Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
I had my first boyfriend when I was 16 years old. Looking back, it was a joke of a relationship. Oh, how I wish my parents would have instilled the idea that dating was for the purpose of marriage. Whether your daughter is in an intentional and committed relationship or a new fling, it’s always a good idea to pray for your daughter and her boyfriend!
I dated another guy in college who was unsupportive of my faith. Another giant red flag that I wish my parents had talked with me about. I love my parents, but they didn’t model what it was like to pray at home. We didn’t talk about God unless we were at Church and we went to a Catholic school for 9 years!
They have since had a dramatic conversion and, by the grace of God, are very devout and holy people. I say all of this because, as a parent, you have an important impact on the person your daughter will date and what she will be like as a girlfriend and future wife. You are her primary example of a healthy and holy romantic relationship!
Three things that you can do for your daughter while they are dating to help prepare them to be a good girlfriend and wife:
Teach the Faith: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” ( 2 Timothy 3:14-15, NIV).
Teaching your child about Jesus will make them desire to have a boyfriend who values and desires to please God as well. It’s never too early to start talking about God to your daughter to plant the seeds of faith!
Be an Example: “Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Your children imitate you! How you treat your spouse is their first example of what a healthy, Godly, romantic relationship should be like.
Pray: It’s never too early or too late to start praying for your daughter’s boyfriend. Pray for him, her, and their relationship to keep it centered on Christ! I’ve given you 6 prayers for your daughter and her boyfriend, but feel free to customize these prayers to your specific needs or desires. Please leave prayer requests in the comments so we can pray with you!
Short Prayer for Daughter’s Boyfriend
God, I love my daughter so much. I hope her boyfriend is someone who is worthy of her. She is a strong, but gentle woman who deserves the very best.
I hope her boyfriend is chasing after Your heart. I hope he is a man of honor who will put my daughter second, only to You, O Lord. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Daughter and Her Boyfriend to Discern Marriage
Lord, our daughter and her boyfriend have been dating for a while now. I believe they are thinking about marriage. We would love for (name) to be a part of our family. We truly do love him as our own. We just want it to be your will. If he is the man who will lead her to holiness then I know it will be a beautiful marriage.
I pray she sees You in him. Help them to be patient as they discern the vocation to marriage. Thank you for Your guiding hand throughout our whole lives O, Lord. We trust in You and Your providence to help them discern this vocation.
We know only You are perfect, but there is one person you have hand picked for our daughter to spend her life with. If this boyfriend is that person then help our daughter to know that and feel confident in this relationship. He will be the perfect person to lead her closer to You. Thank you O, God. In Your Name, I pray. Amen
Prayer for Daughter and Her Boyfriend to Have a Christ Centered Relationship
Lord, one of our biggest desires for our daughter and her boyfriend is that they will have a Christ centered relationship. There are so many distractions and temptations in this day and age. I hope they can resist the physical and emotional temptations of a relationship that should only be found in marriage.
If they are focused on you then these temptations will be easier to resist. Help them to see the importance of putting you at the center of their relationship. May they be praying together regularly and using this time to grow as disciples individually and together. Someone once told me to pray with a passage from 1 Corinthians and replace the word love and it with your name. Today I pray this for (boyfriend’s name).
[Love] is patient, [love] is kind. [Love] does not envy, [it] does not boast, [it] is not proud. [Love] does not dishonor others, [it] is not self-seeking, [it] is not easily angered, [it] keeps no record of wrongs. [Love] does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, NIV).
May (name) continue grow in these areas. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Daughter’s Boyfriend to Put God First
Dear God, Your Son says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12: 30-31, NIV).
If these are your greatest commandments then they are my biggest prayers for our daughter’s boyfriend. I hope her boyfriend loves you above all else. Someone who puts You first is someone who will treat (name) the way she deserves to be treated.
If he is struggling to put you first right now I pray that you take away the distractions. Give him the desire to be a holy man who prays daily and fervently.
I also pray he loves others as himself. Your Son served the poor selflessly and that is something we should be doing here on earth. It is our mission as Christians to be Your face, hands, and feet to those we encounter daily. We hope this mission is at the forefront of his mind.
If he is struggling in either of these areas please place someone in his path to help him grow. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Daughter’s Boyfriend to be a Spiritual Leader
Glory to God in the highest! One thing we ask of our daughter’s boyfriend is that he will grow to be a spiritual leader for her. I know they are not married or even engaged yet so I don’t expect him to be doing a husband’s work, but I expect him to be a spiritual leader for their family one day.
I hope he is someone who will take charge of their relationship and make decisions that will glorify You. May he have the desire and courage to lead prayer, dive into Scripture daily, and push (daughter’s name) to grow as a disciple of Christ. I hope he challenges her to put Christ at the center of her thoughts and to serve selflessly for love of God.
I pray for (boyfriend’s name’s) parents that they are instilling in him the importance of this characteristic and that he has a father who is a good example of leading a home towards Jesus. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Daughter’s Boyfriend to Be a Virtuous Man
God, there are many virtues you want us to model as Christians. The Scriptures tell us that compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience are just a few of the characteristics we should embody as Christians (Colossians 3:12, NIV).
I fervently pray that (name’s) boyfriend is compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. When he sees those less fortunate than him may he remember to treat them with the love of Christ. May all the words that come from his lips be spoken with kindness, gentleness and love.
May he be a woman who does not boast about her accomplishments. May he be someone who recognizes Your power and knows that he can do nothing without You. May he have a heart of humility. If he struggles in this area please give him the desire to change and/or put someone in his life to help him improve in this area.
Help him to grow in the virtues of fortitude and faith. If he doubts you at all Lord, please show him that you are a miracle worker. Help him to persevere in any trials he may be facing. In whatever area of his life he may be lacking please show up for him and help him to be a more virtuous man so that he can better love and lead our daughter to You. In Your Name, I pray. Amen.
Concluding Thoughts
Dating can be an exciting and emotional time in a woman’s life. It’s full of adventure, hope, and joy. However, it can also be exhausting and heartbreaking. It is a gift to watch your daughter fall in love, but also gut wrenching when you have to watch helpless as she suffers through a break up.
No matter what happens in each romantic relationship your daughter pursues you should continue to pray for your daughter, her boyfriend, and their relationship. May they glorify God in all aspects of their relationship!