The holiday season is a time of conflicting emotions for many. When it comes to your marriage, if things are good this can be a season of even greater joy and connection. If things are not so good this season may bring even more disappointment, loneliness, and pain. Perhaps the best thing I can offer is praying hope over your marriage this Christmas.
Hope is a vital nutrient for relationships and for your soul. Paul says we are “saved by hope” (Romans 8:24, KJV). Norman Cousins writes about the biology of hope in his book Head First. Without hope the human spirit cannot survive long.
And your marriage won’t survive long without hope either.
That’s why my prayer for your marriage this Christmas is for the gift of Hope.
Praying Hope Over Your Marriage
Father,
Wherever this holiday season finds this reader and their marriage, I ask that You bless them with the gift of hope.
With You there is always hope, even when to human eyes things seem hopeless.
When the pressures of life seem too much for their relationship, bless them with hope that with Your grace they can together focus on the most important things.
When the wounds they cause each other seem too deep for any healing, bless them with hope that Your healing can reach into the deepest and darkest places with miracle-working power.
When they seem so far apart that the slim threads of connection between them seem about to break, bless them with the hope that You are the glue that brings them closer together, strong enough to withstand any disrupting force.
When they feel tempted to settle for too little, for misery, for basic survival, bless them with the hope that Your life can be birthed anew in their marriage.
When it seems they have no strength to hold on and they have nothing more to bring to their relationship, bless them with hope that your strength can fill them, and that it will be enough for today.
When the waves of shame or hurt seem about ready to overwhelm them, bless them with the hope that You are a strong tower, and that in You they are safe.
When they cannot see tomorrow and they don’t know what to do next, bless them with the hope that You are a light to their path, guiding them just one step at a time.
When they feel tempted to withdraw from each other or to lash out in frustration, bless them with the hope that You working on the inside of them can enable them to be present, to stay engaged, to give of themselves generously, to be who You need them to be to their spouse in this season.
Thank You, Father, for blessing this marriage with the gift of Hope this Christmas season.
Amen.
Your Turn: What is your prayer for your marriage this Christmas season? Leave a comment below.
Tweetables: why not share this post?
- Without hope you cannot survive long, and your marriage cannot survive long either. I am praying hope over your marriage this Christmas season. Tweet that.
You can learn to fight FOR Your Marriage!
Do you find yourself fighting against your spouse rather than for your marriage?
Your spouse is not the enemy. Learn how to effectively come against the real enemies keeping you apart. Get your FREE Resource Guide about fighting FOR your marriage now!
