(If you left comments in response to the last two giveaways ($50 gift certificates and “Living So That Gift Packages,” the winners are announced at the end of this post. Please respond by Monday Jan. 13).
A warm welcome to my Proverbs 31 friends visiting from my Encouragement for Today Devotion, Who Sits on the Throne of Your Heart? I’m so excited you stopped by to visit.
Since my devotional delved into a tender place in my marriage, a place that was very hard to share, I thought I would write a marriage prayer today. Monty and I have come so far since those early years of our marriage. We have traveled down smooth roads, tackled rough roads, survived deep valleys, and danced on mountain tops. But through it all, we have remained together. I couldn’t imagine sharing my life with anyone else in the entire world!! Every rough road and every valley, though hard to walk through at the time, has strengthened our marriage and drawn us closer together. This year we will celebrate 27 years of marriage!!
I pray God will use this prayer to bless and encourage you. If you visit my Free Resource Page, you will find a longer marriage prayer. To access that prayer directly, click here.
My Marriage Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come before You today praising You as the giver of every good and perfect gift. Your word tells me that all my days were ordained for me before I lived a single one. You knew before time began that we would be joined together as one. You gave me my husband as one of those good and perfect gifts. But marriage is hard, Lord. It’s messy. Sometimes I feel _________(alone, unappreciated, disconnected, jealous, neglected, angry, bitter, misunderstood, hurt, betrayed, etc). I don’t like these emotions. I know they are not healthy and not what You want for me as a wife. So I come before You today for direction and help. I know that I cannot change my husband, so I invite You to help me change the only thing I can and that is ME. Lord, please change me.
First, I want to confess my role in this mess in my marriage. Search me, Lord. Know my anxious thoughts. Test me. If there is any offensive way in me…if there is any part of this mess we are in that is my fault…reveal it to me. Open my eyes to see it. Humble my heart to confess it. Tender my heart to change it. Father, I ask You to forgive my ________ (anger, bitterness, jealousy, prideful attitude, self-pity, etc) Thank You that You forgive me…that though my sins are like scarlet, You make them white as snow. You remove them as far as the east is from the west.
Lord, help me to walk confidently in who I am in You. Thank You, Lord, that I am a display of Your splendor! My value and worth is found in You and You alone. My husband is a gift in my life, but my identity and worth is NOT in Him; my identity and worth is found in You. Heal any part of me that has forgotten that or doubted that. Restore to me the JOY of my salvation. I am Your child. I am filled with Your Spirit and Your glory. Help me to walk in the fullness of who I am in You.
I surrender my marriage and my husband to You, the giver of the gift of marriage, more specifically the gift of my marriage. I ask the following of You for my husband and me:
Heal our hurts.
Knit our hearts together as one.
Bring us into unity and agreement in all things.
Move our hearts to respond to each other with humility and unselfishness.
Equip us with the mind of Christ and enable us to acknowledge You daily as Lord of our lives and our marriage.
Help us not look to each other for affirmation, but look only to You.
Grow us daily in spiritual wisdom and discernment.
Humble our hearts to serve each other with a sacrificial love.
Develop in us praying hearts and unite us to pray as one.
Cover us daily in the armor of God and protect us from the guiles of the evil one.
Bless and establish the work of our hands and our hearts.
Bind our marriage with unbreakable chains and blanket us with Your great love.
Heavenly Father, I give our hearts, our minds, our marriage and our family to You and trust You to do a “new thing.” Help my husband and I forget the old, to forgive what has been in the past. I trust You to make a way in the desert. Flood our marriage with Ephesians 3:20 blessings, Lord…do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
I pray this prayer meets you in your tender place in your marriage. If you would like prayer for your marriage, or you would like to leave a prayer for your marriage or someone else’s marriage, please share it in a comment today. I promise to pray for each and every request over the next week. And I will choose one comment randomly to win an Inscribed necklace to celebrate the release of my new book coming out in March 2014, Living So That: Making Faith-Filled Choices in the Midst of a Messy Life. To see the necklace, click here.
I’m so thankful you stopped by today. As I close this post, I’m praying for the Lord to draw every woman here who needs this encouragement…this prayer. And if your marriage is GREAT right now, praise God and join me in praying for the comments left today. Let’s storm the gates of heaven on behalf of marriages today. No marriage is hopeless because NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD!!
******Winners of $50 Proverbs 31 Gift Certificate
Angela B.who posted on 12/26 at 5:44 p.m.
LaKeisha who posted on 12/21 at 7:48 a.m.
******Winners of “Living So That Gift Package”
Karen Conner who posted on 1/1 at 8:19 a.m.
Carolyn who posted on 1/1 at 10:44 a.m.
If you are one of the four women listed above, please e-mail me at deuteronomysix@aol.com with your full name and mailing address so I can send you your gifts.
Blessings,
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Thank you for this encouraging blog post! It lines up with what The Lord is revealing to me this early 2014 season. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this beautiful prayer! It’s just what I needed right now! I don’t know that there’s anything specifically bad in my marriage right now, but I would love prayer for us to not fight so much about trivial things. Also I would love prayer for my husband to come closer to The Lord 🙂 thank you and bless you! Ps: I LOVE that necklace!!!
Sarah, I love that you want to pray for your marriage….just because!! And I join you now in praying for the Lord to tender your husband’s heart to His love for you husband and for God to draw Him closer to God’s heart through the power of His Holy Spirit. And may God bless your sincere desire for your marriage to be the very best it can be!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you such a great post. Will be sharing this on Facebook. We just all need to remember this prayer not only for our friends family, and ourselves, but for each marriage God has brought together. In the beginning you may to realize the true meaning of why you are together,but God always reveals himself in his time. When you pray, wait, and are patient..what he gives to our marriages is amazing. Even after 11years of an unknown, he finally showed me why my husband was chosen for me.
Thank you for sharing this post with your friends and family and for reminding us that we can pray for ALL marriages. Marriage is under attack in our world in so many ways. I join you in praying not just for my marriage and our marriages but for all marriages to live in the fullness of all that God intends!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you so much for reminding me where my worth comes from, and where my validation should be. It’s easy to forget on a hectic day that our refuge and strength should come from God, not from our husbands.
Susan, the beginning of a healthy marriage is not only knowing, but walking confidently, in who we are in Christ. I am so thankful the words the Lord gave me spoke this truth into your heart. Below is a link to a free resource on my blog about our identity in Christ. I pray it blesses you!
https://wendyblight.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FaithDeclaration.pdf
And below is a prayer that goes along with it.
https://wendyblight.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FaithDeclarationPrayer.pdf
Blessings,
Wendy
Your message was absolutely a word from God this morning..my husband & I are separated and he’s living with another woman, this really spoke to me that Ray was taken from me for awhile so I could learn to put God first in my life & in my doing so everything else will fall into place. Thank You for your prayers
Andrea, I am praying now for the Lord to heal and restore your marriage!! Praying the Lord will open Ray’s eyes to his betrayal of you and your marriage vows and turn his heart back to God and to you. With God ALL things are possible!
Blessings,
Wendy
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the perfect timing of Wendy’s post. Thank You for Andrea’s heart… for You and for her husband. Thank You that You are the Father of all compassion and comfort. Lord, in ways only You can, flood Andrea with Your love, compassion and tenderness. Let her feel You wiping away her tears. Let her see Your joy as she places You above all people and all things. Lord, it’s so easy for us to see the “impossible”… but to You, nothing is impossible. You breathed life into Lazarus when he was dead and certainly You can do this in Andrea and Ray’s marriage. Work in Ray’s heart to convict him of his vows. Make him uncomfortable with the things that makes You uncomfortable. Bring restoration Lord! In Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Huge hugs to you Andrea.
Wendy, I can’t thank you enough for your devotional and post. I read it aloud to Ryan. We truly took in your prayer for our marriage. And like you and Andrea, I learned the hard way how to put Jesus as the One and Only on the throne of my heart. I, too, had my husband above the Lord. I am still in the refining fire, but as I see the benefits, I see God healing in Eph 3:20 ways. Love you Wendy!
Amen to your beautiful prayer for Andrea…breathe life!!
Love you!!!
I’ve been trying to pray a similar prayer myself, but I wasn’t quite hitting the depth that I really needed to. This prayer really helped me understand the deeper level my prayer life needs to be on. I was just touching the surface with my requests from God. Thank you for giving me a better guide to getting my marriage back on track!
You are so welcome, Jill. I pray the Lord works mightily through His Word as you make this prayer your own and pray it in faith!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for the beautiful prayer. I have a good marriage, been married 35 years, and we have been in the depth of valleys and on the mountaintops but have persevered by the grace of God. I love the prayer ‘to move our hearts to respond to each other with humility and unselfishness”, because I find that when ‘me-centerness” rears it’s ugly heard, Jesus gets ‘dethroned’ and friction, discontent, fear,etc move in- My prayer is that we continue to Keep Jesus in the center of our marriage.
I lift up Andrea and her marriage – for healing hearts, Jesus is the balm to heal and so I pray that He remains on the throne of her heart- and that her husband is drawn to Him- that her husband chooses to turn his heart to Jesus. I pray that Andrea feels the loving arms of Jesus wrapped around her as she puts Him first -knowing that Jesus is her strength and hope.
Melinda, thank you for your sweet prayer offered for Andrea and her husband. I join you in your prayer.
I’m right there with you about the “me-centeredness.” Every time it rears its ugly head, that is when tempers flare and/or feelings are hurt.
Blessings,
Wendy
Wow! You put into words what I’ve been struggling to pray. Thanks for the prayer and encouragement!
This was beautiful and just what I needed this morning. Your prayer gave me the words I was looking for but could not find. My husband and I have been mostly separated for the last 6 months due to his alcoholism and an affair. We tried many times to reconcile but have finally realized that without giving our marriage to God and trusting in Him, we cannot do it alone. I’ve always tried to change my husband, but through all this trial I have learned that I cannot change him but I can only change myself…and I had a lot to work on too! Now that we have both realized that we need to bring God into our marriage and turn to Him for our validation, strength, etc, we I hope are finally on the path to healing – my husband has admitted to having an addiction and is currently away receiving treatment. I have accepted my faults in our marriage and have turned to God to help me change myself and trust in Him to feel complete, and not place that role in my husbands shoulders. I see hope, finally, for our marriage and this prayer was just what I was looking for this morning! Thank you!!
Kris, how wonderful to hear you both have turned your hearts to the Lord and that you are on the road to healing. I pray protection over your marriage…may the blood of Jesus cover your hearts and your home as you journey through this healing time. May God tender your hearts to each other’s feelings and guard your tongues so that the words you speak will be edifying and encouraging. And when you need to speak hard truths, I pray He will help you speak truth in love. Praying for a mighty healing work in both of your hearts and in your marriage!!
Blessings,
wendy
Hi Kris and Wendy,
I couldn’t help but read your response as I too have walked a similar journey. I have lived with my husband who has struggled with an addiction as well. It wasn’t until I fell on my knees and told God that I was done doing things on my own and released my control of the situation that my life changed for the better. Thankfully my husband is currently celebrating 1yr of recovery. It is my prayer that you continue your lifelong journey on getting yourself help and let God continue to lead your paths. (Sometimes easier said than done, I know). Blessings to you both and feel free to to email me as there is something to be said when sisters in Christ, walk a similar road. Wendy, thank you for your prayers and may God continue to use you as a beacon of hope to those who need it! Blessings, Kathy
Kathy, thank you for reaching out. Women like you and Noelle reaching out to and praying for each other, offering support, are why I love this community!!
Blessings,
Wendy
I’m so excited for your new book and cannot wait to do the OBS. thank you sweet sister for sharing this message and prayer.
Kara, thank you, thank you for your excitement! We had a conference call about OBS yesterday!! Made me so excited!!!!
Love you,
Wendy
Thank you for this post! I am praying for my best friend’s marriage today. I’ll also be sending her this link. God bless!
Becca, thank you for sharing this with your friend. I pray the Lord will use it in a mighty way!
Blessings,
Wendy
God always gives us exactly what we need whe we need it! Thank you for you encouragement today.
