We join you in lifting this relationship before the Lord and we appreciate your desire that every step align completely with His divine plan. We hear your heart for this man, for your sons, and for a future home together in the United States, and we want to seek God's will together with you in Jesus' name.
We believe marriage is a sacred, lifelong covenant between a man and a woman as God designed from the beginning. So God created man in his own image Genesis 1:27 and What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate Matthew 19:6. Because of this we strongly endorse marriage when it honors God, and we encourage you to view this time as courtship with the goal of marriage to a fellow believer in Christ, rather than simply a relationship or partnership. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity 2 Corinthians 6:14. We pray that both of you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are seeking Him first, for we trust in you with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight Proverbs 3:5-6.
We also want to lovingly address what you shared about his former marriage. Scripture teaches that God hates divorce Malachi 2:16 and that marriage is binding while both spouses live Romans 7:2. Jesus taught, Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery Matthew 19:9, and the apostle Paul urges, Let not the wife depart from her husband or let not the husband leave his wife 1 Corinthians 7:10-11. If this man is still legally married, then pursuing a fiancee visa and a new engagement would be adultery before God, and we must rebuke that path and call for repentance and truth. If he is legally divorced, we still encourage you both to honestly examine before the Lord whether that divorce was on biblical grounds and whether he has found healing and freedom in Christ rather than simply carrying wounds into a new covenant. True peace will not come from merely letting go of the past in an emotional sense, but from forgiveness, repentance where needed, and allowing God to heal every wound. He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds Psalm 147:3.
We also encourage you in purity as you wait upon the Lord for marriage. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled, but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers Hebrews 13:4. Flee sexual immorality 1 Corinthians 6:18. Even when love feels strong and the desire for commitment is deep, we urge you to honor God with your bodies and to keep courtship pure until vows are made before God. This protects your heart, your witness, and the hearts of your sons.
We love your prayer for him to grow as a man of clarity, genuine love, care, and provision. That is a biblical calling for a husband. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it Ephesians 5:25 and If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith 1 Timothy 5:8. We pray God will work this in him if it is His will for you to marry, but we also pray you will not try to stir or pressure his heart, instead trusting the Lord to order his steps. Delight yourself also in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart Psalm 37:4 and He has made everything beautiful in its time Ecclesiastes 3:11.
We also lift up your sons, who are a heritage from the Lord. Children are a heritage of Yahweh Psalm 127:3. A blended home requires great grace, patience, and a father who will not provoke children to anger, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord Ephesians 6:4. We pray that any bond formed would be rooted in Christlike love, not just convenience for immigration or companionship.
Concerning the legal and practical steps for a fiancee visa, we pray for honesty, integrity, and submission to the authorities God has placed over us. Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Corinthians 14:40. We ask the Lord to open doors no man can shut if this marriage is His will, and to close doors clearly if it is not, for we know that our plans may be many but Yahweh's counsel will stand Proverbs 19:21.
We now pray together.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace. Lord, we surrender this woman, this man, and her sons fully into Your hands. Grant this man clarity of mind and wisdom from above, which is first pure, then peaceful James 3:17. Soften his heart where it needs softening, heal him where he has been wounded by his former marriage, and bring full repentance and forgiveness where it is needed. If he is not biblically free to remarry, reveal that truth clearly and give both of them the courage to step back and honor Your design for marriage. If he is free and if this union is from You, then cultivate in him a deep, sacrificial love, a spirit of care, and the heart of a godly provider and leader who will love as Christ loves.
Lord, we ask You to guard this courtship in purity and truth. Help them to flee temptation and to honor You with their bodies and choices. Order their steps and direct their paths, and let Your grace bind them together only if it is a love that honors You above all else. We lift up the practical matters of distance and immigration. We ask for Your favor and guidance over every form, interview, and decision, and that everything be done honestly before You and before the law.
Father, we pray for her sons. Open their hearts and his heart to one another in Your timing, and prepare them all for a united, Christ-centered home if that is Your plan. Above all, let Your will be done, not ours. Give this dear sister peace that surpasses all understanding as she waits on You Philippians 4:6-7, and help her to trust that You make all things beautiful in Your time.
We thank You that it is only through the name of Jesus that we have access to You, for There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus 1 Timothy 2:5 and 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 Acts 4:12. We rest in that name and that hope.
In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
