Prayers - Blessed Are the Single Ladies

Prayers for Single Ladies

Single ladies need their own prayers because their experience in the world is different. Blessed, but different. Blessed, and one that sometimes requires special words to the Almighty. Please note, prayers below indicated with * are from Terry Stokes’ excellent book, Prayers For The People: Things We Didn’t Know We Could Say To God. They are used with his permission.

For Going to Church Alone

God Almighty, you have offered to hear every desire of our hearts, so hear this prayer today. I want to worship you in a community of believers; I want to join my heart in the unity of faith. I do not want to be made to feel a burden or abnormal because I walk in the door alone so bring me to your people. I want to sit next to someone and not have awkward small talk. I want to be invited to socialize. Above all, I want these longings to not be a hindrance to true worship, my God and my King.
Amen.

For Loneliness*

O Christ, present to the masses and in fellowship with the disciples, yet understood and seen fully by none, we request thy palpable friendship for those who are lonely. When no one else is there, be our Naomi.
When we feel abandoned, be our Mary.
When we are cast away, or on the run, be our Jonathan.
Only thou canst bridge the deep disconnect between us. Only thou canst make us balms for each other’s souls. So we ask thee to bring us true friends and an abiding love which comes from the Giver of every good gift our Father, who reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For Valentine’s Day (When One Is Self-Regulated)

Jesus, lover of my soul, from sun up to sun down, let this day be about you. Let my heart be content with holding your love for me. Let my heart be filled to the brim with knowledge of your love for me. Let me be content in that. With every pink heart or bouquet I see headed for someone else, guide me away from bitterness and heartache. With every jewelry commercial and reminder of romantic love, guide me back to appreciate what kinds of love I do have. With every valentine card and heart-shaped candy that crosses my path, guide me to a place of gratitude for the words of affirmation and sweet gestures I have received throughout my life, not just this day. Jesus, lover of my soul, I give this day to you.
Amen.

For Valentine’s Day (When One is Salty AF)

Holy Spirit, take the wheel. My jealousy is off the charts, and I need you to avert my eyes from that which will hurt me. My heart aches with each pink, frilly thing. My eyes sting for lack of what I desire. I need you to turn me away from the mountain of pain-in-ambush so that I am not derailed. Though this day sucks, you are greater still. I’m trusting you to make tomorrow better.
Amen.

For Making A Hard Decision

You, O Lord my God, who made all the decisions by your Divine love: the wrinkles of the elephants to the size of a hummingbird’s heart; the depths of the Grand Canyon to the heights of the Rockies; which flowers are pink and which trees will lose their leaves. You are no stranger to decisions, which is why you gave us the Holy Spirit—the Advocate—to lead and to guide your people through highs and lows, life and death, and big and small. Won’t you lead and guide me in this decision to make. What would you have me do? Lead on, my friend. I trust you.
Amen.

For Decision Fatigue

Here we are again, Jesus. Another decision. My weary mind is at a loss and the options swirl. While I am glad to have choices laid before me, I am tired of making ALL of them. Give to me your wisdom and peace once again. Set the Spirit at my back to keep me moving, at my side to journey together, and before me to show the way.
Amen.

For Days When You Feel Super Single

Lord, it is a doozy today. I have sat patiently through conversations I can’t relate to. I have had to endure photos of wedding gown try-ons, pint-sized Halloween costumes, picking out grandparent nicknames. My singleness feels like a milestone around my neck, I’m the leper in the crowd yelling, “Unclean!” Re-orient my eyes to see your glory in their stories and pictures. Let me hear their genuine friendship and joy as they take care of me. And renew my strength to care for them.
Amen.

