Commitment is hard to honor when marriage doesn’t feel like love. There are undoubtedly unsafe situations that require immediate escape through the Father’s guidance. But for many, marriage slowly fades into an agreement on paper.
Prayer removes the sharp edge of sadness and restores life to hopeless marriages.
1. Seek God first.
God said, “It’s not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18), but He never said we couldn’t survive without marriage. Jesus died so the void of every earthly relationship could be filled by the reciprocal love we are wired to crave from our Father in heaven. Sometimes, the riff in our marriage is caused by a lack of time in His presence.
2. Build up from the hurt.
“Suffering produces perseverance,” Paul said in Romans 5:3. Our trials produce strength when we navigate them in honesty with God, ourselves, and our spouses. The timely anguish inside a marriage can fester and destroy, unless we choose to see the opportunity for growth in every hurt.
3. Come to God with your sorrows in prayer.
“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Honest prayer is a powerful weapon. God honors our transparency when we come to Him in hopeless moments. When we seek His will over ours, God promises to mend our hearts.
Please pray with me:
Father, You are powerful to seek us out individually when we cry to You. Marriage is a gift and a treasure, perfectly designed by You and executed by us. Praise You for Your patience to hear us when we cry and comfort us when we want to give up.
“Till death do us part” seems like an eternity when it’s crumbling. We did not expect “for worse” to mean “overlooked” by the man who stood at the end of the aisle. Tears aren’t so sweet when they fall decades into the same struggles. Help us hold on tight to the promise that You love us infinitely more than our husbands ever could. We praise You for proclaiming the impossible over our lives when we feel hopeless and forgotten.
Turned-down pictures hide smiles of unkept promises, but happy memories keep our hearts from imploding under the strain of fading friendship. Forgive us for the blessings we take for granted in our marriages. Homes, children, pets, family, shared meals, vacations, laughter, and the blessed day we all said, “I do.” Thank you for giving us someone to share jokes, mourn loss, take adventures, and raise little lives with.
When we acknowledge that You love us infinitely more than our spouse is obliged, our expectations are blessed. Bless us to know the difference between intentional hurt and mistaken words. Forgive us for holding our husbands accountable for a love that we can only receive from You, Father. A love that sent Jesus to the cross to pay for our sins.
The world surrounds us with reminders of lonely people. And though we sometimes feel alone in married life, we are not. You have blessed us with another person to walk through this life with. There are many hard times, but also many good. Thank You for the blessings You bestow on our lives. You did not build this world on fading feelings, and those moments that crumble upon our backs are fleeting. Our enemy prowls, seeking to destroy. Uphold us under attack and stir our hearts to run to You in prayer for the survival of our marriages.
Father, there are wives in dangerous situations all over the world tonight. Much more than arguments and loneliness, they battle abuse of all kinds. Please be with those women in a special way as we pray today and strengthen them to run to you for deliverance from their pain. Bless these women who suffer with the courage they need to seek shelter from fear and life-threatening situations. Move their hearts to cry out to You for rescue, knowing in faith that You hear them, Lord.
Father, You are love. We are not. Help us to remember that it’s not our job to get it right all of the time. We are created in Your image, but we are not You and cannot love, or receive love, perfectly. Bless our marriages with a camaraderie of seeking You above each other, in trust that You hear us, love us, and are capable of the impossible. Send Your Spirit to guide us in daily prayer for our husbands and our marriages. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Megs is a stay-at-home mom and blogger at http://sunnyand80.org, where she writes about everyday life within the love of Christ.
Publication date: January 19, 2017
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