When a marriage is struggling, it can be hard to know what to pray or where to start in the Bible. These passages have helped many Christians in hard seasons. Read them slowly, alone or together. Let them shape your prayers.
When you’re hurting
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
God doesn’t stand at a distance from your pain. He draws close.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (ESV)
You don’t have to carry this on your own.
When you need hope
“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
These words were written in a time of great loss. Hope isn’t the same as pretending things are fine.
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.” Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV)
When you need to forgive
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Forgiveness flows from what God has done for us. Read more in what forgiveness is, and what it isn’t.
When you keep arguing
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” James 1:19 (ESV)
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 (ESV)
See how to listen so your spouse feels heard.
When you need to remember what love is
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)
Many couples hear this at their wedding. It reads differently in a hard season. Try reading it with your own name in place of “love”, as a prayer for yourself.
When you feel like giving up
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
When you need each other
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV)
See a threefold cord.
How to use these passages
- Read one passage a day together, and ask: “What is God saying to us here?”
- Pray the passage back to God in your own words.
- Write one verse on a card and put it somewhere you’ll both see it.
For a structured way to spend 21 days in Scripture together, Pastor Victor’s devotional Covenant Restoration gives you a Bible passage, a reading, questions, a prayer and one practical step for each day.
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