, or to turn our backs on Him for a while in disappointment. We actually convince ourselves that we know better, that we can choose better than God, the One who came and gave His priceless life to save us. But we don’t, and we can’t. When we start to feel overlooked or forgotten, or doubt God’s love, we carry ourselves away from Him when we should run to Him. Instead of drifting away, we really need to get on our knees and pray.
If you don’t know where to begin, how to start talking with God daily or how to surrender the desires and struggles of singleness to Him, here are nine prayers for the not-yet-married, along with God’s Word to shape your wants and longings.
9 Prayers for Singles
1. Your will be done, not mine
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
Your will be done, not mine, Lord. If these words and the faith behind them were enough to carry Jesus to the cross to save me, they will be enough to carry me through anything in this life for His sake. Help me live my best, married or single, whatever You have chosen and planned for me. If marriage is not Your will for me, help me see everything You have planned for me in my gifts, ministry and singleness. Either way, help my heart be anchored in You, not in marriage.
2. Show me as much of You as possible while I’m single
“I ask that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:17–19)
Show me more of Yourself and shape my life to display Your glory. As I step out onto the stormy sea of life and singleness, may my faith rest in You and my eyes stay fixed on You, so that I stand firm above it all. Show me how much greater and more beautiful You are than marriage, or any dream or desire I have.
3. Fill me so I never look to anyone else for joy
“With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments… I will meditate on Your precepts and regard Your ways… Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word… Order my steps in Your word; let no sin rule over me.” (Psalm 119:10, 15, 37, 133)
You are the only One who can make me happy. No spouse, friends, job or money can fill the void in me. You are more than enough for me, yet my heart often wanders. Direct my love toward Your wonderful worth and beauty, and guard my eyes and mind from being captured by anyone or anything else. Win my heart again, and protect it from Satan’s lies.
4. Show Yourself to the world through my joy and freedom in singleness
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20–21)
Use me and the gifts I have to honor Your name on this earth. I want to live a life useful to You, starting today, even while I am young and single. Fill me with passion, creativity and selflessness for Your glory.
5. Give me faith to trust You even when I walk through pain and disappointment alone
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of these revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)
Help me see every loss or disappointment, every moment of loneliness, every unfulfilled dream or desire, and every evidence of weakness as an opportunity to remember and enjoy the strength, hope and rest You bought for me with Your Son’s blood. Remind me that You are at work in all of it, in every detail and in every way, for my good.
6. Send me the people I need to follow You
“And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.” (Ephesians 4:11–16)
Surround me with people who love me, and who love You even more than they love me, especially while I live alone. Show me myself through their eyes, faith, maturity and words. Help me become a healthier and more fruitful member of my local church. Give me a deep, lasting and growing desire to serve the church in every way I can. Rescue me from the blindness and self-importance of isolation.
7. Free me from idolizing work while I wait
“Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23–24)
Help me see every success or advance as evidence of Your grace, and help me let go of the love of money and people’s approval. Free me from the tyranny of today’s to-do list, and help me take every task, meeting, chore and project as an act of worship.
8. Keep me from conforming to the world, and make me more like Jesus
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to test and prove what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9–11)
Complete the work You began in me and through me, and make me more like Jesus every day. Keep me from doing things that make His death seem cheap or meaningless. Equip me to grow in thinking, speaking and acting like someone saved at great cost and entrusted with the best news the world has ever known.
9. If You call me to marry, help me date differently
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:3–8)
If You want me to marry, prepare me to love my husband or wife with the love and grace You have shown me through Jesus and His cross. Give me clarity in dating and protect me from all impurity. Let patience, selflessness and humility mark every relationship: every date, every conversation, every step forward or back. In every step toward marriage, make it clear that You are Lord and I am Yours.
Living the Season of Singleness Fully
Those not yet married are not “missing half.” In Christ, you are complete. Use this time to know God, develop your gifts and serve the church.
Choose one of these nine prayers to pray every day this month, and trust that God will lead you in His perfect timing.
You may also like: Bible Verses for Weddings and 6 Habits That Draw You Closer to God.
Prayer
Lord, I offer my season of singleness to You. Help me find contentment in You, live fully for You today and trust You with the future. Your will be done in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Hồng Hạnh
Adapted from: DesiringGod.org
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