Thank you for writing such a wonderful prayer. You speak of a lot that I am facing. I prayed your prayer. After facing divorce after 23 years due to adultery and then remarriage to a wonderful husband with four daughters that lost their mom…I find mind self faced with so many insecurities. That has brought on jealousy and a feeling that I can’t do much right. I plan to print out your prayer and post it where I can pray it each day.
Vicki, I am reminded of God’s Words to Joshua…”be strong and courageous!” You are a precious child of God, valued in His sight, worthy of His love and your husband’s love. Stand in who and whose you are and claim God’s truths and promises over you, your husband and your marriage!
He will be faithful.
Blessings,
Wendy
With three kids under five, my husband and I keep finding ourselves going in different directions and losing out connection we once had before kids. I get jealous if his freedom from the chaos in our house and he feels neglected and cast aside. I’m praying for God to soften our hearts towards each other again and help us to work as a team instead of rivals. Thank you for your beautiful prayer and encouragement today!! Xo
Kelly, I’ve been in your shoes and now have 5 kids 10 and understand your situation. Your words about his freedom from the chaos hit my heart. I’ve also struggled with how easy it is for him to just be able to do something when I have to do A, B, and C before I even get out the door. It’s helped me to talk about this with him and remember he has a lot of responsibility that I don’t. I’ll be praying for you as I pray for me!
I agree with Jill. And thank you for sharing, Jill. Opening up lines of communications, believing the best in our husbands and telling them so because they love us will make such a difference. Also, I encourage a date night…once a week or every other week. It will make such a difference. It does not have to be expensive or even out of the house…just apart from your kids. It helps reconnect and give priority. I pray the Lord will show you exactly how to work with Him through prayer, the power of His Holy Spirit and the Word to knit your hearts back together in a tender, intimate way.
Blessings,
wendy
I LOVED this post! Congratulations on 27 years of marriage! That is GREAT!
My husband and I met over the internet, back in 92 or 93 in a role-playing game. I was coming out of a bad marriage and he was recovering from his fiancee telling him she had aborted their baby. We met face to face March 13, 1995. Our oldest child was born in December 1996. We’ve been married since May 9, 1997.
It has not been an easy road. I am a Christian. He was partially raised by a primitive Baptist preacher (his step-maternal-grandfather), but now calls NFL Sunday games “church”. His step-mother gave me a car once in case I wanted to get myself and the children away from him. No one really thought we would stay together. Despite our (past) issues, we are committed to one another and to our children. I believe he is the man God made for me.
Our anniversary is May 9th as well! I pray the Lord will work on your husband’s heart to desire more of Jesus in his life. Praying the Lord will work mightily through your prayers to draw you both closer the Lord and to each other as you seek a deeper, richer marriage!
Blessings,
Wendhy
Thank you so much for this beautiful post and prayer, Wendy. 19 years ago, I was in a similar situation having been in a terrible accident that took much of my physical freedom. I turned my husband into my everything! It wasn’t until I started turning to Jesus and understanding that HE is my everything that our marriage began to heal and now thrive. We just celebrated 25 years and although we still encounter trials and valleys, with The Lord at the center, we will succeed. I loved the specificity of your prayer and will turn to it often to daily remind me of what I need to do. May The Lord continue to bless you as you bless others.
Congratulations! And thank you for sharing your story!
Blessings,
Wendy
This prayer was such an encouragement for me this morning. Thank you! My marriage has seen it’s share of rough patches over the past year, but I’m thankful for a husband who knows Christ and our tough times are becoming fewer and more far between as we learn to lean on Him during difficult times. I plan on revisiting this prayer often.
This was such a well timed devotion and prayer!! My husband and I have been struggling and had talked about separating before Christmas. We are working through our marriage with counseling and prayer. Thank you Wendy
I am in a spiritually mismatched marriage, though our marriage is great now, we have had problems, which have led to trust issues. Prayer is for my husband to come to know the Lord.
Jenn, praying now for the Lord to tender your husband’s heart to the Light and Love of Jesus…through your love for Him and through the Holy Spirit. Believing God for salvation!!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Hi Wendy, today’s devotional is so perfectly timed. My husband and I married 2008 and we started off very badly to the point that we divorced in 2010. However since the later part of 2010 I began to pray for restoration. There was season when all was going well and although we chat on email and on the phone , the visits became infrequent. The last time I saw him was in March 2013 – nevertheless I have never stopped praying for our restoration and reconciliation. Sometimes I feel the breakthrough is taking so long and I feel low – but I try to press on. However this morning through an unusual circumstance I had to go over to our original marital home and saw my husband. By reading this devotional it has given be determination to persevere for my marriage to be restored. Please pray for my marriage
Oh, Ellen, praying with you now for God to do a mighty healing work in both of your hearts and to heal and restore all that has been lost!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Wow Ellen,
God’s timing and ways are perfect!! Praying for you!!
Thank you for the great devotional and prayer! I am blessed to say I’ve been married 20 wonderful years. We fortunately get along really well. We have had valleys and are currently in one right now (my breast cancer) and have had many mountain tops and they always draw us closer to the Lord and one another. I am going to share this with my dearest and best friend and am praying it will make a difference for her marriage. With God all things are possible!
What a wonderful devotion and prayer! It’s going in my “Inspirational” email folder! Last year I had some marriage struggles, and we worked through them and things have been much better lately. I feel blessed by God and P31 Ministries, and your blog and studies, Wendy, which all got me through a difficult time.
I pray for everyone going through a valley in their marriage right now, that the couples will see the sun again and feel God’s presence guiding them all the way.
Thanks so much Wendy!
Thank you for your kind words and your prayers for the couples lifted up here!
Blessings,
wendy
Thank you for the encouragement today. I have been married 20 years and struggled many of the same things during those first few. Our marriage is something we have to continuously work on, especially in the middle of 6 children. 🙂 You’re words were a reminder I needed to hear today.
Thank you for that beautiful prayer. As my children become young adults, I realize I have placed my identitiy in being a wife and mother instead of who I am in Christ. Please pray I can release my fears to the Lord and grasp His great love and plan for our family.
Denise, I pray the Lord will reveal to you the wonderful plans He has for you…plans set out for your life before time began. May He direct your every step, reveal your giftedness, and open doors for you to exercise the giftedness!
Blessings,
wendy
My son just got engaged in Jan. I would love it if you would pray for him …, Nick , and his new bride to be that they would start out their marriage as God at The Center of their lives . I thank you for your prayers for marriage and pray you would also pray for all the married children in my family as well as my husband and myself. Thank-you for the beautiful prayers.
Fran, praying now for each of your requests…for Nick and his new bride…for each of your married children and their spouses…for you and your husband.
Blessings,
Wendy
What a blessing it is to have you praying for each of our marriage requests. I believe prayer can heal so much.
I ask that you pray for my marriage: To continue to have God working in my life as He has. So that I may continue to be the Proverbs wife He has called me to be.
I love how you ask in prayer to not change our husbands, but us…AMEN! It’s when WE change, the biggest change comes of all. I love your blog. Thank you for your prayers.
Praying now for the Lord to continue to fill you with His Love and His Word so that you, in turn, will be able to pour out His Love and live out His truths and promises in your marriage. May He bless mightily the work of your hands and your heart.
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for your post today. I LOVE my husband so much (we will be married 35 years this year!), and I feel at times that I am too dependent on him; he is so caring and loving. We do have our arguments but he is such a good listener and can read me SO well – “something’s wrong isn’t it. Let’s talk.” I am so blessed. I know I would be very lost without Ed.
Please pray that God will be the first love of my life, and that I not put unrealistic demands on my husband.
Elaine, it sounds like God has given you a wonderful man and that you have a rich and full marriage. I do pray God will always sit on the throne of your heart and that nothing will ever take His place. I pray you will love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. May that reverence and love for God bring you great strength as a wife.
Blessings,
wendy
I needed this post right, my marriage is strong and good. But I needed the reminder that God is first and that my whole identity is not in my husband. God Bless.
Thanks for the prayer, Wendy. My husband and I just celebrated 25 years of marriage and entering the empty nest stage of our life. As a stay at home mom it has been difficult but with God’s help I have realized that He alone needs to be first and that my children and husband are wonderful gifts he has blessed me with. Your prayer is what my heart needs to be reminded of daily. Thanks
thank you. WHat a fresh and beautiful reminder and prayer to look up and look to God for newness and His exceedingly great work! Thank you and please pray for us as we are new to the “empty nest” season, that we would be filled!
Debbie and all the other “empty nesters,” praying for the Lord to do a “new thing” in each of your individual lives and your marriages as you embark on this new time in life. May God draw you closer and align your hearts to the “new thing” and new direction He may be leading each of you. May you ENJOY your new stage in life and may God open doors and use you all to nurture and love others in His Kingdom!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you praying for our marriages and inspiring us in 2014 with a fresh start.
Thank you for this prayer. One of my deepest desires is to have a stronger, more loving marriage. I want to adore my husband again like I did in the earlier years of our marriage. There is no doubt we love each other very much but our relationship has always been rocky and it gets tiring. Resentments keep getting in the way. I have come to realize that I’m not capable of accomplishing this on my own… I need help. This prayer is just what I need. I need to call on God to help me be the most loving wife I can be. I intend to pray this prayer every day. Thank you.
Jill, may God bring this prayer alive in your heart and help you transform it to fit your heart and your marriage. I pray God will refresh and renew your marriage in ways you never imagined. May the love you pour out on your husband be returned tenfold!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Wendy,
I loved your devo and the tears fell as I prayed your prayer. We’re looking forward to 13 years this summer, but with 5 kids are challenged to keep our marriage a priority. Your words about our identity have been true in my life as well…so thankful we as husband and wives can grow individually closer to Christ and together stronger in Him. Joining you in prayer for my marriage, yours and all those God has brought together! Blessings!
Thank you for the great prayer. I’m new to your site and looking forward to reading future posts.
Vanessa, welcome! Always excited to have new friends!!
Blessings,
wendy
Thank you for the beautiful prayer. I’m praying for my sister’s marriage right now that is going through an extremely hard time. Thank you for the reminder that our identity is in Christ alone!
My husband is in late stage Alzheimer’s. I desire so much to be there for him until death do us part but often the feelings of self pity and loneliness tempt me to seek comfort in people, places or things. I need for God to fill the emptiness and to provide the perseverance.
Teri, praying now for a supernatural filling of God’s unconditional love and His strength. God is your Strength and your Shield, a Rock upon which you can stand. I pray He will bring these names alive in your life. And I pray He will fill you FULL with the fruit of His Spirit, especially love, joy, patience and self-control. May He give you everything you need to serve and care for your husband. May the JOY of the Lord be your STRENGTH!! And I pray for your sweet husband… for the Lord to minister to him in this difficult time…make His presence known…give him lucid moments to bless and fill you both!
Blessings,
wendy
Thank you for this wonderful prayer.
We are having difficulty in our marriage and have been for some time.
I greatly appreciate your prayers and your care for marriages.
Andrea, praying now for God to heal the hurts, enable you both to humble your hearts and truly listen to one another, and bring reconciliation.
Wendy
Wendy, your message hit home, really affirmed what I learned in my previous marriage. I put God first and unfortunately because my ex was not a Christian, even though he claimed to be when we married over 20 plus years ago, the closer I got to God, the further away he and I got. He left me. We’ve been divorced two years now. It’s too late for that marriage. But I am dating a guy that’s very serious with me. I’m hesitant, of course. Even scared at the thought if marriage, even though I love him very much. Please pray for my next marriage to whoever it may be. Thank you for all you do reaching out to help women!
Laura,
I’m sorry your first marriage didn’t work. I just wondered if you have made a list of character qualities you want in a spouse. I heard a woman on the radio say that she wanted to be able to discuss faith with her next spouse. The radio counselor said the Bible says not to be “unequally yoked with an unbeliever”. If you have girlfriends that could also see you together and give their opinions that also helps as when we are in love we tend not to see negative things or even red flags. If you get in a women’s Bible study, that may help you think about what you want in a mate.
I hope these thoughts help. I will pray for discernment for you.
