Here’s a childhood story for you.

I had a pretty messed up home life and I would go with friends to “Bible Study” when I was about 13-14 years old for no other reason than to get out of my tempest home for a few hours.

So my favorite “youth leaders” were this young childless couple. He was a handsome baseball player and she was gorgeous, model-like, but humble and sweet and down to earth in a way you’d never expect by looking at her.

They were genuine and easy to be around.

So it might have been the last Bible study at their house I went to. I’m not sure. But they just had their first baby girl. They let me hold her. She was maybe 3 days old. She was perfect.

And the end of the Bible study, the dad closes in prayer. It was the most raw and sincere prayer I ever heard in my entire life.

He prayed, out loud, in a room full of teenage boys and girls for his baby daughter’s future husband.

He prayed for him to be be chosen by God “whether he is born or unborn, I pray You direct his life to lead him to her, to protect and love her...”

I was holding this 3 day old infant, listening to her father’s prayer, & weeping. I was looking at her & I’m ashamed to say it, but I was jealous. I was jealous she had people who loved her enough to pray for her husband, likely another infant, unknown somewhere out in the world.

Praying that he would he be wise and kind and Godly.

I tell this story because this couple impacted my life profoundly.
I don’t see them anymore, I don’t even know them really. It’s been decades.

But if you have a child, regardless of age, praying for their spouse is a beautiful thing.

And if you have the kind of house wayward teenagers can hang out at, that time matters to us. (In more ways than you’ll ever know.)
Maybe they too will be talking about a simple prayer 20+ years later.