You are part of a special group of people. You have endured marriage problems, possibly even separation or divorce, and yet God has restored your marriage.
It doesn’t take long to realize that a restored marriage doesn’t mean you will never have problems again. Your marriage is still made up of two imperfect people. There will be disagreements. There may be difficult seasons. The difference is that now you know how important it is to keep fighting and praying for your marriage.
My mom always said, “Once a stander, always a stander.” After her marriage was restored, she never stopped praying for it. She knew what God had done, and she never wanted to take His work in their marriage for granted.
Learning how to handle the bumps that come your way is an important part of building a healthy marriage together. The question isn’t whether trials will come. The question is: How will you respond when they do?
Have you ever noticed the small red boxes on the walls of public buildings that say, “Break Glass in Case of Emergency?”
My dad, a returned prodigal himself, had his own “break glass ideas.” This is his list of things to do when you become discouraged or are tempted to give up after marriage restoration.
- Turn on worship music. Begin praising God in the middle of the problem. Shift your focus from what is happening around you to the One who is in control.
- Grab your Bible. Go back and read the special scriptures the Lord showed during your stand. His promises have not changed.
- Even if you hurt too much to pray, do it anyway. Romans 8:26-27 reminds us that the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us when we don’t have the words.
- Call a trusted prayer partner. Reach out to someone who understands and will pray with you. Be careful that your request for prayer doesn’t turn into gossip.
- Ask yourself if you need to offer forgiveness to your spouse. If the answer is yes, choose forgiveness. Don’t allow offense to take root in your heart (Mark 11:25).
- Be still and listen for God. Sometimes we become so focused on fixing the problem that we forget to stop and listen (Psalm 46:10).
- Get moving. Take a walk. Step outside. Give yourself time to think and pray. Things that seem overwhelming can feel much more manageable after you have had time to clear your head (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
- Pull out your old journals and remember what God has brought you through. Remember the prayers He answered, the doors He opened, and the ways He carried you when you thought you couldn’t take another step. If you didn’t journal during your stand for marriage restoration, today is a great day to start.
- Remember that God has already brought you through the fire. The enemy will want to convince you that this problem means your marriage is hopeless. Don’t believe the lie. Replace the lies of the enemy with the truth of God.
The Lord has done an amazing work in your marriage! Don’t allow a difficult day, a disagreement, or a hard season to tempt you to forget what He has already done.
God bless,