I pray for your next marriage and that God will make it clear who the lucky man will be. It says in the Bible, he who finds a wife finds a good thing. You deserve a man who will honor God and love and respect you.
Elizabeth
Laura, I pray the Lord will grant you great wisdom and discernment as you seek His will in this relationship. But I also pray that you and he seek the Lord together for your relationship. I pray God will affirm and confirm to both of you if and when marriage is His plan for you. And walk confidently in who you are as His child, sweet friend. Listen for His voice, seek answers in His word, He will be faithful!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for your blog post today. I came from Proverbs 31 daily encouragement but I love your blog. My marriage has been good and we are about to hit the 5 year mark. He’s a wonderful man and the things he does reminds me just how much God loves me that he gave me such a wonderful man to love. Marriage can always use prayers, but I actually have a prayer request that for my ex-husband and his new wife. They just got married in August and she is a wonderful woman. I wish them both nothing but the best for both them and the daughter that we now share the job of raising. As I said, I have been happily married for 5 years now and my first marriage was before I had accepted Christ and even knew him, now my second marraige is centered in Christ and I hope that my daughter’s father and new stepmom can be centered in Christ as well. Thanks for the post.
Melody, what a gift to your ex-husband and his wife that you would pray for them. It reflects a beautiful, loving and surrendered heart. I join you in praying for their marriage…that God would bless it and knit their hearts together. And I pray the Joy of the Lord and His spirit of unity will prevail and be the center of your relationship so that as you raise you daughter, she will receive God’s highest and best from both of you.
Blessings,
Wendy
Dear Wendy,
I love the marriage prayer you posted and I have personally declared 2014 my year of focusing on praying more and looking for ways to serve God more. God is so good! My marriage is now in its 20th year and going strong. Who would have thunk it? I will never stop fighting for my marriage and my family. I feel so blessed despite the ups and downs. My husband and I have shared more than half of our lives together and I love him more than ever. Marriage is hard at times but having faith in God and putting Him first is what has rescued us so many times. The enemy would love nothing more than seeing our union fail, our children living in a broken home and our family fall apart but when Jesus is with you who can be against you!
Thank you for such an insightful devotion today. Although I have not been through anything like your horrific experience, I could relate to the jealousy issues & looking to my spouse for all my fulfillment. It has taken many years to realize that haning onto those we love in such a manner is not going to change a thing. God has blessed us with spouses and children and they are only “on loan” from God. They belong to Him, and we are to appreciate and love them for as long as God chooses to allow them to be with us. I am thankful that God blessed me with such an understanding spouse that has chosen to stick with me through the good and bad. We will be celebrating our 34th anniversay this year, and I’m looking forward to many more. Although I have tremendously grown spiritually over the years, there is always plenty more room for growth. I am looking forward to reading your new book and applying its principles to my life. Thank you and everyone at Proverbs 31 for the encouragement and insights you give others each day. I start my mornings at work with the devotions, and God always speaks to me in some way through each of you. I am very grateful for this ministry.
Thank you for sharing your story and your kind words about Proverbs 31 Ministry. It always blesses me to hear how God uses our devotions to speak into the lives of other women.
Blessings,
Wendy
This is a beautiful prayer that I read over and over. I plan to share with my Mother, so that she too can read it and use it in her everyday life. Thank you.
What a beautiful prayer! God is an awesome God that does indeed answer our prayers if we just ask! Thank you for sharing with us your story. It helps people realize they are not alone with their problems; both personal and spiritual. I believe sometimes we let pride get in the way of helping out. Not just with other people,because you’re afraid they might find out your only human after all;with ourselves also, because you might have to admit to yourself that you are only human. My husband and I have been married fora little over 15yrs now, and I have to say about 4yrs ago we were probably looking at getting a divorce. It was a very sad time in our lives. Although we were going to church as a family, we were not worshiping God as a couple. When we finally we able to learn how to do this one thing…..WOW! My relationship with my LORD and my husband have never been the same since! God truly is an awesome God who still performs miracles even today! My marriage and life is one of them. Do we still have problems? Absolutely! But we still have belief in a God that can do anything,and He alone is who we follow!
Praising God for doing such a wonderful work in your marriage!!
Wendy
God is truly at the heart of our marriages. I am a true witness to this miracle in my marriage. After surviving many trials that few could withstand, My God has not only restored my marriage, but allowed me to serve my Husband in a way that I never thought would be possible. I have learned when I couldn’t forgive, heal or be the Wife God wanted me to be, I relied on God to love my husband through me and see my Husband as God sees him. Not easy I know but God is truly in the Restoration Business and wants to see us out him at the center of our marriage relationship! I encourage anyone who is walking through a difficult season in their marriage to keep believing, praying and calling out to God. Never lose hope or give up. With God all things are possible!
This is beautiful, Crystal, thank you for sharing!!
Wendy
I am blessed by your opening your heart to us. It is never easy to reveal those “hidden places” of our hearts. I too had some past issues that really affected my ability for intimacy with my husband. Praise God for His healing touch, both inward and outward. Thank you.
If we could walk through our marriages as Jesus walked through His life, with such love for our mate,a selfless love, the ability to forgive, to remember sometimes we disappoint God too in our imperfections how blessed our mate would be, and how they could see Christ too ! And what a legacy for our children !
May God bless those that show His way and help speak His words to our hungry heart !
Thank you for this uplifting and personal marriage prayer. I will be printing it for a couple in our Life Group who are going through tuff times right now. They have tried working things out, but refuse to take the next step and sit with a counselor. They both pray, but not together, which is what they need to do. I keep them in my prayers and ask for any others. Please pray for Pam and Carlos to step out of their own boxes, and look inside at how they began and the Love they had and have for each other. Thank you.
Kathy, I pray God uses this prayer to do a mighty healing work in their marriage and for their hearts to be tender and humble and willing to give and take so that God truly do this work.
Wendy
Wendy, God used your blog to help me see how I was putting way to much pressure on my husband to be more than a gift, to be my savior. Your prayer is wonderful. I felt God speak to me as I read the blog and the prayer.
My husband is a semi driver and I usually travel with him, so I can be with him. It has given me a chance to see many places I would not have otherwise seen. But lately it has not been as good for either of us. Now I see why. God is opening my eyes to see things differently. I was there because I NEEDED to be with him, and if I was with him then I thought I could control some habits, like smoking, that I wanted changed. When it didn’t happen I have become depressed and angry and frustrated, and your blog helped me understand why.
Thank you and thank our heavenly Father who knew I was seeking answers and used you to provide them. Please pray that I will see my husband as a gift and that GOD will help him see how he is destroying his health with his poor eating and smoking. He gave it up when we were dating, told me I was worth it, and then went back to it. That has been hard for me to deal with. Please pray I will quit nagging him about it and just be able to love him as he is. Thank you
Mary, I love that you are surrendering this place to the Lord. I do join you in praying that God will help you will turn your “nagging” to fervent prayer for your husband and his smoking habit. I pray that as you hold your tongue and love and encourage your husband, he will see the change and desire to change his habits for you!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you so much for this prayer! I am adding this to my reading list so that I can pray this daily and would love your prayer also that I would be the wife and mother that God would have me to be. LIfe gets so busy with 4 kids and working full time that it is so easy to forget WHO really should have priority. Thanks again!
Elena, I pray the Lord will guard your heart and your time as you are in such a busy season of life. I pray that He will help you carve out a bit of time each day to be still before Him…for wisdom, for refreshment, for direction and for peace. I pray You will ENJOY the family He has blessed you with and LOVE them in His love and care for them in His strength.
Blessings,
Wendy
I am praying for my sister and brother-in-law’s marriage. In May my sister walked away from her marriage and Jesus. She is currently living with her boyfriend and my brother in law is standing by patiently and prayfully hoping that she returns to God and ultimately the marriage. He is taking this time to work with God on things he did in the marriage to contribute to it’s downfall and I pray daily for him as he has to deal constantly with my sister’s choices and their 4 children. Most importantly I pray that God would draw my sister back to Him. The boyfriend is an atheist and is encouraging my sister towards that so I also pray for his redemption.
Jenny, I join you in praying for God to reach down from heaven and rend your sister’s heart in a powerful way and turn it back to God and to her sweet family. May He open her eyes to see her sin and any strongholds satan may have on her heart. I also pray that she feels a sense of emptiness and hungers for what she once had in her relationship with Jesus. Praying for healing and reconciliation!
Blessings,
Wendy
I love this prayer, something I need to read over & over. I am caught in the “I’m not appreciated” lie, and internalize much of my frustration, so walls build up inside of me. It’s something I’ve known I need to work on for awhile, but I think pride and maybe a little fear of releasing control keep me from acting on what I know God is telling me. I ask for prayer that I totally rely on God’s strength and assurance that I can submit to my husband without losing myself (if that makes sense), and that I allow God to take down the walls I’ve built up inside. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
These are such GREAT prayers.And they are common to all of us…especially losing ourselves. I pray them with you…for you to do all that you do as if unto the Lord, looking to Him only for approval and appreciation. I pray God will bring you GREAT joy as you serve your husband. And I also pray that as you love and serve with JOY and a renewed heart, God will change your husband’s heart and give him a heart of appreciation for all you do.
Blessings,
Wendy
What a wonderful prayer for marriages! I am in a GREAT place right now, but I know how quickly ‘things’ can change. What a great blog reminder of our responsibility as women! God is truly using your writings to bless! Thank you!
Thank you Wendy for your prayer. My husband and I are starting the process of getting divorced. This is not something I want to happen. My husband has been unfaithful for many years and says he no longer loves me. Our marriage has not been that great, I have never felt fully loved and appreciated, but I still love him! My heart is broken. I never realized that emotional pain could hurt so much physically. I am struggling with anger, jealousy, and a few other pretty nasty feelings. To make things worse, he is bringing his current girlfriend around our kids, being ‘intimate’ with her in their presence and then telling them to lie about it to me… So hurtful. The girlfriend knows he is married, but doesn’t seem to care. I would love prayers for healing and strength to get through this hard time. I also would appreciate prayers for my husband, that he would come back to God, to make smart choices and to be able to resist sexual temptation. I believe it may be too late for our marriage but I fear this could do detrimental damage to both of us. Thank you so much!!
V
Virginia, thank you for sharing your story. I am so sorry for your pain and heartache. First, I pray for God to surround you and your sweet children with ministering angels to care for you and provide for you. I join you in praying for God to do a mighty work in your husband’s heart…convicting him of his sin and betrayal…opening his eyes to the pain and grief he is causing. May God move his heart and turn it back to God and to you. If it is not possible for your marriage to be restored because of his hardened heart, I pray the Lord will speak that to you, confirm it and give you a great peace. God will provide for and care for you because you are his precious child. Run to His arms, sweet friend. Stay in His Word and He will protect your heart.
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you so much for this post! I am very thankful for my husband and we will celebrate 24 years this year! There was a time when I too held my husband up higher than God and he told me that was too much pressure on him. It really opened my eyes that God IS my all and my husband is my blessing! We are currently going through a huge trial with our adult son which has challenged our marriage but also has brought us closer together! So we could always use extra prayers! The enemy does NOT win so we stand together as one and hope and pray for our son and our family!! Thank You so much!
Thank you for your prayers. My husband and I celebrate 10 years of marriage at the end of this month!! Woohoo!! We have not always been the best at communicating our feelings with one another and at an attempt to make 2014 a start to appreciating one another even more than we already do, we have committed to praying together at least once a week. I’ve always heard that can be life-changing for a couple, and it’s not something we do regularly. So my request would be prayer for us as we strive to meet this goal, for distractions to diminish, for us to make it priority, and to not get discouraged!
Kim, what a wonderful goal!! I join you in praying for God to carve out time each week for you to pray and as you do, I pray He will knit your hearts together in an intimate and precious way. I pray that if you miss a week, you will hunger and thirst for that prayer time and be driven back to it again.
Sweet Blessings,
Wendy
Dear Wendy,
My marriage of 25 years hit an all-time low this last year. We have been through many tough times, but were always able to work through things. Over the last few years, my husband pulled away from me and became so involved with a small business venture he was working on that I felt like I was not important to him any more. After many attempts of trying to talk to him about it and win him back with no results, I eventually gave up. I allowed my heart to become involved with another man. I eventually confessed to my husband and we are working on things and going to counseling, but I am having a very difficult time. I know I need to work on my marriage, but my heart is not here. Please pray for me…..
