4 Powerful Prayers to Protect Your Marriage from Divorce

It's been almost 14 years since that day, but I'll never forget it. "Statistics show that year 20 is when many marriages hit a crisis point and are in danger of ending. This is when many couples end up divorcing – even Christian marriages." We had reached out to a counselor friend, and he had dropped everything to come and spend time talking with us. We were approaching our 20th year of marriage and were at a crisis point.

Feeling discouraged, disillusioned, and exhausted, we openly shared with our friend where we were at and some of the struggles we had been facing. He lovingly and patiently helped us sift through all that we had been going through. Then he began pointing us to the Word of God, helping us to see Truth and how it would help to heal our hurting hearts and save our marriage.

I am so grateful for the people who came alongside us during that difficult season in our marriage. They faithfully pointed us to God's Word and challenged us to view each other through the lens of the gospel. After much prayer and intentional hard work, God restored our marriage. It took time, but He gave us an even stronger love for each other, and we are now approaching 35 years of being together and experiencing God's faithfulness. I am so very grateful!

As believers, it does not matter who we are, what we do for a living, or how long we have been a Christian; none of us are immune to the enemy's vicious attacks in our lives or marriages. Satan is on a mission to kill, steal and destroy Christian marriages and His violent attacks are constant. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that "our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Our only hope is found when we sit in God's presence, interrupt Satan's attacks, and allow God to flood us with His truth, perspective, grace, and love for our spouse. This is called putting on the armor of God. This is how we fight the battle we are in every day.

Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us this:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."

With this in mind, the following is a prayer you can pray to help you put on God's full armor and protect your marriage from getting to a crisis point.

4 Powerful Prayers to Protect Your Marriage from Divorce

Father,

Thank you for how you sovereignly brought us together at just the right time to accomplish your purposes in our lives and the world (Proverbs 19:21). Thank you for leading us to enter into the covenant of marriage. (Matthew 19:6) Thank you for how faithful you have been (Psalm 33:4) to us in every way up until today. Thank you for strengthening and enabling us to stay together, one day at a time (Isaiah 40). We want to be a testimony of your grace and point others to you with our marriage. We want to honor you in our marriage, even (and especially) on the hard days.

1. We desperately need you!

Help us always be aware of how desperately we need you (Psalm 107:6) and that we cannot love you or each other without your Holy Spirit teaching us how (John 14:26) and enabling us to do so. We need your help to be the spouses we have been called to be and to fight against the fiery darts that the enemy is aiming at us on a daily basis. (Ephesians 6:16)

2. Give us humble and grace-filled hearts.

Help us to be able to see each other through eyes of grace (James 4:6). Please work within us a humble heart that is quick to repent (2 Peter 3:19), quick to forgive (Colossians 3:13), and that desires to resolve conflict biblically, not allowing the sun to go down when we are angry (Ephesians 4:26–27).

Help me see the areas in my heart that need to be changed and ways of thinking that need to be adjusted, and be humble enough to admit when I need help from someone who will direct me to you and your Word. (Proverbs 12:15). Help us see the truth about ourselves and our own hearts and what we are capable of apart from you. And may that reality drive us to our knees in humility, causing us to cling tighter to you (Psalm 63:7-8).

3. Give us hearts of compassion towards each other.

Help us to have hearts of compassion for each other (Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 3:8), to put each other's needs above our own needs (Philippians 2:3,4), and help us to see how we can encourage each other on a daily basis (1 Thessalonians 5:11), as we are in the fight of our lives against the enemy of our souls. (Ephesians 6). Enable us to assume the very best of each other (1 Corinthians 13:7) and to be quick to encourage and comfort each other (Hebrews 10:24-25).

4. Help us to love each other the way You call us to love.

Help us to learn what your Word says about love and be committed to loving each other unconditionally (Romans 12:10; 1 Peter 2:17), the way you have loved us. Help us to see each other's strengths, be patient with each other's weaknesses (Ephesians 4:2-3), to help each other see how you are working in each other's lives. Help us to show each other love in how we interact with each other in private and in how we talk about each other in public. Make us patient listeners and good communicators. Help us to choose to love each other, even when it's hard (1 Peter 4:8).

Please continue to grow our love for each other, knitting our hearts together with you and each other (Colossians 2:2-3). Thank you that you have provided Your Word and for giving us all that we need for living life, for being godly spouses, and for honoring you in our marriage (1 Peter 1:3). And when anyone asks us how we have been able to stay married for all of these years, may we admit that we have only done what you desire for us to do, and may we give you all the glory, honor, praise, and credit for what has been accomplished.

"So learn this lesson: After doing all that is commanded of you, simply say, "We are mere servants, undeserving of special praise, for we are just doing what is expected of us and fulfilling our duties." Luke 17:10

"Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

"Greatness, power, glory, victory, and honor belong to you, because everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you! The kingdom belongs to you, LORD! You are the head, the Ruler over everything." 1 Chronicles 29:11

I pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen