Peace in a Troubled Marriage
They email, they write, they call asking for prayer. A spouse, who may or may not be abusive, refuses to work, and is on drugs and/or has left and is now living with someone else – and the list goes on. More often than not they want us to pray that the mate will stop his addictions and/or return home. If only they could see beyond the present circumstances. Circumstances are temporal and subject to change; that which is eternal will never change. What does this mean in a troubled marriage? It means that the mate, who is born again, must hold up a pattern of right behavior in an unfortunate marriage. Not all marriages are made in heaven. Let go of obsessive thinking and compulsive behavior, let go of a victim mentality, and do not allow this situation to push you into a spiritual shipwreck. Look to Jesus who is the author and finisher of your faith. F.B. Meyer writes: do not step down to the level of your circumstances but lift them to your own high calling in Christ. (Commentary, Amplified Bible, page 350)
PRAYER:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray that you will give _____ direction and the grace to obey you in all things. I use the keys You have given me, and bind the minds of this husband and wife to the mind of Christ, their wills to the will of God and their emotions to the control of the Holy Spirit. I loose wrong attitudes from them, destroy the power of all cutting, backbiting, and profane talk. I pray that they will become gentle with one another, sensitive; forgiving one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave them in the name of Jesus. If one refuses to obey your Word, then Lord have mercy on his/her soul and bring him/her to repentance. Your grace is sufficient as the born again spouse seeks to do your will for the good of his/her family. Amen.