Wayward Heart
Sweet friend, thank you for so honestly sharing from your heart. I pray first for you that you will know in your heart that when you confess of your sin and repent, your Father in heaven forgives you and removes that sin as far as the east is from the west! I pray that you will invite God in your heart to renew your heart and your love for your husband…to do a new and fresh work in your heart and his. I pray that through prayer, counseling and spending precious time together you and your husband will find a new place in your marriage and that new place will be the beginning of a beautiful new journey where you have a new appreciation for each other and commit to nurture and care for your marriage and each other!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Congrats on your new book and bless you for being so transparent to others. I have a friends marriage I’ve been praying over and like yours mine has come a long way.
Thank you for your wise words and for sharing the unpleasant issues of marriage….I had a romantic image of marriage and was disappointed when it did not turn out like I had dreamed….but thankfully, I began to seek Christ more when I felt the sting of lost expectations….which helped me when I lost my husband after 16 years of marriage in an accident. The peace and blessings of that event are more evident that we must remember that even our love life are gifts for this life and represent the greater love that Jesus has for us…..I appreciate your testimony…God has continued to bless me in my second marriage…going on 15 years… 🙂
Tracy, what a lovely lesson you have shared with us today. Thank you. And I am praying God’s richest blessings over your second marriage and thanking Him for providing a wonderful man to share life together after such a great loss.
blessings,
wendy
Thanks for the marriage prayer. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, but life as a pastors wife is sometimes extra tough as I share my husband with so many people. Our lives seem to be under a microscope and we often bare the stress of the lives of those in our congregation. I love the reminder to pray for my marriage. I can’t wait for the new book and Bible study.
Thank you, Missy. You have a hard job!! But God has hand-picked you to serve your husband and his church. He and they are blessed to have a woman with such a prayerful heart! Excited to share the new book with you too!
blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for the encouragement. I am working on the study about David and it is really speaking to me about humility. My husband is bipolar and everything I do is wrong, not enough. He is jealous of my friends, my successes, my church. Yet he is lonely and wants my constant companionship. I get so discouraged and frustrated but am learning to run to God. I ask for prayer to be humble, to not have a knee-jerk reaction and mouth off. I want to honor God and have a servant’s heart.
Loraine, what a difficult journey you are on with your husband. Living with a bipolar person is difficult. We have it in our family. I pray God gives you the strength, patience and understanding to know how to walk alongside your husband and love him in the midst of the disease. I also pray for God to bring healing to his mind…whether through a miraculous healing or through the medication prescribed or a combination of both. I also pray for the JOY of the Lord to be your strength and for that JOY to never leave you, even in the midst of difficult circumstances! HE ALONE IS THE STRENGTH OF YOUR HEART and YOUR PORTION FOREVER.
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you so much for this marriage prayer. My husband & I are going through a remodeling project now, and we had only been in our house 8 months when we started. So, please pray us through this. He is a very thorough & a detail person, and sometimes I can’t handle that. I just want it to be done! I praise God for Proverbs 31 women who can touch my heart in just the right way on the right day. God Bless!
Dori, may the Lord give you and your husband one heart and mind regarding this project. May you each be willing to give in here and there and be patient with the other. I am reminded of what we prayed over our remodel…if you commit your plans to the Lord, they will succeed!! May God bless and establish the work of BOTH your hands and bring this project to completion in HIS perfect time!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you so much for sharing a part of you story today. This is definitely something that I struggle with often. Thank you for the reminder and confirmation that our hope and strength and worth are found in the Lord and not this world. Thank you for your prayers. God Bless.
So glad I clicked over from P31 today…thank you so much for this prayer. I plan to save it and come back to it when needed. I would appreciate prayer for my marriage. My husband and I have been together 8 1/2 years and have 2 beautiful kids. He wasn’t a Christian when we married but found salvation in Christ while we were at Weekend to Remember Marriage Conference about 3 years into our marriage. I would ask pray that he would strive to the spiritual leader of our home. It has got better since our move to KS where he is a 6th grade teacher at a Christian school. He’s required to lead teacher meetings from time to time but doesn’t lead his family in anything Christ centered. I get very discouraged when I feel like it’s left up to me when everything else feels left up to me.
Thank you for joining me in prayer!
LIndsey, I join you in praying for the Lord to grow your husband up as the spiritual leader of your home…that He would grant Him an extra measure of the spirit of knowledge and revelation. I pray for Wisdom in decision-making that He would see as directly from the Lord. I pray for boldness and courage. And I pray for a mentor, a godly man who would set this example and mentor him toward it. And I pray as he takes baby steps toward this, the Lord would open your eyes to see it and give you words of affirmation that will how how you love, respect and appreciate his leadership.
Blessings,
Wendy
Your testimony could be mine word for word, Wendy. The only difference is my husband and I will be celebrating 17 years of marriage this year; and although it was 3 years after I was attacked that we were married the pain and wounds were still very fresh. Thank you for sharing your beautiful prayer. What an encouragement it is to know there are other women who are walking the same or very similar journey! May our Lord Jesus continue to heal, grow, and strengthen our marriages day by day and year by year. May He continue to use you and your testimony as a source of encouragement and hope for those who are struggling. I look forward to the release of your new book.
Amen, Amy!! Thank you for sharing. I love hearing praise stories of God’s healing!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for this message today. My marriage isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not great either. I’ve been praying for God to draw my husband and me closer to Him and each other and to help me with my intimacy/insecurity issues. This prayer is all that I’ve wanted to pray, but never could say. Thank you so much for this!
Heidi, standing with you in prayer…asking the the Lord to draw you and your husband closer together..to intimately knits your heart and minds together physically and spiritually!
Wendy
Wendy, that you for your wonderful messages and Bible Study posts. I pray that God will continue to bless you abundantly as you bless us with your words of wisdom. Grace and peace.
Thank you, Linda!
W
Wendy,
Thank your for your prayer and your prayer support. My prayer is that I grow closer to my husband and that we can reconnect as we lost our connection to addiction. He spent his years of marriage working and drinking and I spent them trying to “fix” him and raising our family. I gave up and prayed that God would release me of this need to “fix” him and that He can “fix”him. We are now into 1 yr of recovery and life continues to be a road of ups and downs but it’s making the time for each other. As a mom of 3 with another on the way, I feel myself finding excuses rather than enjoying the man God intended him to be. I need to stop making excuses and seek God first and then my marriage!
Blessings, Kathy
Kathy, I pray for God to blow a fresh breeze of love and affection into both of your hearts through the power of His Holy Spirit. I pray God will plant the JOY of the Lord deep within you and fill you so full that His JOY will overflow into your home and your family and your marriage. Sweet friend, with God ALL things are possible. And I am believing that God will take your willing heart and His Holy Spirit and do a transformational work. Take time at least once a month if not more to be with just your husband…whether it be on a date, grabbing a quick walk or at home after everyone is asleep. No t.v. or computer, just the two of you.
Blessings,
Wendy
This was such an amazing read, as it so mirrors my life. I was also a victim of horrific violence prior to my marriage, as well as not being a Christ follower yet. I entered my marriage for all of the wrong reasons, but I believe that God chose that man for me before either of us realized it. A few years after our wedding 22 years ago, we found Christ, and our walked through a lot of solid Christian counseling, because our marriage was in trouble. The counseling was a tool that led us to a deep relationship with the Lord, both in our own ways and time. We now have a stronger marriage, not perfect, by strong & healthy! I love my husband dearly, and I pray for our marriage daily. This prayer will be printed and sit in my bible, my calendar and at my desk! Thank you for opening your heart, and sharing your testimony — you have touched many, including me!
Lori-Ann what joy this brings to my heart to hear such a great story of God’s ministering and healing work being done in a marriage. Thank you for sharing this story with us. I pray it will encourage and equip many women!!!
And thank you for your kind words. I love knowing God is speaking through the messages and prayers He lays on my heart. 🙂
Wendy
Your prayer for marriage spoke to my heart. Last February my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary. It should have been a wonderful year, but instead was full of struggle. My mother-in-law passed away, and for the first time in 25 years, I looked for the comfort I wasn’t getting at home in the friendship of another man. While I am trying to refocus daily on my marriage, temptation is never far behind me. I will add your prayer to my arsenal and continue to ask for God’s help. Thank you!
Sandi, thank you for sharing so honestly. I pray God will give you the mind of Christ and enable you to take captive every thought, especially those of temptation, and replace them with His truth and promises for you and your marriage. I pray He will heal what hurts in your heart that led you to wander and draw you back to your husband and your marriage with 100% desire and commitment. Stay in His Word!! It is your best protection against the guiles, lies and temptations of the evil one!!
Blessings,
wendy
Thank you Wendy for this prayer and the lengthier one you posted. I will let this sink so deep as I pray God is our inner-healer. I hold on to hope. We are going on 17 years of marriage. My husband is wonderful. We have 2 kids. He has some addictions that he is trying to overcome and has for the last 21 years we have known each other, however, when he falls I trip too. I find that I compare myself to what I thought he finds more interesting. I found that my obsession (jealousy) has become my addiction, which sets us both up for failure every time. He doesn’t like the traps, really, any more than I do. I pray strongholds to be broken! He knows the Lord as do I. I can’t change him…but God can…but not because I said so…but because of God’s desire toward my husband, me and our marriage. My husband is a gift to me. I want the elephant that is not only in the room but is suffocating us, to leave! Please pray for us too…
Sweet friend, thank you for sharing from your heart. I pray with you for God to bring healing to both of your hearts….to break the strongholds of all addictions…to plant within you a deep sense of who you are in Christ. I pray He will open both of your eyes to see each other as God sees you and to renew a right spirit in each of you and renew your love for each other. Believing God for a mighty work of healing and restoration!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you Wendy for the beautiful prayer. You use your gift from God in a great way. Thank you
Wendy,
I am married to a good man and a good father. He is not, however, very affectionate or sharing of a lot of sweet words and compliments. I believe both of these to be my primary love languages. The lack of these is very tough on me sometimes. He’s very giving in service and gifts and time however. We’ve been mArried over 20 years and many years ago a man paid me attention. and many compliments. It resulted in an emotional affair which I ended. He has contacted me recently and I need immediate prayer to not Succomb to the attention and to stay committed to my husband. Thank you so much for this post today.
God is so pleased with your heart…that you recognize your temptation and you are crying out for help. I encourage you to get in the Word and fill your mind and your heart with TRUTH…the truth of who you are in Christ so that you know how valuable and precious you are…your identity is in HIM alone and not your husband. I also encourage you to find Scriptures on marriage and the roles of husband and wife (using your concordance in the back of the Bible) and fill your mind with who you are as a wife and pray those over yourself. I pray that God will give you the words to speak and thoughts to think regarding this man and that He will help you take every sinful, tempting thought captive and replace it with one of these truths. God BLESSES obedience, sweet friend. Don’t give in!! He will bless your faithfulness. And, if you haven’t already, I would lovingly (not angrily or judgmentally) share your heart with your husband about your love language. Maybe he would be more willing if he understood. Believing God will do great things as you surrender your heart and your marriage to Him.
Blessings,
Wendy
Beautiful prayer. Even though my husband is not a believer I prayed it for myself with the hope that some day my husband will join me in Christ.
Praying with you for God to tender your husband’s heart to the gospel message and to the Love of Jesus as experienced through you!! And praying God will bring people across his path to do the same!
Blessings,
Wendy
Wow! This prayer is just what I needed to read at this point in my marriage (25 years in April). I’ve been recognizing my need to change ME, but I’m slow to figure it all out. Thanks for the nudge in the right direction. I’ll be checking out your new book soon.
Wendy,
It is amazing how life is such a journey and a growing experience. I have learned over the coarse of the past few years that my amazing husband is my partner and not the person to fill every void in my life. The pressure he must have felt . He is such a gentle spirit and treats me like Christ loves the church.
