Days are riddled with change for the newly divorced. Joined traditions are being pulled back apart, some of them simply lost. The sense of togetherness will begin to fade into the background. How do we make it through these times and over the mountains of readjustment that we never thought we would have to climb? Prayer has the power to move God’s heart. Psalm 34:10 assures us that “He is always listening.” In the fresh moments of divorce, let us pray to our Healer for relief.
Father,
Praise You for Your faithfulness. We are often unable to remain committed to the ideals of our hearts on this earth, but You are able to uphold justice and righteousness throughout time. Our minds change and shift, but you remain constant. What we fail to understand, You already know. The path we fear, You have already paved. In the scramble to rearrange our lives after divorce, You seepurpose for all of our pain clearly.
Rather than wait for us to emerge on the other side of this pain, we know that those who have surrendered hearts to Jesus are never alone. Whether we are in physical pain, enduring the torture of heartbreak, or living in the sorrowful mess we’ve created, You remain.
Thank You, Father, for the joys of our wedding day, and the hope that we held onto so dearly as time began to drift by. We gratefully look upon another day, but with the silent haunting wonder why marriage failed.
Time is rushing by and we are thankful, even for these broken minutes. You are capable of working miracles with fractured hours, and we praise You for assuring us that Your divine purpose for our lives has not been lost in what we see as a catastrophic end to all hope that our lives can be used for good.
God, You are good. Heaven sings of hope that springs from tragedy and loss. When we follow Jesus, we never suffer in vain. Hallelujah! There will be life again. Thank You, Jesus, for hope.
Forgive us for our part in this divorce. Where two people are joined together, their imperfections meet; for no one can boast perfection on this earth. Whether we own the mistake that sent our marriage tumbling off course, or have yet to understand why we’ve been abandoned, we ask Your forgiveness today. For the seen and invisible mistakes, the individual strongholds of sin, the battle for love that has been lost, we ask Your divine and all-knowing forgiveness.
Convict our hearts and change us from the inside out as a result of this divorce. Hear our confession, and forgive our disobedience in ending what You joined forever. Help us to forgive ourselves, for marriage is never a guarantee. Though some are ready to label our mistake, our tragedy, our misfortune…You are not. Shame and guilt do not sprout from You. Help us to discern the voices of those reaching out to help us, and to hear Yours above all others—including our own.
Bless and heal our hearts, Father. Mold them and make them more like Jesus’ everyday. Inspire us with Your Word, and reveal Your love and character to us like never before. Show us what to do with the shambles of broken marital promises. Teach us how that can be used for good. We can love someone specifically because of the pain we’ve endured and the mistakes we’ve made. Remove the focus of each day from our own grieving hearts, and help us take new steps each day to reach out to others coming alongside and up behind us out of similar situations. As we reach out, our hearts will heal.
God places people around us specifically, but we often miss them because we’re watching for how they can help us, listening for advice and focused inward on our grief. When we start to listen to the stories that surround us, God remolds, heals, and restores us.
We are promised that this world will be painful. No one walks down the aisle on their wedding day with the prospect of divorce on the horizon. Yet, it has become a part of our broken world.
This side of heaven we will suffer from the consequence of our sin, but we may also suffer in very Job-like ways. He did nothing to deserve his immense suffering, yet his friends remained convinced otherwise. Divorce has a way of attracting opinions, when all we need is love. Test every piece of advice and consolation with God’s Word. He is our Comforter and our Healer. Because of Jesus, our Savior, we are forgiven …even when it’s our fault. Help us, Father, to forgive ourselves, turn from our sin, and bear witness of Your love in our lives.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ on her blog, “Mom” is the most important calling on her life, next to encouraging others to seek Him first … authentically. A writer, dance mom, substitute teacher, youth worship leader/teacher and Bible Study leader, she can often be found having some kind of an adventure in the small little lake town where she resides with her husband of ten years, two daughters, and their Golden-doodle.
This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.
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by Claudia (Texas)
Dear Lord I pray again to you today.
To heal my marriage in your way.
To give me strength to stay the course.
Lord I don’t want my marriage to end in divorce.
I want the kids to have both of us.
To know you as the person to trust.
Help us both to see.
That this is something you meant to be.
What you have joined together let no one put asunder.
Break the bondage that Satan has put us under.
I believe in you word and trust what it says.
Lord I cry out to you, I lift up my hands.
Lord start the change in me.