For Single Folk Seeing Happy Couple Photos on Social Media*

O Jesus Christ, High Priest who sympathizes with us in all our weakness, we come to thee as our scrolling has sparked or amplified feelings of loneliness, sadness, or unluckiness. Preserve us from bitterness and envy. Uplift us to rejoice with those who rejoice, yet meet us in these moments of our sadness, and do give us hope in thy future provision. And graciously cleanse our palate by way of humorous meme or cute cat video, as thou dost cleanse our souls daily with the hyssop of the Father, who reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For Letting Someone Down Easy*

O gentle Father, whose “no” cometh always in perfect compassion, we ask thee to fill us with empathy as we prepare to let down one of thy beloved children. Grateful for the time we’ve shared, we give thanks for them. Well acquainted with such disappointment, we do this only with humility and heaviness in our hearts. Aware of their vulnerability, we wield our power mindfully and lovingly. Make our words soft, their hearts resilient, our communication clear, and their recovery quick, by the consolation of the Holy Spirit, who reigns with thee and our Lord Jesus Christ, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For Before Opening a Dating App*

O Lord of each and every age, leaven of each generation, we ask thee to work through this app as thou hast worked through all manner of dating practices across time and space. Help us to remember that each face we see here is not merely a profile, but a person. Not a product to be consumed or rejected, but a beautiful creation, with a life, a story, and a desire to be known and loved. Guide our interactions so as to be forthright, respectful, and dignifying to the other. Protect our heart as we make ourselves vulnerable and entrust the results to thee, as did our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For When One Desires To Be Set Up*

O Treasurer of our undisclosed desires, well acquainted with our readiness to give and receive romantic love, we thank thee for all the wonderful companions thou hast given us, as well as for all of their friends whom we do not know. Do help our friends to see our desire and to demonstrate love to us in the form of setting us up with one of the latter (perhaps especially [name]). Open their eyes to see which connection(s) would be fire, and their hearts to feel the big rom-com energy that could proceed from their actions. We do believe that this is one of the best ways to meet folks, and so we hope this request aligns with the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For The Love That Has Been Elusive*

O Source of every good gift, of whom we ask with hopeful yet unentitled expectation, bring us the love we long for. A love which can be a vehicle for thy redemption of the rejection and loneliness we have experienced. A love which demonstrates our desirability over against the ways we’ve been treated as undesirable. A love which allows us to sow where we reap. A love which banks on us. A love which is conceived in hope, developed in trust, and consummated in the faithfulness shown to us by our Lover Jesus Christ, who reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For Single Folk Who Have A Deep Desire For Marriage and Children*

O Father, defender of our dreams, safeguard of our unfulfilled desires, we lift up to thee single folk who continue to long deeply for marriage and children. We lament the ends of relationships that seemed promising, the feeling of being invisible or undesirable, the loneliness, and the inability to live and love in ways we are sure we were created for. At thy throne of grace we are bold to ask for full and timely provision of a spouse and little ones. In thy bosom of consolation, we wait in faith. As we do so, make thy will increasingly clear, and bring us into other relationships where the love we receive and give surprises us by its depth and longevity, becoming a faithful foretaste of the love which subsumes all loves that of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For Before Third Wheeling*

O God in whom three is the perfect interpersonal number, be with us when we find ourselves to be the third wheel. We ascribe to thee the good vibes of couples who have mastered the art of being with others without making them feel awkward, excluded, or lonely, and we ask thee to do a similar work in other couples. Allow us to develop our individual relationship with each of them in addition to relating to them jointly, and help us to bless each other out of the unique richness of our different vocations of singleness or partnership, given to each by the Holy Spirit, who reigns with our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, one God, now and forever.
Amen.

For Going To A Wedding While Single*

O True Lover, well acquainted with loneliness, we come to thee as we enter a space that turns the dull pain of loneliness into a sharp twinge. As much as we seek to celebrate what thou hast done in the lives of our friends, we cannot help but feel the absence of similar divine provision in our own. Do supplement our strength to rejoice with those who rejoice and do meet us in the moments of our sadness, and do give us hope in thy future provision. May we be used now to lift spirits as thy Son didst when he fashioned and provided the best wine at Cana—Jesus Christ, who reigns with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, Now and Forever.
Amen.

For Before A Family Event

Lord Jesus, whose mom was a little pushy, you know this feeling. A little anxious, a little nervous, a lot of dread—will someone ask about my dating life? What if they don’t? Protect my heart as I join with my family and open my eyes to see what I have instead of focusing on what I don’t have. Protect my mind from spinning out false narratives of their intentions. Let me soak in love and be guided into a place of non-anxiousness by the Holy Spirit; who lives and reigns with you.
Amen.