I have been learning that God is the only one who can fill our need and weaknesses. Putting him first and not putting the pressure of that on my husband makes our marriage much more healthier and Christ focused.
Thank you for your encouraging devotion and prayer today,
Blessings and love in Christ, melody
I love this!! Asking prayer for my mom’s marriage.
Praying now for God to be working and ministering in your mom’s marriage to bring His healing and reconciliation.
Blessings,
Wendy
We are in a new stage of our marriage after 23 years. Kids are grown and we seem to need more time to get to know each other again. I have some baggage in my past from others that I tend to take out on my beloved sometimes because I’ve been hurt so badly. Pray that I can see the real gift my beloved is to me and that he loves me but doesn’t deserve the frustrations I feel from others. I love him so much and he truly is a treasure from the Lord.
Tammy, joining you in praying each of these prayers!
Wendy
My husband and I recently celebrated 10 years of marriage. Although we have had our rough times, we have had great times also. Regardless of what comes our way, our only option is to be together forever. God has restored our marriage after verbal/emotional abuse and infidelity. I just want to pray for marriages that have gone through adultery.
” God I know that you are a master restorer. I know that what the enemy meant for harm, you are going to work for our best. God, I ask that you come in to the hearts of the women that will read this devotional/blog today. As wives, we tend to want to control the situation and take charge. Help us to realize that it isn’t going to change as long as it is in our hands. Help us to place our marriage and husband into YOUR hands – and leave them there. It isn’t about us changing our husbands into who we want them to be, but about changing us into the wives you want us to be. God, I release the hurt and anger of women that have experienced an unfaithful husband. Father, I release the guilt and condemnation of the women that have cheated. Marriage is work, God. It isn’t always easy. Father, I ask for your eyes when we look at our husbands. Help us to see them as who you created them to be. Help us to extend the same forgiveness that we want for ourselves. Thank you for giving us a teammate in life’s journey. Although the situation may seem dark and dreary, God, you are Alpha and Omega – the beginning and end. You see the rainbow while we are still in the storm. Father, thank you for loving us women so much. Help us to love like you. Amen”
Lauren, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this lovely and powerful prayer. Powerful because it is written from the heart of a woman who knows. I pray this prayer encourages, equips and empowers many wives who are now or have before walked in your shoes.
Blessings,
wendy
Thank you for this, so many beautiful and touching words. Congrats to you on your 27 years!!!!!! Wow something I can really look up to and pray to find myself some day. What you have written so perfectly puts into words the feelings of my heart and desires for my life and love. What an inspiration !
Thanks for posting such a special and specific prayer! I’m praying for more of God’s presence in our marriage. I would like us to seek Him together such as in prayer and maybe devotional. But perhaps, for now I must seek the Lord above all else.
Standing with you in these prayers for your marriage. Be encouraged that all you are praying is God’s will for your marriage so I believe with all my heart He will answer them in a mighty way!!! He promises that when you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him.
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for this post, its just what I needed today. Please pray that I will be able to get past my husbands infidelity and that he forms a closer relationship with the lord. Congratulations on 27 years of marriage, that is fantastic!!
Cathy, praying for healing in your heart and in your marriage. May your husband be truly repentant so that you both can draw closer to each other and to the heart of God!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you, Wendy. And once again your msg pinned what was on my mind this week…the place of God in our heart and of our significant others. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am pretty sure I’ve had my share of wrong priorities in the past, but I surely hope to get it right…and as you say, have a husband and kids who would be a blessing/’gift from the Lord, but the Lord would be my First Love (that was a powerful visual for me to remember who should be what/who).
Your prayer for marriage is absolutely beautiful. If all of its aspects are implemented, it would be one beautiful marriage that I am sure all of us would want ideally.
This post really resonated in my heart this morning. I am in the position you used to be in, feeling a heavy dependence on my husband, and unfortunately our marriage has reached that dangerous place. We are about to separate from each other.
As I look back over our 16 years together, I know I’ve always had a strong dependence on him, never fully trusting that I am enough without him. Sadly, I still feel that way. I wonder what my life will be like without him, and I almost can’t bear it. He’s been there for me throughout some of my toughest trials, and I count on him for that.
It’s refreshing to hear that other people are where I am at in this struggle. I pray that I can find hope, peace and trust in my “first love” like you did.
Lindsay, my prayer for you is that you come to not only learn but also BELIEVE who you are in Christ because when you do, it will change everything…especially your marriage. Below are two links to my Free Resource page where you will find a declaration and prayer about who you are in Christ. Sit with this, learn it, read the verses, pray it and most of all come to believe it with all your heart. Healing will come and wholeness will come. God is more than able to heal and restore you and your marriage, sweet friend. Share this with your husband. It’s not too late!!
https://wendyblight.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FaithDeclaration.pdf
https://wendyblight.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/FaithDeclaration.pdf
Blessings to you,
Wendy
Tears fell as I read your beautiful prayer this morning. We will celebrate 43 years of marriage this Summer; however, it hasn’t all been a bed of roses. Early in our marriage I, too, depended too much on my husband for security – nearly smothering him. It wasn’t until I realized my actions were making him fearful of the responsibility of marriage that I turned to God – my heavenly Bridegroom – for the affirmation I needed.
When I see young couples give up too easily, failing to seek God’s blessing and healing, I am saddened. Your prayer, framed and mounted, would make a lovely gift for a young bride and groom. Perhaps the words of that prayer will be the instrument to save a struggling marriage.
Thank you for sharing your heart!
Thank you for the sweet words of encouragement!! I love hearing a success story like yours…such an encouragement for us all.
Blessings,
Wendy
We are experiencing a lot of different changes in our lives and I just ask you to pray that we stay focused on God instead of all the changes. Thank you so much. ♥
Praying for God to enable you through the power of His Holy Spirit to focus on Him and Him alone…through His Word….through prayer….through quiet time…and through sweet conversations with each other.
Blessings,
Wendy
This post made me pray and think about idols…….here have been times when it has been my husband, my job or other’s opinions. Thank you for your prayers that you post.
Thank you for this post! I am doing a lot of work on me right now. My husband and I are in a pretty unsteady spot in our marriage. I am trusting God to heal our marriage, but more importantly to make me whole and heal me so that I can be a better wife and mother.
I would appriciate your prayers for our marriage and for my healing as a woman to find all that I need in Christ. Thank you for your marriage prayer. I have printed it out and will pray it often over my marriage. God bless you!
Carrie, praying for all you have asked…and for God to set your marriage upon a Rock…God the Rock…and give you both a firm place to stand…on His Word and His promises. May He renew a right spirit in both of you and knit that spirit together into both of your hearts!!
Wendy
Please pray for my marriage. We have been married 41 years but we are going through a hard time
right now.
I am praying for you and your husband. Do you mind telling me his name so that I could specifically call out your names as pray over your marriage? Janice, I want to encourage you today by letting you know that I hear the Spirit saying ” Be strong and and courageous. Do not be discouraged, do not be afraid; for the Lord your God is with you. I know there is more to this verse but the Spirit stopped right there and I believe that God is simply assuring you that He is right there in the midst of this difficult time in your marriage. Look up and lift your eyes to the hills from where your help comes. Blessings and peace be multiplied a thousandfold to you, Janice.
Thank you, Roberta, for reaching out. What a blessing and gift!!
Wendy
Janis, I stand with Roberta as she prays God’s Word over you and speaks sweet, spirit-led words of encouragement. You are never alone in your marriage…even when it feels like it…God is with you. I pray that as you cry out to Him, He will show up in very real and personal ways that will show you that He is at work in your midst!! Praying for healing in your marriage and for God to restore what has been lost.
blessings,
Wendy
I found your site through today P31 devotion. What a blessing! I have been in those places in my marriage where I thought my husband was my strength and have driven him crazy probably! Putting the rightful one, God, on the Throne of my Heart, truly changed our marriage. I LOVE this prayer and will save it as a reminder…and when I need to ask Him: “Lord, help me to walk confidently in who I am in You.” Thank you, Wendy! I am so glad P31 brought me here today!
Dear Wendy,
You are truly a precious gift to the Body of Christ. Thank you for this heartfelt and beautiful blog post and prayer. Thank you for being vulnerable and transparent so that we cab be reminded just how much God cares for us and our marriages. I am excited about your upcoming book and also that it will be our next OBS study. I will be using this marriage prayer for my marriage as well as my friend’s marriages as well. One part of the prayer that speaks to me personally is “Break our hearts and make them tender to see our faults, our selfishness,our self-centeredness and our critical spirits. Give us a spirit of humility to allow You to begin Your Work in us. So, often we want to play the blame game and not admit our responsibility in creating the problem. Thanks for the reminder the God is our first love and that He is the only one that can supply all our needs and fill up the empty places in our hearts.. I am grateful for the gift, my husband Carlos that He has given me and I am thankful that we will celebrate 30 years of marriage in May, Lord willing. The picture of the necklace is beautiful and I would be happy to be the recipient of such a beautiful piece of jewelry.
Roberta, I am so thankful the Lord used this prayer to bless you. And thank you for sharing it with a friend!! You have a beautiful heart of prayer. So thankful you are an OBS leader!!
I’m so excited to do the study too!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for sharing your personal story and reminding us, as women and wives, what we are capable of when we look to our Savior first!
I love your blog and appreciate what you do for so many of us through Proverbs 31 Ministry.
Have a blessed day,
Renee
Hi Wendy,
I never pass up prayers for my marriage. My husband and I have been separated for almost 18 months. I am standing strong for a restoration – a miracle that only Our Father can do. Good thing nothing is too hard for him 🙂 Today wraps up my 10 day Daniel past. I am praying for a breakthrough in my marriage and in my husband’s heart. Thank you for your prayers.
Dawn, praying with you for God to intervene in your marriage through the power of Holy Spirit and do a great work of healing and reconciliation!!
Blessings,
Wendy
I’m so grateful to come across your website today. I am so encouraged by your words and would appreciate my marriage to be prayed for.
Praying for God to be at work in your marriage, drawing your hearts closer to Him and to each other. Praying healing for any hurts and for forgiveness to flow freely from both of your hearts.
Blessings,
Wendy
I would appreciate a prayer for our marriage. We’ve been married a little over two years and in the past month, I’ve been dealing with a lot of challenges that have come with having to go back to work after having our first daughter in September. After an argument with my husband the other night, I realized how much I’ve let pride, self-pity, self-absorbed attitude, and insensitivity drive my behavior, and I desperately want and need to change for all of us. I’ve realized that I need to give my heart over to God, to stop expecting my husband to be God to me, and to start trusting God with my all. Your posts here and at Proverbs 31 were a balm to my spirit today, perfect timing in my life! Thank you for sharing and writing them.
Meredith, your surrendered heart is a perfect place for God to being a healing work in your heart and your marriage. I pray God will put a guard at your mouth and a sentry at your lips before you speak a single word. I pray He will fill your heart with joy and thanksgiving for the blessings you have of a husband, a baby and a job. But I also pray He will come alongside you and be your comfort and your strength to help you as you balance working and being a wife and mom. I pray your husband will be tender to your needs so that together you will become a great team!!! Praying for healed hearts and forgiveness. May You daily remember God alone is your Portion and your All in All!! He is all you need.
Blessings,
wendy
Dear Dad, Your love brought my best friend and me together 32 years ago. We’re so different, and yet we click because You put us together. We are like two halves of the same cup. One side has chapstick, the other has chapped lips. And when we work together under Your direction. it’s so exhilerating to me, because I can see You. Please help us to keep looking to You for direction each day. And then help us remember that we love You and want what You want. Amen.
Amen and amen! What a beautiful prayer. Thank you for sharing it and modeling prayer for us. May God continue to bless your marriage and take you both deeper still with Him!
Blessings,
Wendy
What a beautiful prayer for marriage! Praying for all marriages this morning, thanks for sharing your story Wendy.
Thank you so much for this prayer!! I am not married, but I am praying this over my future marriage. I am also praying this over my best friend’s marriage. Thank you again!
Thank you for this prayer. Perfect timing. Passed on to my sister, Melissa. Please pray for her and her husband, Mike. He is asking for a divorce. Married 5 years with one 3 y.o. little girl, Katie. Pray for healing and God to soften Mike’s heart.
