A Prayer for Marriages and Relationships to Be Strengthened at Christmas
By Amanda Idleman
Bible Reading:
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” - Hebrews 13:4
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Marriage matters. It’s the bedrock of our families, communities, and spiritual formation. This is why the enemy of our souls so often attacks our sacred unions with lies and disconnection.
Christmas is a crazy time for families! I know this firsthand; we have five kids, and I feel like the entire fall season is an epic lead-up to Christmas day in which I will see joy light up my kid's faces. On this magical day, I will also need to cook extra meals. During this season, I am making extra holiday plans. Additionally, there will be lots of clean-up, purging to fit new things, and financial stress. Overall Christmas and all that goes along with it can bring an added layer of stress for parents and for marriages.
On top of all the holiday hoopla, my husband and I celebrate our wedding anniversary right after Christmas and I joke that this is the very worst time to have an Anniversary. We are tired, stressed, usually a child is sick, and there is no money left for grand celebrations. At that point of the year we often wonder how we made it through another year together. We mostly want to take a nap. It can be tough to enjoy the love we share. Can you relate?
You love the holidays but feel like it’s just so much more stress added to your life as you are required to plan, buy, celebrate, and host. Sometimes, conflict becomes more common because of unmet expectations, differing ideas about how to celebrate, family drama, financial pressure, and fatigue. The good news is that you are not alone in these feelings! That’s why it’s important that we take extra time to pray for our relationship to be strengthened in Christ through this season.
We need God’s help to remain unified in our homes. His wisdom can lead us through potential conflict with grace, and God’s Word keeps us grounded in truth. When stress enters our homes, truth and grace tend to go out the window first. Intentional living as a couple that prioritizes prayer, connection, and God’s Word empowers us to love each other with Christ’s love even when pressures mount all around us.
Our marriages are so important! That’s why the scripture says we must hold our marriages in honor. When we treat this sacred union as something that is common, disposable, and something we can abuse, the foundation of our union begins to crumble. Over this holiday, honor your husband or wife by covering them with prayer and appreciating the gift they are to you. Don’t let the lies of the enemy tell you that they are against you, that you’d be better off alone, and that your love won’t last to steal away your holy marriage.
Let’s Pray :
Dear God, we thank you for our spouses. They are a gift in our lives and we know that you had good things in mind for us when you brought us together. Strengthen our union. Let us remember that we are to honor our marriage by extending mutual love and respect. Would you cover our mistakes with your love? Show us how to prioritize each other even in this busy season. Give us the humility we need to say sorry, hear each other, and forgive when necessary over the holidays. Protect our minds from the lies of the enemy that would want us to believe that remaining in love and together is a hopeless endeavor. You can make beautiful things out of us when we surrender our lives to you. Make beauty out of our imperfect union. Hold our homes together by your grace. Amen.
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Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
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Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Monday, 09 December 2024.
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