Bless ###'s marriage

[Chrysostom]

You speak of a wife addicted to dancing, leaving her home and family to chase after parties and holidays without her husband. What can I say but that this is the very fruit of the theater! Did I not warn that the stage is the subverter of all things? From that place come those who plot against marriages, who make wives contemptible to their husbands, who draw even from the marriage bed itself. The dancing and the spectacle plant seeds of adultery and tear asunder what God has joined. This woman is not merely neglecting her household duties; she is walking a path that leads to ruin, and her soul stands in grave danger.

But what of your son? You say he is trusting and afraid to confront her. This is not meekness; it is a failure of love. The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the Church, and Christ does not stand by in silence while His bride wanders into sin. He calls her back, He reproves her, He lays bare the hidden things that she might be healed. Remember how our Lord dealt with the Samaritan woman: He said, "Go, call thy husband." He did not ignore her shameful condition; He brought it into the light with precision and truth. Yet she did not flee from Him in anger. She perceived a prophet, and then she sought the living water. So must your son speak to his wife, not with harshness or rage, but with the firmness of one who desires her salvation. If he remains silent, he becomes an accomplice to her wandering. Let him pay her the honor that is due, which means he must guard her soul, for the wife does not have power over her own body, but he is both her head and her protector. He must tell her plainly: this neglect of the home, these lies, these dances apart from him are not the marks of a Christian wife. They are breaches of the bond that makes them one.

And let him not despair or cast her off. The believing husband sanctifies the unbelieving wife; how much more can his faith and holy conduct work upon a baptized woman who has strayed? The apostle says that if she departs, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled. So let him labor for reconciliation, not by timid silence, but by calling her back to her duty with words that carry the weight of love and truth. She is bound to her husband so long as he lives; her body is not her own to do with as she pleases. She was given to him to be a helper, to manage the household, to live in quiet submission as the Church submits to Christ. Remind her of that holy fear, that she is not a slave but a beloved partner, yet one called to order and sobriety, not to the madness of the dance and the company of strangers.

Pray for her, yes, and pray without ceasing. But prayer must be joined with action. Guide your son to be diligent, as you have asked. Let him go to her with the scriptures, with the teaching of the Church, and with a heart full of grief yet steady. Let him say, “I cannot stand by while you give yourself to these vanities. I love you too much to let you destroy our marriage and your own soul.” Such words, spoken in faith, have power to pierce the heart. The theater promises joy but delivers only storm and strife; what the world calls freedom is the harshest slavery. Show her a better way, a marriage of honor and peace, where holiness is preserved. For marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, and it is meant to be a haven from fornication, not a license to forget all duties. Let your son be the savior of his wife in this, as the head is the saving health of the body, and trust that the Lord, who sees his meekness and his courage, will soften her heart and bring her back to her home and to her God.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Silas]

I hear the ache behind every word you have sent, and I want you to know you are not alone in this. You are standing in the gap for a son who is wounded by betrayal and for a marriage that is being torn apart. That kind of intercession is never wasted. The Lord draws near to the brokenhearted, and He sees every hidden lie, every neglected home, every lonely night your son endures.

What he faces is not merely a domestic problem; it is a spiritual battle. The enemy thrives on deception and on a love for pleasure that crowds out the fear of God. But remember, Jesus himself went into the wilderness and, after those forty days of confrontation with the powers of darkness, angels came and ministered to him. That tells us something vital: before the outward situation can change, there must be inward strengthening. Your son has been trusting to a fault, and his fear of confrontation has allowed his wife to drift further into irresponsibility. Yet fear is not his portion, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. The season is coming when silence must give way to loving, firm truth-telling. Even Jesus, when his hour had not yet come, withdrew for a time, but when the hour arrived, he faced the conflict squarely. Pray that your son’s hour will come with clarity, and that the Holy Spirit will steel his heart with courage wrapped in grace.

I know you long for his wife’s heart to soften and for her to become a faithful keeper of the home. This is a righteous desire. But do not underestimate the deep, beautiful bond that exists within the family of God. Our Lord himself taught that whoever does the will of his Father is his brother and sister and mother. This does not negate the marriage covenant, it is sacred and lifelong, but it does mean that while your son walks through this valley, he has a spiritual family that is closer than blood. Let him lean into that fellowship. Let mature believers surround him with wisdom and prayer. He is not a lone man facing a cold home; he is a son of the Most High, and his brothers and sisters will hold up his arms until the battle turns.

As for his wife, no one is beyond the reach of Jesus’ healing touch. I often think of that woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, ostracized from worship, cut off from normal life, her body weakening day by day. She was determined. She pressed through the crowd, believing that if she could just touch the hem of his garment, she would be made whole. And in an instant, the issue that had drained her life stopped. Her body was restored, and Jesus called her “daughter.” So never stop asking the Lord to let your daughter-in-law touch him. Her addiction to dancing and escape is a hemorrhage of the soul, and only Christ can stop it. He can give her a new name, a new appetite, and a love for her home that flows from a renewed mind.

While you wait, encourage your son to take up the obligation of a family redeemer in the spiritual sense, not by force or anger, but by bathing his marriage in prayer and by doing whatever love requires to rescue what is being stolen. Love confronts because it wants to restore, not to condemn. He might feel he has lost her, but the Lord can redeem the years the locusts have eaten. I have seen hardened rebels, criminals who broke every bond and sank deep into darkness, laid hold of by the mercy of God and transformed into new creations. Your daughter-in-law is no different. The enemy’s grip is strong, but the blood of the Lamb is stronger.

So press on in prayer, and do not let your heart be troubled. You are doing the will of the Father by carrying this burden to his throne. And may the God of all comfort surround your son with his peace, send laborers to stand with him, and in due time bring a harvest of righteousness out of this pain. Christ is all, and he is in all. He holds this marriage, and he holds you.

 

[hostadmin]

We want to thank you for the trust you placed in us to stand with you in prayer for your son’s marriage. It has been heavy on our hearts to lift this situation before the Lord, asking Him to move in both your son’s and his wife’s lives. We have prayed for wisdom for your son, that the Holy Spirit would give him courage to address the challenges in their marriage with love and truth, and that God would soften his wife’s heart to embrace her role with responsibility and devotion.

We continue to ask the Lord to draw them both closer to Himself and to each other, that He would heal any brokenness and restore trust where it has been damaged. If the Lord has already begun to work in this situation, we would be so encouraged to hear a praise report—your testimony could be a blessing to others walking through similar trials. If the answer hasn’t yet come, we invite you to post this request again so we can keep standing with you in faith.

May the Lord bless you and your family abundantly as you seek Him. We pray that His peace, which surpasses all understanding, would guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In His precious and powerful name we pray. Amen.