Thank you.
Sandy, I join you and your sister in praying for God to heal the hurts in Melissa’s marriage…to soften her husband’s heart to the love they have and to the precious family he is giving up. Praying for restoration and reconciliation!
Wendy
wendy, thank you for making yourself vulnerable so that others can also find restoration. your prayer was lovely and is a wonderful template for us. we are going on 27 years as well. praying that i can treat my hub with more respect per the golden rule and not take him for granted. bless you.
I can relate exactly to this story. My husband and i have separated and I am in complete anxiety( had to go on meds). We have been married for 26 yrs. We are best friends but I know the Lord has allowed this to happen so that I can seek my full identity in Him and not my husband. I covet all your prayers at this time.
Monica, I love that in the midst of this trial and your pain you are looking for God’s hand. I pray He will reveal Himself to you and show you how treasured you are in His sight!! I pray for peace to guard your heart and mind as you seek Him in this. And I pray for healing in both of your hearts as you seek God’s will for your marriage.
Blessings,
Wendy
Such a perfect prayer for my marriage during this current difficult season. Will admit that there will be areas of this prayer that will not be heartfelt as I start praying but will trust God to bring that along over time. Thank you for sharing this and I will be going back to read your previous posts about your own marriage as I just ran across this prayer this morning, knowing it is God’s way of giving me hope for today. Again Wendy, thank you!!
This speaks directly to me today… I was just discussing marital woes last night with a dear friend. How perfectly timed this precious prayer is. I LOVE how God does that! Thanks so much for this. It is beautiful.
Thank you for sharing this post and prayer today! It is just what I needed. I have just celebrated my 22nd anniversary. My husband is in a job where the future of the business is uncertain and we are looking at sending our oldest daughter to college in the fall. He is closing up as I know he is processing our future. It most definitely makes me feel alone, but I know from all our time together, that I just need to give him some time. It is still very hard for me. I just want him to talk and share like ME. That is where your prayer hit me right between the eyes.
Lord, please change ME, not my husband. Help me to be first what You want me to be and secondly, what my husband needs. Amen.
I will be printing out the prayer and again THANK YOU for sharing as the Lord leads!
So thankful this prayer came at the perfect time for you!! God always knows what we need when we need it!
Blessings,
Wendy
Love this prayer and thank you! I printed it for a friend of mine thats going thru a tough time in her marriage.. if you all could pray with me for them. Binding the covenant of marriage is so important.. Satan knows if he can destroy the family.. it only trickles down to everything other area (children, school, community, nation etc…) Prayer is the key!
Congratulations on 27 years ~ Happy Anniversary!
Amy, praying for you as your walk alongside your friend during this difficult time. May God give you the words and the prayers to speak and pray. Praying God’ protection over all of you and praying for healing and restoration in their hearts and their marriage.
Blessings,
Wendy
Such an inspiring devotional. I can’t wait to read your new book and would love the necklace.
Thanks
Congratulations on 27 years of marriage – what an achievement!
My husband, Darcy, suffers from anxiety and I often struggle to be the patient, understanding, loving wife God calls me to be. Thank you for your prayers for my marriage.
Suzanne, remember that God chose you to be with wife for Darcy before time began! He therefore has equipped you to minister to your husband and love him through this anxiety. I pray for God to reveal you that equipping and enable you through the power of His Holy Spirit to live it out. I pray for peace and strength for you as I know it must be so hard to walk alongside someone suffering from anxiety disorder. I pray too for PEACE, the peace that passes all understanding, to guard your husband’s mind and to infiltrate every part of his body so that perfect healing will eventually come!!
Blessings,
Wendy
I needed the devotion and the prayer today. God really speaks to me thru Encouragement for Today. I was mad at God this morning over what is going wrong in my marriage. On my knees last night and this morning with my hurt anger and fears.
I need the prayers, the encouragement and the feeling that GOD is there and He is looking after me.
Thank you.
THANK YOU. Please continue to pray for me and my marriage.
Sandy, I pray that God’s presence will surround you 24/7 as you walk through this tough time in your marriage. I pray that God will guide and direct you as you seek next steps to take…what to pray…what to say…what to do. I pray you will find sweet words of encouragement every time you open His Word. And may God heal all the hurts and bring healing and reconciliation.
Blessings,
Wendy
My husband and I just got married and it has been a challenge adjusting to our new life together. Please pray for unity in our marriage and that we will show each other the grace that God has shown us.
Dearest Father, this daughter of Yours is available to You, to help her and her husband adjust to this new walk together with You! How exciting!! Please guide them as they show each other grace.Amen!
Bless you, Miriam! It is a challenge – you are so right. Let little things be little things.
Respectfully, Pauli
Amen! And what GREAT advice…let little things be little things…it will save so much heartache!!
Thank you, Pauli, for praying for sweet Miriam and her marriage.
Blessings,
Wendy
Dear God,
Thank so much for Wendy’s prayer for marriage. I thank you for giving her the strength to prayer about marriage and all that relates to it. Help me to see myself as you see me and forgive myself for my failed marriage. I may have moved on from that marriage but still look to you to make me a better person. Whatever anger, frustration and pain I had acquired in that marriage help me put them behind me and move into your perfect plan.
Help me to see marriage as a blessing and nothing less. Forgive my inadequacies and make me a candidate of your marital blessings. I know my life and all other women that find themselves in my current position are in your care. Help us find you in marriage and help us develop healthy and God given relationships that will glory you.
Thank you for your grace to move on in you .
In Jesus name I pray.
Amen
And all God’s girls say “AMEN!” Lynn, what a precious prayer written from a beautiful, humble, surrendered heart. Thank you for sharing.
Wendy
What an encouraging prayer definetly to print off and pray over our marriage. Thank you for praying over our marriage and sharing your story.
Thank you for the marriage prayer! I have a hard time putting into words the things I want to pray for my marriage, and you did it for me so beautifully. Also thank you for taking the time to pray over my marriage. My prayer is to love and serve my husband the way God wants me to. And that we would pray together more.
Chrissy, what a precious prayer request. I know your heart’s desire to love and serve your husband so please God. I join you in praying for a servant’s heart in your marriage…for God to give you opportunities to love and serve him…and for the Holy Spirit to equip you to do it. I pray for the courage to invite your husband to pray and for God to place a desire in his heart to pray together and even lead prayer!!
W
My husband and I have only been married 20 months. We have a new baby and an older son from my first marriage. A few months ago we moved away from my home so he could attend bible college. He is studying to be a pastor and me a teacher. Pray for us as we learn how to be married, students, new parents, blended family and trust God with whatever our future holds!
Oh, Margaret, what a wonderful time for your family! And I love that you are seeking God in all of this. He will be so faithful! I join you in praying for all that you have asked….for God to lead you both as you balance the “new thing” God is doing in all of your lives. I pray His richest blessings on the work of your hands and your hearts as you serve Him in ministry and at home. Praying He directs your every step and uses you both mightily for the Kingdom!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you so much for revealing such a tender part of your life and marriage. We went through the rockiest part of our 38 year marriage last Summer. Thank God He has helped both me and my husband to change and draw us closer together. I love the prayer and will pray it often. God bless you, your husband, your marriage and your family.
Sherry
Wendy,
thank you so much for this prayer! my husband and I had a bad argument yesterday but we didn’t let the devil win. we made up quickly. i pray every that each and every man and woman would realize that it is satan who is trying to destroy their marriage and that they would choose to NOT be defeated but to PUSH on and let God be the center of their marriage in Jesus name AMEN!!
Amen!!! Love hearing stories like yours and prayers to lead us to walk in the same way in our marriages!
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you for the prayer Wendy! I have been struggling with jealousy in my marriage for 5 years. I have been full of insecurity and anger. Problems with my past and with my self image despite being a Christian. Recently, I have turned toward Jeus to fill my needs. I joined a Made to Crave Bible Study at Church and I’m really trying to pray for my marriage. What you said about putting God on the throne really resonated with me. Thank you for being so open and sharing your story.
That was such a precious prayer! I’m married to a great guy, we’ve been married 36 years but it has been tough. I’m so thankful that we didn’t give up on each other, every mountain as well as the valley’s have been worth it! I continue to pray for our marriage as well as our children and their marriages, I know our prayers make a difference! Thank you for your encouragement!
Thank you for your devotional via Proverbs 31 today. It is comforting to hear stories how God has helped other women in difficult times in their lives. May God bless you and your family.
Thanks, Carol
This prayer takes on new meaning for me as I am separated and my husband is having an affair. I want reconciliation. This is not my husband’s character. It is very painful. It hit me out of the blue. I honestly had no clue, thought we had a happy marriage. He is a Christian. Please pray for me, and for Tim and our marriage and that I’ll feel God’s presence. I’m very heartbroken
Bobbie, I do pray first for your broken heart. I pray God will meet you in your pain and heartache and bring His great comfort and love. I pray also for God to convict your husband’s heart of the hurt he is causing and the sin of betrayal he is committing. I pray God will turn his heart back to you and for God to begin a healing work in both of your hearts to reconcile.
Blessings,
Wendy
Wendy~ Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your heart. I have had marriage on my heart and mind so much lately and your words fell on me in such a sweet way. Certainly no matter how sanitized, sanctified, or sullied our background, marriage is just hard sometimes. I love that The Lord redeemed what you thought was lost, brought healing and strengthened your love for Him. It’s beautiful seeing Jesus at work like this. May He continue to bless and build in your life. You are a gift and I look forward to seeing you at P31 this summer.
I would like you to pray for my marriage, too. Thank you so much for your kindness. I have a food addiction and I’ve started OA on Monday night and I just can’t bring myself to tell my husband. I’m afraid and I know I should. thank you.
Oh, Darla, I want to encourage you to share your struggle with your husband. I pray God will prepare his heart to receive it and give you the very words to speak. It will life such a burden off your heart and will be another step in your healing process. I pray the Lord will heal the hurts deep in your heart that are causing this addiction and begin to do a “new thing” in your life and your marriage. I highly recommend Lysa TerKeurst’s book Made to Crave if you haven’t read it. It has helped so many women with food addiction. God is the ultimate Healer!!!
Blessings,
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
What a great message and the prayer on marriage is awesome. Just what I needed today! I will try to print it out so I can pray it often. We’ve just passed our 39th Wedding Anniversary last month, and some days are better than others! 🙂 I love it that you say we can’t change our husbands, but we can change us. May husband has quit going to church, after having been raised in the church, and training up our children in the church. I realize it is only God that can change my husband, not me. I also know God is always faithful – after knowing Him for over 48 years! 🙂
Thanks for this encouraging message – it’s good for those just married, and those who’ve been married a very looooooong time. 🙂
Blessings to you!
Susan
Dear Wendy,
Thank you so much for being brave enough to share your story. My husband passed away several years ago, but I experienced the same thing with him. I relied on him to meet my needs, be my security, my “savior”. It put tremendous pressure on him and our marriage. We had attended a Marriage Encounter Weekend and were working toward healing in our marriage when he passed away. God had also led me to a group of women and a bible study and I have not stopped studying God’s Word since! God can do wonderful things when we surrender to Him. My prayer is for all women to come to Christ as their one and only true Savior, and their complete confidence, and to truly believe with their whole heart that Jesus is very real and really does love them with ALL of His heart. Thank you for doing what you do!
Amen! Thank you for offering such a precious prayer for our women. And I am thrilled to hear the Lord has you in the Word and has given you an insatiable hunger for His Word! There is no better place to be….really!! 🙂
Wendy
I know coming across this prayer today is God continuing to work in my life….and I pray in my marriage. I have been praying for my husband and myself and our marriage for almost 15 years…things got a LOT worse just a few years ago, but God protected us and even though we were ready to divorce, we didn’t. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of problems, God has been working on me, Praise God!! but it is SO difficult to let down my guard and trust my husband and God in my marriage again. I prayed the prayer …but to honest, I did it only out of obedience, I didn’t really feel the prayer in my heart…I pray that God will change my heart. I want to be the woman God wants me to be…but I am afraid of being hurt again, of being vulnerable again. Please keep me and our marriage in your prayers.
