We are lifting you and your husband and your marriage up together before the throne of grace and we thank you for sharing this heavy burden so honestly. We hear the weariness of ### years of battling addiction and the pain of living with someone whose behavior and moods change so frequently and is hard to be around. We honor your commitment to your marriage, for we believe marriage is a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman ordained by God to reflect His faithfulness, and your desire to see your husband restored and your marriage healed honors the Lord.
Scripture is clear that drunkenness and drug use, which often falls under sorcery and the works of the flesh, do not honor God and enslave the person. Ephesians 5:18 says do not be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-21 warns that drunkenness and similar things prevent inheriting the Kingdom of God, and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which we are to glorify God with. Proverbs 20:1 says wine is a mocker and beer is a brawler, whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Addiction is not merely a disease or a habit, it is sin that masters a person and becomes an idol, and it needs to be rebuked and repented of. Yet we also know our God is a deliverer. John 8:36 says if therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises that God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 2 Corinthians 7:10 teaches that godly sorrow works repentance to salvation which brings no regret. That is what we are praying for your husband, not just sobriety but a truly repentant heart that turns away from drugs and alcohol and turns to Christ.
We are also praying for you for wisdom, strength and discernment as you walk this difficult road. James 1:5 says but if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to trust in Yahweh with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Part of that wisdom is loving your husband while not enabling his sin. To love is to speak the truth in love as Ephesians 4:15 says, and to set godly boundaries that do not excuse or cover the addiction. We encourage you to seek wise, biblical counsel from mature believers and pastors in your church, to bring this into the light, for James 5:16 says confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. You need a community around you to support you, to pray with you, to help hold your husband accountable and to keep you safe and spiritually strengthened. If his moods and behavior ever become threatening or abusive, please seek immediate help and safety through your church family and trusted counsel, for the Lord calls us to protect and to live in peace.
We noticed your request asked for prayer from the Holy Spirit for wisdom, which we affirm, yet you did not mention the name of Jesus Christ. We want to gently remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to God and that there is salvation in no other name. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. Acts 4:12 says there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Romans 10:9 says that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. It is by the blood of Jesus that your husband can be forgiven and set free, and it is in Jesus name that our prayers are heard. We encourage you both to keep Jesus Christ at the center of your marriage and your pursuit of healing.
We pray together now for you both.
Father in heaven, we come before You together in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, and we lift up this dear sister and her husband and their marriage to You. Lord, You see ### years of bondage to drugs and alcohol, You see the pain, the broken promises, the unstable moods and the hurt in this home. We ask for Your mercy and Your delivering power. Lord, grant this husband a godly sorrow that leads to true repentance, cause him to hate his sin and to turn away from it completely, to confess it to You and to turn to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Break every chain of addiction, cleanse him and fill him with Your Holy Spirit, renew his mind and make him a new creation in Christ. We pray You would provide for him godly accountability, biblical counseling, and the way of escape from every temptation.
Father, we pray for this wife, pour out Your wisdom upon her liberally. Give her discernment to know what to do and what to say, when to speak and when to be silent, when to show grace and when to set firm boundaries. Guard her heart and mind with Your peace which surpasses all understanding as Philippians 4:6-7 promises. Strengthen her when she is weary, as Isaiah 41:10 says do not be afraid for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God, I will strengthen you. Help her to love her husband as You love us, with truth and grace, not condoning sin but interceding for his soul. Restore and protect their marriage, Lord, make it a testimony of Your redeeming power and Your faithfulness. Help them to seek You together in Your Word and prayer and in fellowship with Your people. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.
We encourage you to remain steadfast in prayer and in the Word, to keep praying for your husband even when it is hard, and to allow the Lord to work in His timing. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask. We are standing with you and trusting God for repentance, freedom and healing in your home.
