5 Prayers to Stop Thinking Negatively About Your Spouseනියැදිය

Today’s Prayer: Help me remember that my spouse needs You.

“God, I need you so much every day. I need your grace and I need your strength. I am weak and imperfect. I sin even when I don’t want to. Help me to remember that those things are also true of my spouse; they are also human just like me. Help me to remember that they will need You and Your grace, and they cannot be perfect. Give me the strength and grace to be gracious toward them. Amen.”

James 1:17 tells us that God is the origin of every good and perfect gift. He is unfailingly good, and from His goodness He provides us with good things. Even in the imperfection of our lives, God provides blessings that can bring joy to our lives. I believe He wants you to see your marriage and your spouse as a gift and a source of joy.

To do that, it is helpful to remember that your spouse is only human. Though they can be God’s provision for you, they’re still human, and they still need Jesus every day … just like you do.

It can be easy to start expecting things to run smoothly, and to assume that you’ll work through marriage issues, to mature and continue to grow more like Jesus, making marriage and life better and easier. While those are great goals and hopes, it is really helpful to remember that growth is not linear. Growth and sanctification often happen through trial, error, and difficulty.

When things are tough and you feel stuck, remember that God uses our struggles to refine us, and that this struggle toward growth is common among believers. We read about this struggle in today’s scripture from Romans 7. Life is easier and more enjoyable when we don’t expect perfection from ourselves or others. Psalm 14 reminds us that everyone has sinned and we all fall short of God’s standard. When we are aware of our daily need for God’s grace, we can also extend that grace to others. Ask God to remind you of how much grace He’s poured out in your life, and to allow you to freely give grace to your spouse and others in your life.

Isn’t it a true testimony of growing more like Christ when we can “be compassionate and humble” (1 Peter 3:8) and give grace not only to the people we randomly encounter in a day, but also to the one we’re closest to?