Wow. I just got done huffing and puffing about how my husband doesn’t appreciate how much work it is to be a Mom and work and then I have to take care of him…and man, did I ever need to be humbled by this prayer. God knows our every step before we do. Thank you for sharing this and praying for us.
Thank you! I printed out the prayer and will use it often!
I thank God for your beautiful heart… And thank you for that prayer. My husband and I would covet your prayers. Life and marriage is sometimes a struggle but what an absolute amazing journey. My life is blessed.
Wendy: Thank you so much for this prayer. My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last month and this really hit home for me. Thank you so much and God Bless.
Wendy, Thank you for posting this today. I saw the email earlier and didn’t take the time to read it right away. Then, as I sat here, near the end of the night – I was becoming tearful over many things. We just celebrated 24 years of marriage a couple of months ago. And overall we have a great marriage. The last 18 months have been difficult for our family. One of the reasons is has been difficult is my husband’s health. I really hesitate to voice my frustration and fears over this when these health issues are not exactly life threatening and I know so many people who are caring for spouses and family members who are terminally ill or have very serious health issues. My husband’s have been sporadic and less serious, but have affected our family negatively in many ways. My husband normally has a bit of a melancholy personality that takes quite a bit of emotional energy to “keep built up”. So adding recurring health issues that disrupt our finances, his emotional state, and overall feeling of wellbeing really causes me to have to spend a lot of energy uplifting him. And taking on all the major responsibilities have added to my feelings of just being so alone and not wanting to burden him with any issue or problems, much less “feelings”. I feel very alone. Thank you for this prayer and I promise to use it when I’m overwhelmed with these feelings. Thank you for your discernment!
Jennifer
Hi Wendy,
Thank you for being so vulnerable in sharing with us today. It is an amazing devotional that resonated so deeply with me. I have a wonderful husband that I often wish I treated better…you know, after the fact. Thank you for your amazing prayer and for being a blessing to so many of us today. Of course, would love for you to pray for my marriage and for a less prideful attitude and not-so-high expectations. Most, of all, I’d like God (not my husband) to be on the throne of my heart. Have a wonderful weekend.
Wendy, amazing what I have come to know about your incredible prayers. Honestly I couldn’t get through it all as my marriage is almost non-existent and crumbling by the day. I feel deceived, rejected, used and disrespected. I have and continue to fight the daily battles with my step-daughter who vowed to destroy our marriage and my husband has enabled her actions to do just that. I am treated like the child and she the wife. I try to protect the other 3 children from all of this mess and I am weary. He has threatened to leave twice this week and I am just worn out. So prayers would be a treasure to me right now.
Thank you for the beautiful prayer, I will get through all of it and come out victorious as I lean heavily on my heavenly Father!
Blessings,
Karen g
Your words were so encouraging to me as I continue to pray for my marriage to be one that is honoring to the Lord. My husband is not a believer but I sincerely believe in household salvation. I continue to pray even after seventeen years of marriage. The Lord knows when my husband will accept Him into his heart. God’s timing is always best. Sometimes I get frustrated at the lack of spiritual interest and want to say a word to “hurry up” the process. This is non-productive and I need to listen more and speak less. Thank you for the lovely prayer for marriage. I will keep it and remember that Jesus is my Lord and He gives me what I need, not my selfish wants.
Thank you so much Wendy for these deep heart felt words. My husband was diagnosed with cancer about 3 yrs ago and as the yrs have gone by so have the struggles in our marriage we r both dealing with. Some have been good but alot have been bad because of the cancer and that it entails. We have had to deal with alot because we really don’t have family around us that we can count on or just lend an ear. I love reading your studies. This one really hit home on marriage with all we are going through. Thanks Again & God Bless
Wendy, this prayer is amazing! I am so glad that you found that God is first. My daughter and her husband are walking together with God in their marriage. When they were married, it was all about them, and now God is first, and what a difference it has made. I have been a believer for a long time, but I really never lived it. That has changed, and now its hard sometimes but if it was easy, then I wouldn’t be living as He would want me to.
Thanks for a wonderful blog, and God Bless!
Thank you for baring your soul so others like myself will know we are not alone.
Please pray for my marriage. God bless you.
We praise God that we have been so blessed! We celebrated our 45 wedding anniversary last week! We have five children and by August will welcome our 13th grandchild. It’s only by God’s grace that we are where we are. Marriage it a covenant with each and with God. Congratulations Wendy, on your new book!
Thanks so much for your beautiful prayer. I’ve been married for 36 years and I too felt like my husband was my Savior. At first. But I finally realized that he was human, just like me. And if he is human, he makes mistakes, and he can’t save anyone. Just like me. How unfair I was to him until I took my eyes off him and trained them on God instead.
Wendy, I can’t tell you how many times something is weighing me down and I randomly choose a devotional, and it is yours and EXACTLY addresses my issue!! You have helped me many times. It’s amazing! Thank you. My marriage is being challenged nd prayers are welcome. Thanks so much for this perspective, I needed it 🙂
Stacy, thankful for your kinds words of encouragement. I love hearing stories like yours where God uses a devotional I have written and prayed over to speak directly to a woman’s heart. It shows me God is at work in the ministry He has called me to!! I am praying now for God to bring healing to your marriage…to restore what has been lost or broken tenfold!!
Sweet Blessings,
Wendy
Oh my soul…..I have never been to your site, but I am so amazed that God lead me exactly where I needed to be. I have a similiar story and my marriage is where yours once was. I was having my quiet time this morning and googled womens devotions, and here I am. Thank you for being vulnerable so that others can heal through your story. Please pray for my marriage, I am completely broken……..
Tori, praying now for your Heavenly Father to meet you in the midst of your brokenness and cover your heart with the healing balm of Gilead. May He begin a work in both your hearts to heal and restore your marriage.
Blessings,
Wendy
Just remembered I wanted to go back and read your experience that prompted the prayer. Thank you for that prayer. I copied and plan to make it a part of my marriage journey. You have a window into the hearts of women Wendy. We are continually touched by your willingness to share and be open to God’s spirit. Thirty-six years for me and you hit the nail on the head with the description of yourself and the jealousy I feel. Bless you for open eyes….especially mine.
It is so easy for me to take out my frustrations on my husband, to vent on him and place blame for our struggles on his shoulders. Please pray that I can see as as equally yoked together, striving in unity as we face the toughest financial time in our 29 years of marriage.
Please be in prayer for my son Chad and his wife Nicole, she moved out last April. They both need the Lord first place in their lives. They have 2 daughters, 11 and 6. Thank you Wendy!! ♥
MY MARRIAGE IS SUFFERING FOR MANY REASONS: MY HUSBAND’S JOB REQUIERS HIM TO WORK FROM 7PM TO 7AM M-F . MY HUSBAND SPENDS 5-6 HOURS EVERY SUNDAY HELPING A GUY WITH HOME DIALYSIS. MY HUSBAND DOESN’T WAKE UP UNTIL 3-4 HRS. BEFORE HE GOES TO WORK AND HE SPENDS MOST OF THAT PLAYING GAMES ON THE COMPUTER. I HAVE MS, DIABETES, FIBROMYALGIA, PULMONARY FIBROSIS, ADD, GAD, AND HOARDING DISORDER. NEEDLESS TO SAY OUR HOUSE IS ALWAYS A HUGE MESS AND MY HUSBAND IS PERPETUALLY ANGRY. HE OFTEN EXPLODES AND SAYS AND DOES TERRIBLE THINGS. FIVE YEARS AGO HE HAD AN AFFAIR THAT LASTED FOR FOUR MONTHS AND ONLY ENDED BECAUSE I REFUSED TO GIVE HIM A DIVORCE. EVERY TIME WE HAVE SEX I KEEP HAVING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TWO OF THEM HAVING SEX. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for the encouraging devotional. A good reminder to keep God first, and everything else will fall into place.
This prayer touched on so many things going on in my marriage right now. My husband and I are currently seperated. He has had multiple affairs and a child has come from his infedility. Thru all this I am still praying for the restoration and reconciliation of my marriage. I am praying for the Lord to make the path clear for him home. As he blames and points the finger at me, I feel myself drawing nearer to God. I am praying that the Lord show us how to incorporate this new child into our family. I pray for a marriage with my husband that is centered on Him. I pray that I am able, once our marriage is restored to keep God first place in my own life. I love that Wendy included in her prayer forgiveness of our wrongs, it always takes two.
Thanks for this amazing touching prayer. There aren’t words to describe how touched I was by it.
Wendy,
I enjoyed your devotional though divorced after 29 yrs and single after 8 yrs since divorce.
God has a plan for each of us. Through prayer, patience, faith, bible study, seeking Him, going through human trials that strengthen me and hope, I listen and look for the path He has for me.
Wendy,
Thank you for your post on Proverbs 31 and your marriage prayer. You have no idea how much I needed them today. I have been divorced for 10 years. I recently accepted Christ into my life and was baptized on January 4th. I have come along way since my divorce but sometimes bitterness, jealousy and sadness attempt to envelop me. Today was one of those moments. Reading your Proverbs post was an incredible gift. I felt as if God was speaking to me through it. The marriage prayer was amazing, I tweaked it a little to fit my circumstances. It was grift. The Scripture Mark 12:30 Love The Lord with all your heart, all your mind , all yor soul and all your strength, meant more to me then you could image. My sisters and I pick a word for the year to guide and focus us. God lead me to chose ” beloved”. I have been searching for a scripture to pair with it . I believe I found it!
Thank Wendy and
Thank you dear sweet Jesus, my beloved
Thank you for devotion to God and marriage. I just recently got married, june 30, 2012, and it is a blended family. We have many hills and mountains to overcome. Please pray that God will continue to bless our marriage, our devotion to one another, our relationship with our own kids as well as our spouse children, and most of all that we keep God in the center.
Sincerely,
Dawnjheasley
Wendy,
I just sent you a comment and then reread the marriage prayer and decided to edit it given my circumstances. I wanted to share it with you. As I write this I am overcome with tears and joy. I just read Ephesian 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, (Ephesians 3:20
This is another example of God’s miraculous healing powers through his disciples and his word.
Catherine
My Divorce Prayer
Heavenly Father, I come before You today praising You as the giver of every good and perfect gift. Your word tells me that all my days were ordained for me before I lived a single one. You knew before time began that we would be joined together as one and walk through a divorce, putting our children first, to one day be friends. You gave me Glenn as one of those good and perfect gifts. But marriage and divorce are hard, Lord. They are messy. Sometimes I feel _________(alone, unappreciated, disconnected, jealous, neglected, angry, bitter, misunderstood, hurt, betrayed, etc). I don’t like these emotions. I know they are not healthy and not what You want for me as a woman, your daughter and child of God. So I come before You today for direction and help. I know that I cannot change Glenn, so I invite You to help me change the only thing I can and that is ME. Lord, please change me.First, I want to confess my role in the mess in my marriage and divorce. Search me, Lord. Know my anxious thoughts. Test me. If there is any offensive way in me…if there is any part of that mess we were in that is my fault…reveal it to me. Open my eyes to see it. Humble my heart to confess it. Tender my heart to change it. Father, I ask You to forgive my ________ (anger, bitterness, jealousy, prideful attitude, self-pity, etc) Thank You that You forgive me…that though my sins are like scarlet, You make them white as snow. You remove them as far as the east is from the west.Lord, help me to walk confidently in who I am in You. Thank You, Lord, that I am a display of Your splendor! My value and worth is found in You and You alone. Glenn was and is a gift in my life, but my identity and worth is NOT in Him; my identity and worth is found in You. Heal any part of me that has forgotten that or doubted that. Restore to me the JOY of my salvation. I am Your child. I am filled with Your Spirit and Your glory. Help me to walk in the fullness of who I am in You.I surrender my marriage, divorce and Glenn to You, the giver of the gift of marriage, more specifically the gift of my healing through your Word. I ask the following of You for Glenn and me:
Heal our hurts
Gently unknit our hearts so we can love again for your glory
Bring us into unity and agreement in all things.
Move our hearts to respond to each others with humility and unselfishness.
