Prayer is an important part of your current and future relationships, whether those include acquaintances, friends or your significant other. This week the focus has been on strengthening current dating relationships and marriages and preparing for future relationships.

Today’s task involves praying for your future spouse and members of the opposite sex. Before you pray, read “Pray Boldly” by Candice Watters.

If you aren’t currently in a relationship, pray for the men or women in your acquaintance you believe would be godly husbands or wives. If you see potential for a godly relationship with someone, pray about it and ask God for clarity and discernment. Pray for a solid foundation of friendship with those you have in mind.

Pray intentionally for your future spouse today. Ask God for patience and wisdom, for the other person’s walk with Him and their openness to His will. Pray for God’s timing.

I know I posted earlier in the challenge about praying big prayers and asking God for important things, but I still find that a difficult challenge for me.  There's a certain matter of perspective involved - I'm always tempted to put my needs last because I come up with something "more important" when I start to pray.  Someone else's needs, their frustrations, their dreams.  I feel like I'm being selfish if I spend too much time asking God to fulfill my own prayers.

Today I actually sat down with someone doing missions work in Uganda.  We met at Starbucks, and while I drank my $2 coffee he told me about the orphanages he works with that try to feed kids on $1/day/child.  Considering I had just complained about the price of coffee a few minutes before that ... yeah ... I felt guilty.

Knowing all this, though, I realize that to find, pursue, and eventually marry my future wife, I will need God's help.  It's a big prayer for me, but a small matter to Him.

So now, armed with a day's worth of careful reflection over yesterday's advice and conversation, I'm better prepared to approach God and pray a bold prayer - and I'll continue to pray it daily.

I've asked God for patience and wisdom in all things.  I've asked Him for guidance in my career and in my relationships.  He's been faithful, and has directed me down a seemingly winding path that I wouldn't have necessarily chosen for myself.  When I spent time in prayer today, it was easy to hear His voice calming me, reminding me of everything He's done so far.  I might not know exactly where I'm going ... but I do know that I'm not wandering alone in the dark.