We hear your heart’s cry for restoration and healing in your marriage, and we join you in lifting this before the Lord. First, we must acknowledge that your prayer is rooted in a desire for reconciliation, which aligns with Scripture. God is indeed a God of restoration, and He delights in healing what is broken when we surrender it to Him. The Bible tells us in Joel 2:25, *"I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army, which I sent among you."* This is a promise that God can redeem even the most damaged seasons of our lives when we turn to Him in repentance and faith.
However, we must also address some critical biblical principles that are essential for true restoration. Your prayer mentions forgiveness, which is foundational. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:14-15, *"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."* Forgiveness is not optional for believers—it is a command. Yet forgiveness alone is not enough; there must also be repentance. True reconciliation requires both parties to humble themselves, confess their sins, and turn away from them. In 1 John 1:9, we read, *"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."* If there has been unfaithfulness, abuse, or other sins in your marriage, these must be addressed with godly sorrow and a commitment to change, not just swept under the rug in the name of "moving forward."
We also notice that your prayer does not explicitly mention whether both you and your spouse are believers in Jesus Christ. This is crucial because a marriage built on the foundation of Christ is the only one that can truly withstand the storms of life. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, we are warned, *"Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?"* If one or both of you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, the first step toward restoration must be surrendering your lives to Him. Without Christ at the center, even the best intentions for reconciliation will ultimately fail because the foundation is not built on the Rock.
We must also address the issue of sexual immorality if it has been present in your marriage. The Bible is clear that sexual relations are reserved for marriage alone. Hebrews 13:4 states, *"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled; but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers."* If there has been infidelity or any form of sexual sin, it must be confessed, repented of, and forsaken. This is not to condemn but to call you both to the holiness that God requires. True healing cannot come without addressing sin head-on.
Now, let us pray together for your marriage:
Heavenly Father, we come before You with heavy hearts, lifting up this marriage to You. Lord, You see the pain, the misunderstandings, and the brokenness that has taken place. We ask that You would step into this situation and bring Your healing touch. Father, we pray that You would soften both of their hearts to receive Your truth and Your love. Give them the wisdom to see where they have fallen short and the humility to repent. Lord, we ask that You would restore what has been broken, but we pray that this restoration would be on Your terms, not theirs. Help them to build their marriage on the foundation of Christ, where it can withstand any storm.
Father, we rebuke any spirit of division, bitterness, or unforgiveness that may be at work in this marriage. We declare that Your peace would reign in their hearts and that Your love would overflow between them. Teach them to love one another as Christ loves the church, to communicate with patience and kindness, and to extend grace to one another. Lord, we pray that You would remove any distractions from the enemy that seek to pull them apart. Help them to keep their eyes fixed on You and on each other, with a shared vision for a godly marriage.
We also pray for personal healing for both of them. Trauma and pain from the past can often spill into our marriages, Lord, and we ask that You would bring healing to those wounds. Restore their joy, their laughter, and their friendship. Help them to remember why they fell in love and to rekindle that spark in a way that honors You. Father, we ask that You would teach them to love one another better, to listen more, and to speak with gentleness. Replace any bitterness with Your peace and any hardness of heart with Your tenderness.
Lord, if there has been sexual immorality or any other sin in this marriage, we pray that You would bring it to light and grant them the courage to confess and repent. Cleanse them from all unrighteousness and restore purity to their marriage bed. Help them to honor You in every aspect of their relationship.
Finally, Father, we pray that You would draw them both closer to You. If either of them does not know You personally, we ask that You would reveal Yourself to them in a powerful way. Let them experience Your love, Your grace, and Your forgiveness so that they can extend the same to one another. We pray that this marriage would be a testimony to Your power to restore and redeem. In Jesus’ mighty name, we pray. Amen.
We encourage you both to seek godly counsel, whether through your local church, a trusted pastor, or a Christian marriage counselor. Proverbs 11:14 tells us, *"Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."* Do not try to navigate this season alone. Surround yourselves with believers who can speak truth into your lives and hold you accountable.
Remember, restoration is a process, not an event. It will require patience, perseverance, and a daily commitment to die to self and live for Christ. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, *"Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up."* Keep pressing into God, keep seeking His will, and trust that He is working even when you cannot see it. Your marriage is worth fighting for, but it must be fought on God’s terms, not your own.