Equip us with the mind of Christ and enable us to acknowledge You daily as Lord of our lives.
Help us to look to you daily for affirmation
Grow us daily in spiritual wisdom and discernment.Humble our hearts to serve you with a sacrificial love.
Develop in us praying hearts and unite us to pray with those closest to us.
Cover us daily in the armor of God and protect us from the guiles of the evil one.Bless and establish the work of our hands and our hearts.Bless our friendship and blanket us with Your great love.
Heavenly Father, I give my hearts, my mind, my friendship with Glenn and our family to You and trust You to do a “new thing.” Help me to forget the old, to forgive what has been in the past. I trust You to make a way in the desert. Flood our friendship with Ephesians 3:20 blessings, Lord…do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Dear Wendy,
I just found your blog today and so thankful for the blessing I’ve already received for your words! I have been married since I was seventeen years old and we will celebrate our 37th anniversary this summer. We have had some wonderful times, sad and bad times. All through the years my faith has been strong but my works in the Lord have wavered. I look back at the bad times where alcohol would threaten to destroy everything, and realize I didnt put all of my faith and prayer into the situations. In this new year, I am once again humbled and I feel closer to God than I have in a very long time. My husband and I have been blessed with beautiful children and grandchildren, health and happiness. I prayed your lovely marriage prayer this morning and I want to be a good wife. I want my marriage to grow stronger in God. I want my husband to overcome the beast of alcoholism and his childhood past. I believe all things are possible through Christ and I want to thank you for your prayer to help me reflect on my marriage, my role as a wife and hope. Please pray for us. Thank you.
thank you for the devotional on proverbs 31 today. although I feel that my marriage is in a wonderful season right now always struggle with anxiety and slight depression in my everyday life which I am trying to overcome by reading Gods word and talking with Him, even if just for a moment.
Wendy, I just read your devotional today from Proverbs 31 ministries. I’m not married, but your words were still such an encouragement to me. I feel as if maybe I have been thinking that if I just had a husband and a family I would feel more safe and secure in life. I’m already putting someone else add what I need more than God. Thank you good sharing that loving God more and drawing closer to Him helped you to put Him back in the right place in your heart and life. I pray I can do that as well.
Wendy, Thanks for the prayer for marriage. My husband and I are dealing with his constant sin struggle of his sex addiction (addicted to porn) and the ramifications it constantly has on our marriage. We are doing much better than last year, but it is still a daily struggle and hurts. Please pray that he will continue to get help and let the Lord work on Him. I also love how in your prayer it has us praying and asking for forgiveness for what we have done to the marriage. While in many cases we haven’t done anything (as in a marriage racked with sexual addiction) we have given bad and unkind reactions (not the kind God would want us to have) to what our husbands have done. The Lord will change us and mold us to be more Godly women, women after His own heart! I have seen such a change in me since I have been chasing after God and relying more and more on Him. Thanks for the reminder to go to God with all things, it was much needed!
Wendy,
I wanted to thank you for your prayer for my marriage that I requested about 9 months ago. My husband has ended his affair and we are trying to reconcile. It has been difficult though because he is an alcoholic and still goes to the bar every night. Your Proverbs 31 post was so meaningful to me because Jesus has not always been at the throne of my heart. Like you, my husband was there for a long time. Your post and marriage prayer spoke to me so strongly, it was exactly the words I needed to hear. I feel like God wants me to remain in the marriage and I know as long as I keep my eyes on him and continue to keep him on the throne of my heart, it will be alright. Thank you again for everything.
Dear Wendy,
I have decided to call your prayer my prayer. Thank you so much for posting it, when i read it i felt like i was the one writing it. I discovered some not so good information about my husband and i was heart broken. It took a while for this information to sink in so i only started reacting angrily to him recently after some months had passed. I don’t know if i was still in a state of denial but anyway that is just how it was. When i really got mad i then started plotting really bad schemes first i took off my wedding band because i didn’t want anything to do with him then i started the silent treatment. This was only the beginning of all the bad things i had lined up. Am on a special fast for 21 days and in all this i remembered the fast but also got reminded by the scripture in Luke 6;32 about loving our enemies. To be sincere i really hated him in that moment and considered him my enemy and just looked forward to revenging. Today is when i have read the devotion about who sits on the throne of my heart and it has just continued to strengthen my resolve that i shouldn’t be trying to hurt my husband but examine myself and see where i have also faltered. i have been hearing this message in different forms ever since i decided to avenge my hurt. But thank you for confirming this even more blessings.
Thank you so much for your healing and helping prayer. My husband and I have been separated for 10 months after 25 years of marriage and two incredible kids. He is having a affair and I am heartbroken. It has been the most painful time of my life. I have been on my knees praying and asking for so e relief from this ache. I came upon your prayer tonight and I thank you and our Heavenly Father.
Hi Wendy
Thank you so much for this Marriage Prayer. My husband and I separated two years ago. Since then he has been attending church every Sunday which he never did with us as a family before. Its been a hard two years because I don’t want a divorce and I love my husband.
We have been talking about reconciling but currently I am living in California and he and my son are in Texas. I’m trying to find a job currently in Texas, so that my daughter and I can move back. Its a difficult time for all of us. I want to reconcile my family and this prayer has touched me so deeply. I am going to pray this prayer daily and let the Lord lead us in his will for this marriage and my children.
I’m asking for prayers for reconciliation and the courage to follow the Lord’s will for me and my family. Also, prayers that I find a job in Dallas, Texas, so I can move back and try to reconcile my marriage.
Wendy I love your blog and all your bible studies. They have made me grow in my faith and to say yes to God!!!
Lydia Swire
Wonderful prayer Wendy………….thanks and God bless!
I found your blog by accident from proverbs 31 Ministries. I cant even begin to express how much hope & comfort I have gained from the daily devotions & am blessed how the Lord seems to speak through those words. I have bookmarked that prayer & intend to pray it I don’t even know what to pray for anymore. I am trying to surrender fully to the Lord my marriage & family. My husband is a Sex addict that was abused as a child. He remains a victim despite opportunities for change & healing refuses to be accountable & fully work his recovery & instead has sunk into a dark depression & more than I can list . I have confessed my resentment & unforgiveness for my husband’s behavior but can’t move past Un met expectations for our healing & recovery. I am now pouring everything I have unto finding the Lord & believe that he can & will do the impossible in our marriage by healing me first.
Kristin, praying God meets you in the middle of this mess and pours out the His healing balm upon your heart and soul. I pray in the Name of Jesus and blood of Jesus for God to break the strongholds that hold your husband’s heart captive. I pray for healing in both of your hearts. May God shine the HIS Light of Love and Hope into your marriage and do a mighty work through the power of His Holy Spirit. And may He comfort you in the interim with the comfort only He can give.
Blessings,
Wendy
Thank you & God Bless you & your ministry abundantly Wendy!!.I am so touched that you took the time to respond & pray especially not even knowing me! The healing never seems to come..& the stress of it all has exacerbated my MS. But I believe in God’s power & his promises. Thank you for that very powerful prayer!
Thank you for the prayer over my marriage.
I came across your Marriage Prayer through Proverbs 31, Thank You for this prayer! I desperately needed to read but have been searching for something to speak to me through this difficult time. God knew i needed this prayer but also to read the blog. It is nice to know I am not the only wife or marriage that is struggling. I hate that this world is full of Sin and that people don’t care who they hurt or destroy. I am grasping for anything & everything to help heal the hurt and understand why. Again, Thank you for this prayer & I believe The Good Lord Above sent me to your website.
I am so thankful the Lord brought you to this prayer exactly when you needed it! He promises that when we seek Him with all our hearts, we will find Him. He is so faithful!! I’m praying He will meet and do a great work of healing in your heart and your marriage!
Blessings,
Wendy
I ask for prayer for both my husband Michael and I. I ask that you pray that God will break through the hardness in my husband’s life and work in both our lives together.
I have been married to my husband for 7yrs now and it hasn’t been easy. When we met we both drank a lot, we were alcoholics. I was saved and went to church since I was a little child. Although for the first few two years of my marriage I didn’t keep God first place. I got sober but my husband still drinks daily. I’ve been studying Gods word for the past 5yrs and leaning on him. I left my husband. Now he is in jail serving 3 months for his 3 DWI. I struggle with the decision to go back or if I should keep separated. I don’t believe God like divorce. Iam so confused. I know when my husband is sober he is a loving man. When he is drunk which is 4hrs week night and all day on weekends he is horrible and mean. I found this prayer and hope God can heal me and move me in the right direction. Whether it’s back to him or not. Since my husband is in jail of course he is sober, no alcohol in jail.
Married 27 yrs , I was sick for many months in 2015 so we had no intimacy . I found out he was having an affair in Dec 15, he denied it & he became very depressed & guilt ridden . He couldn’t look me in the eye. I have been praying steadfastly since. I prayed some of your prayers . I found out that He broke off the relationship . He is now beginning to be normal with me & we have had some intimacy . Please prayer for healing & complete restoration of our marriage . Thank you .
Jennifer
Jennifer,
I am so sorry this has happened. I know how hard it is to work through this in a marriage. I am still struggling with thisproblem. My husband became very depressed when he lost a long term job due to downsizing and closing of the factory. He found another job 9 months later at a much lower pay and was on an opposite shift as mine. We grew apart no matter how hard I tried. I tried so hard to support him and tell and show him how much I love him., but he began an affair and of course denied it. I pray your marriage has been fully restored and healed. I am praying and asking for prayers for the same fro mine. God bless.
Michele
Wendy,
Thank you for your beautiful prayer. I pray for my husband and our marriage. We have had many barriers in our marriage over the past few years including financial problems, job loss, and an affair by my husband. We cannot seem to put it behind us. Things seem to go well for a while then like a light switch has been turned off it just as quickly turns into turmoil. I feel like I am on a negative loop that I cannot break. I feel lost, depressed, and hurt. These Are feelings I know are not helpful but I cannot seem to get rid of them. We have been under so much stress over the past few years I know this is the source of much of our marital problems. I pray the Lord will restore our marriage, bring us closer to each other and God, and help us regain,the respect, consideration, patience, love and passion we once had, and the removal of all barriers affecting our marriage and keeping us from fully reuniting.
Please pray for healing and restoration of our marriage and a removal of all barriers affecting our marriage.
Michele
Hi this prayer is beautiful im glad i came across it today has i need prayer for My marriage of 14 years and My family. We have been seperated for 2years and Months. My husband tells me he still loves me but we have hurt each other. He Was always into is,Work barley There for me mentally and physically we stopped dating it became Only about the kids and got Stuck in a routine where we never discussed Our problema properly. And here we are He had an affair it caused lots of fights anger My children Pain, yelling, me in the hospital, taking meds, i Was not My self i felt crazy and i committed adultry in all this.we lost Our home recently Im in a small apartment now. My husband is a different man not the one i married Who Was Out going,fun adventurous. Im better but My marriage is Still rocky im thankful i joined a different church where i feel better comfortable and have Meet godly Women Who God has brought into My life For a purpose. But i Pray for My husbands RASHEED salvation and for him to get better heal and let go of his past With his Mom has a child and of our marriage.and leave his alcohol ,smoking and pill addection to numb Pain behind. Forgivness is What i seek and hope he can do aswell to feel better And free. I do love him we have history.
Thank you
Rasheed and Nellie
Please pray for my marriage. It is in desparate touble. He moved out in January and is in love with someone else. I pray I am changed to be the wife God intends me to be and that I have opportunity to show those changes to my husband, Rick. Thank you so much..
Please pray for my sisters husband he has a very bad drug addiction and there marriage is in trouble they have been separated about a year they have a little girl together and she misses her dad we are praying for a miracle and we know all things are possible with GOD
with God all things are possible.God will have mercy on her and her family. we shal join in praying for them.GOD bls
I am asking for prayers for our marriage. Ther have been many co-workers where my husband works who continue to work to come between my husband and me. I pray that God would remove them from our marriage in whatever way is His will. I pray for a restoration and healing of our marriage and that we would return to a couple with strong marital ties and our past hurts misgivings and problems.would be forgotten with our marriage healed.