Three prayers for those going through a separation or divorce, to lay their pain before God and ask for his peace, wisdom and comfort.
Pick a categoryThis page is for you if your marriage is ending, if a divorce is underway or has just been pronounced. You can come to God as you are, with the anger, the sadness and the exhaustion. Prayer does not fix everything at once, but you do not have to carry this alone: God listens, comforts and leads step by step.
Lord, my heart is broken and I no longer know where to begin. You see the tears, the anger, the shame I hide from others. I come to you as I am. You are close to the brokenhearted, so stay close to me tonight. Give me strength to get up tomorrow, to eat, to sleep, to keep going. Keep me from the bitterness that traps me. Give me a trusted person to talk to, and a community around me. I have no words left, but you understand my sighs. In Jesus' name, amen.
Psalm 34:19
Father, I entrust to you the decisions I have to make: the paperwork, the children if there are any, housing, finances. I cannot see the way, but I want to trust in you with all my heart. Give me wisdom to speak calmly, integrity to stay honest and courage to say no when I must. For the person I am separating from, I ask that you keep them and that you help me not to hate them. I lay my fears of the future before you. Direct my steps, I do not dictate the outcome. In Jesus' name, amen.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Lord, thank you for not letting go of me. Even in this trial, you carried me, you placed people on my path, you gave me moments of peace. You know my past, my faults and my wounds, and you do not condemn me, for I am yours in Christ Jesus. Heal what is wounded. Give me back joy, gently, at your pace. May my identity not rest on my status, but on your love. I entrust my future to you. You are faithful, and I want to keep trusting you. Amen.
Psalm 147:3
« To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. »
Isaiah 61:3
I proclaim that God gives me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness. My life is being restored.
« So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten. »
Joel 2:25
I declare that the Lord restores to me the years that were eaten away by loss and disappointment. He rebuilds what was broken.
« Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. »
Isaiah 54:4
I proclaim that I will not be ashamed or disgraced. I forget the reproach of my past, for God himself lifts my head.
« He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. »
Psalm 147:3
I declare that God heals my brokenhearted places and binds up every wound. He is close to me in this season of rebuilding.
« The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. »
Zephaniah 3:17
I proclaim that the Lord my God is in my midst. He rejoices over me with gladness and quiets me with his love. I am not forsaken.
Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Bible takes marriage seriously, and Jesus speaks about the limits of divorce (Matthew 19:3-9), but God is also rich in forgiveness and close to those who suffer. Talk about it with a pastor or a mature believer.
Ask for wisdom (James 1:5), for peace and for control over your words. Entrust the children, your emotions and each step to God. Avoid praying to win against the other person: ask instead for justice, honesty and a heart that does not harden. God is not a lawyer at our command, he is a Father who leads.
Peace often returns in stages: praying every day, reading the Bible, accepting to be surrounded by the church, and sometimes being guided by a pastor or a counselor. God promises his presence to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:19). Healing takes time, and that time is not wasted with him.