Let my husband see You and your love through me.
Help us to forgive and move past all the pain.
Help us to love each other again.
He is flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bone.
Dear Lord help my husband come back.. Take away anyone and anything that would inspire temptation for my husband.
I know through you is the only way.
Lord I pray this again today.
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This post assumes the divorce is desired because sin is leading the person away from marriage. I recognize that is not always the case.
What do you do when you hear that someone wants to leave or has chosen to leave their marriage? It’s easy to worry about them. But that worry can steal our joy and our peace. It can even lead to gossip and slander.
We need a plan to prevent our minds from racing down that unproductive trail and adding to the problem. We need to know what God can do and invite Him to do it. Praying His Word reminds us of His power and promises. It also insures that we are asking according to His will and He promises He will answer those prayers! I love a guarantee.
Here are 25 One-Sentence prayers you and I can pray for the person who wants to walk away from their marriage. (updated from 12 to 25 prayers May 1, 2017) Let’s pray these in the name of Jesus, who has insured the spiritual blessings our friends need.
1. God, grant ______________ a Damascus Road like experience that will transform _______ focus to You and Your will. (Acts 9:1-19)
2. God, I invite You to help ______________ fear You and hold Your Word in high esteem so that _______ will be satisfied in life and this marriage. (Proverbs 19:23)
3. God, please impart Your wisdom into _________’s mind so that_______ heart is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)
4. God, please pour out Your spirit on ______________ giving _______ dreams and visions that will lead ________ to fulfill the vows _______ made to to You and ______________. (Acts 2:17)
5. God if ______________’s lack of love for ______________ means that_______ does not know You, I invite You to make Yourself known to _______. (1 John 4:8)
6. God please remind ______________ that true love is patient, kind, rejoices in truth, and endures all things with hope. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
7. God, I invite Your steadfast love and righteousness into ______________’s heart trusting that faithfulness and peace will follow. (Psalm 85:10)
8. God, please guide ______________ to aim for restoration with ______________ and to a life of peace and harmony together. (2 Corinthians 13:11)
9. God, please grant ______________ a fresh dose of true humility so _______ can think with sober judgment and act on the faith You freely give. (Romans 12:3)
10. God, please help ______________ see Your path for _______ life and marriage and desire it above everything else. (Psalm 16:11)
11. God ______________ needs Your help to be humble enough to pray and seek Your face and turn from _______ wicked ways. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
12. God, please restore to ______________ the joy of Your salvation and help _______ to be willing to obey You. (Psalm 51:12)
13. God, I ask You to help __________ renounce every prideful thought in order to gain the wisdom ____ needs to honor ____ marriage vows. (Proverbs 11:2)
14. God, please help ________ turn from believing ______ is right in ____ own eyes so ___ can receive true wisdom. (Proverbs 12:15)
15. God, let Your light shine on ________’s heart and cleanse ____ from sin so ____ can live in fellowship with ____ spouse. (1 John 1:7)
16. God, please help ________ see that ___ fears about this marriage are not from You. (2 Timothy 1:7)
17. God, I ask You to help _________ pour out all ___ fears and anxious thoughts about this marriage to You. (1 Peter 5:7)
18. God, in Your mercy grant __________ the wisdom and desire to put on love which can bind this marriage together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14)
19. God, please help _________ understand that Your good plan to prosper ___ is possible in this marriage. (Jeremiah 29:11)
20. God, I ask that You strengthen and encourage _________ to wait on You for answers, hope, and restoration of this marriage. (Psalm 27:14)
21. God, I believe Your angels can open the prison doors holding _________ captive to the idea of divorce. (Acts 5:19)
22. God, please help _________ see that the present sufferings in this marriage are not worth comparing with the glorious future You have in store. (Romans 8:18)
23. God, have mercy on ________ and help ____ to seek Your kingdom and righteousness so that all Your blessings will follow to ____. (Matthew 6:33)
24. God, I ask You to help ____ become slow to anger so ___ can have great understanding that leads to reconciliation. (Proverbs 14:29)
25. God, grant ___ the ability to hear Your voice and follow Your leadership in every aspect of ___ life especially marriage. (John 10:27)
Bonus:
In this video, Penny Cook shares how God moved in her life to restore her marriage even after many years of separation. I pray that God will use her testimony to fortify your faith in our God who is the source of unity and restoration.
www.jenniferowhite.com
