Marriage is an amazing union between two people that God loves, blesses, and sees as good. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. Anyone who is married or has been married knows that marriage can be extremely tough and that it’s certainly not a walk in the park.
Since marriage is so difficult, many people suffer from broken marriages and broken relationships with their spouses. However, God is the great redeemer and restorer and through your obedience, God wants to restore and redeem your marriage.
Here’s what the Word of God says about marriage restoration and how you can work towards a restored marriage alongside God.
How Do I Pray for My Marriage to Be Restored?
Praying for your marriage to be restored simply starts with you pouring out your heart to God and having open communication with Him. Don’t forget that God knows all, and He sees all, even seeing the true intentions of our hearts that we don’t even see ourselves.
So, when you pray for your marriage, be open and honest to Him about how you are feeling, how you are being affected, and how you want to see your marriage restored by His divine intervention. Doing this brings forth powerful prayers.
You also need to recognize that there are parts that you play in the restoration of your marriage. Prayer is the best way to have an honest confession of any sin that has contributed to struggles within your marriage.
In any marital relationship, one person never holds all the blame. Confess to God through prayer points that you need to fix and ask Him for the strength to fix them.
Above all, pray for God’s will to be done. As you follow Him in obedience and do the hard work, God honors that and you will begin to see Him work all things for your good.
He will do a work of restoration when you are willing to submit to His will for your life.
What Does the Bible Say About a Struggling Marriage?
When it comes to a struggling marriage, we know from the Bible that God is not in favor of divorce. Although God made an exception for it in the case of adultery, the Bible tells us that He only did that because of the hardness of the people’s hearts.
Overall, He does not desire divorce for any marriage, no matter how bad the struggle is.
Instead, God offers reconciliation and restoration through having a committed relationship with Him. As each member of the marriage grows closer to Him and becomes more like Christ Jesus, they begin to love one another as Christ loves them, bringing restoration and a healthy marriage in the name of Jesus.
Although it isn’t easy, the Bible shows us that God provides ways for us to actively restore our broken relationships. All we must do is submit to His will for our lives, seek first the kingdom, and the rest will fall into place.
Praise God for being the ultimate healer in every situation!
What is a Good Bible Verse for Broken Marriage?
A great Bible verse for a broken marriage is this:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 [ESV]
This is an incredible reminder that even within the pain and suffering of broken relationships and a troubled marriage, God still is working all things for our good when we love Him and follow His purposes for us. We can trust in God’s plan and God’s design.
What Does the Bible Say About Restored Relationships?
The Bible says that restored relationships are something to be desired and fought for. In fact, all throughout the New Testament, the Bible talks repeatedly about the importance of unity and having good relationships, especially amongst believers in Christ.
However, the Bible also makes it clear that we often get in the way of restored relationships through our own selfish ambition and pride. Instead, we are to approach our broken relationships with humility and ask God for direction and healing as we strive to restore our relationships.
Bible Verses for Marriage Restoration
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 [ESV]
As you begin to repair and restore your marriage, it’s important to get a reminder as to what true love really looks like.
Remember, your goal in your love is not to emulate the world’s idea of love, but rather to emulate a God kind of real love. This is what that kind of love truly looks like.
Ask yourself: does your love look like this? Which of these areas do you need to work on in the way that you love your spouse as you work to restore your marriage?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 [ESV]
Remember that even when we think we have everything figured out, we aren’t supposed to lean on our own understanding in our lives. We are meant to lean on God’s help and the knowledge of God. We are to trust Him in what He is doing because His ways are far beyond our own.
In your marriage, do your best to be obedient to Him, but above all, trust Him and acknowledge Him in all things. When you begin to do this, He will make your paths straight and guide you in the way that you need to go for restoration.
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so that you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Colossians 3:12-14 [ESV]
Although these verses aren’t specifically in the context of marriage issues, every marriage relationship will benefit from also putting these things on, as Paul says.
Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love are all things that benefit a marriage greatly! However, we can often get so caught up in the brokenness that we’ve forgotten how to show these things to one another.
Ask God today to help you put on these things that Paul speaks of in Colossians. As you put them on and act them out in your daily life, you are becoming more like Christ and will be taking steps toward restoring and redeeming your marriage.
“Do not say, ‘I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.’” Proverbs 24:29 [ESV]
Isn’t it so easy to desire revenge? Especially in a marriage, you can get to the point where every little thing irritates you and you become resentful to the point of wanting to pay back your spouse for all the things that they’ve done to you.
However, the Bible warns against that and says not to think that way.
