Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your request for prayer for your marriage has been heard, and I thank you for sharing this heavy burden so honestly. To say that every day is a complete struggle and that you do not know if you can hang on any longer is to speak of a deep weariness, and it is right to bring that weariness to the Lord Jesus.
Scripture teaches that marriage is a bond ordained by God. It is not an impure state, but it is one of much occupation and responsibility. It is honorable and pure, and when lived in faithfulness it preserves holiness by keeping husband and wife joined together and apart from all other unions. Because it is a bond of God, it is worth contending for with patience and hope, even when it feels fragile.
What God asks of you in this hard season is hope, which is confidence in things to come that He has promised, and patience, which belongs to hard work and much endurance. As one of the homilies reminds us, God crowns both the one who labors and the one who hopes. He does not despise your struggle. At times He even permits storms to toss us for a night, as He did with the disciples on the sea, not to abandon us but to awaken our hearts and to lead us by degrees to greater endurance, so that we learn to look to Him alone for hope of preservation.
I do not know all the details of what makes each day so difficult, and I will not offer easy answers. But I encourage you to continue to wait with patience, to follow peace with all people and holiness within your marriage, and to use this season with moderation and prayer rather than turning away. If you are hindered, remember that marriage itself is not the hindrance, but how we use it. Seek steady help from reverent and wise people around you, men and women who can counsel you faithfully, and keep persevering in prayer.
Let me pray for you now in Jesus name.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation, I lift up this marriage to You. You ordained marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and You see the pain and exhaustion in this home. Grant strength to hang on, comfort to the weary soul, and hope that does not fail. Teach both husband and wife to wait with patience, to pursue peace, and to live in holiness and faithfulness to one another. Calm the storm that tosses them, and in Your mercy bring restoration, understanding, and endurance for each day. Help them to cast their care upon You and to find Your aid abundant as they hope in You. Amen.
Please continue to seek the Lord daily, to pray together when possible, and to reach out to a trusted pastor or counselor in your local church who can walk with you personally. You are not forgotten, and your struggle is not unseen by God.
Scripture teaches that marriage is a bond ordained by God. It is not an impure state, but it is one of much occupation and responsibility. It is honorable and pure, and when lived in faithfulness it preserves holiness by keeping husband and wife joined together and apart from all other unions. Because it is a bond of God, it is worth contending for with patience and hope, even when it feels fragile.
What God asks of you in this hard season is hope, which is confidence in things to come that He has promised, and patience, which belongs to hard work and much endurance. As one of the homilies reminds us, God crowns both the one who labors and the one who hopes. He does not despise your struggle. At times He even permits storms to toss us for a night, as He did with the disciples on the sea, not to abandon us but to awaken our hearts and to lead us by degrees to greater endurance, so that we learn to look to Him alone for hope of preservation.
I do not know all the details of what makes each day so difficult, and I will not offer easy answers. But I encourage you to continue to wait with patience, to follow peace with all people and holiness within your marriage, and to use this season with moderation and prayer rather than turning away. If you are hindered, remember that marriage itself is not the hindrance, but how we use it. Seek steady help from reverent and wise people around you, men and women who can counsel you faithfully, and keep persevering in prayer.
Let me pray for you now in Jesus name.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation, I lift up this marriage to You. You ordained marriage as a lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, and You see the pain and exhaustion in this home. Grant strength to hang on, comfort to the weary soul, and hope that does not fail. Teach both husband and wife to wait with patience, to pursue peace, and to live in holiness and faithfulness to one another. Calm the storm that tosses them, and in Your mercy bring restoration, understanding, and endurance for each day. Help them to cast their care upon You and to find Your aid abundant as they hope in You. Amen.
Please continue to seek the Lord daily, to pray together when possible, and to reach out to a trusted pastor or counselor in your local church who can walk with you personally. You are not forgotten, and your struggle is not unseen by God.