Instead, we are to forgive and to love, even when that love is not given in return. The Bible does not put “if-then” statements on its commands. There is no such thing as that in God’s Word. It is always your turn to love and never your turn to pay back wrongs.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14 [ESV]
What a great reminder this verse is! Think about it. How can you do everything that you do in love? How does your attitude need to change towards your spouse when you are doing things for them or with them?
Are you doing things in love or are you doing them out of duty or even with a resentful attitude? Do all things in love.
Bible Verses to Heal Struggling Marriage
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10 [ESV]
Remember that even in your struggle, God’s grace promises hope on the other side. It is when you truly begin to cling on to this hope that you can begin to see your marriage problems from a bigger perspective and things will be made clear to you.
Even through tough times, the Bible tells us that God will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. Hold on to this hope and communicate it to your spouse as well.
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” 2 Corinthians 4:17 [ESV]
Many things in our lives could be fixed if we could get ourselves to have an eternal mindset.
Having an eternal mindset means focusing wholeheartedly on the eternal life that Christ has set before each of us and living in a way that has eternal significance, not merely significance for the present.
When you do this, you actually become more loving because you realize that the only things that are eternal are your relationships. Cherish your loving relationship with your spouse and work on restoring it now as you keep your eyes on the eternity that Christ has set before you.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 [ESV]
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer. Doing these three things have the power to completely revolutionize your marriage because they align you more with God and cultivate the relationship that you have with Him.
When you are closer to God, God makes you more like Christ, making you more loving and holy in your relationship with your spouse.
Prayer is an amazing tool that you have in the restoration of your marriage. Be in constant prayer for your marriage and be honest with God about what is going on.
Believe me, He already knows! Do these things and seek the restoration of your marriage always.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 [ESV]
As you work towards healing your marriage, don’t forget to simply be kind to your spouse. Especially when marriages are struggling, there can be a lot of hurt and pain that comes out and the best things that you can do in those situations are to be kind and forgive.
Be conscious of all that Christ has forgiven you and forgive your spouse in return. Even if there is a mountain of hurt and pain from your spouse, forgive and be kind. It will do wonders in working out the healing of your marriage.
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 [ESV]
Don’t forget that you have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of you if you are a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.
This is good news! He will help you and aid you in the healing of your struggling marriage. He will help you to show God’s character to your spouse and to produce endurance inside of you.
Even though it is extremely difficult, the Bible says to rejoice in your sufferings because it produces this character of God in you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to both give you the power and strength of the Lord God of Israel and to fix your eyes on Him, the author and perfecter of your faith.
Bible Verses to Repair Your Marriage
“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 [ESV]
If you aren’t aimed toward restoration, you can never repair your marriage. Many people want to fix their marriages, but few want to do the work and the humbling that comes along with it.
Despite what has happened, comfort your spouse, agree with your spouse, and live in peace as much as you can. In this, God will honor you and His love and peace will be with you and your marriage.
“In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” Ephesians 5:28 [ESV]
Husbands, don’t forget this monumental command that has been given to you in terms of your role in your marriage. You are to love your wife as you love yourself. Think about that. What would it look like to truly love your wife as much as you love yourself?
Take some time to write down ways that you can better love your wife. Make them practical and make them actionable. Begin to do them right now as you pursue restoration in your marriage!
“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7 [ESV]
Husbands, seek to understand your wives. Men often have a tendency to think that they know all about what is going on and they can sometimes fail to truly listen and understand their wives. The Bible says that by understanding your wife, you honor her.
Make a conscious effort to listen intently to your wife and to seek understanding in what she thinks and how she sees things. I guarantee it will do wonders in how you love her and respect her as your wife.
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:22 [ESV]
Wives, remember that God has made your husband the head of your household and that He is calling you to submit to your husband as you submit to the Lord of hosts. This is not a devaluing of women, but rather it is to uphold the role that women were created for in the first place!
All the way back to the garden, Eve was created as a helper to Adam. Women are called to promote and help their husbands and to submit to them as the head of the house.
As you fulfill this role in your marriage, you will not only see restoration but you will also grow closer to God.
“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” 1 Peter 3:1-2
Wives, remember that your conduct and the way that you act and hold yourself is a testimony even to your husband.
Even if your husband is going on the wrong path, fulfilling and upholding your role as his wife can be a powerful and good thing that God can use to bring your husband back to the light.
Is your conduct respectful and pure? Are you being subject to your husband? Actions speak louder than words and your good works can be the very thing that cleanses your marriage or breaks it.
