A Prayer for Those Walking Through Divorce

Our dear Father, we know You never wanted your children to walk through the pain of divorce. Your plan was to allow us, your dearly loved children, to live in a perfect world where love was poured out extravagantly and every human treated others as You want them to be treated.

But sin entered this world through Adam and destroyed your perfect plan. Even though we now experience pain and loss and live in a sinful world where divorce is a reality, help us remember we are never without hope.

I know you look down on us with a Daddy’s heart and weep over the pain and devastation caused by our sin, our unfaithfulness, our divorces. I know you ache and want to take the pain away because that’s what a Good Daddy always wants.

But instead, you allow us to experience the pain and loss because you know it can be a gateway to know your goodness and grace in ways we never would have known otherwise. You allow us to walk through the pain and devastation, but you are always right there with us—even if we sometimes feel as if you have abandoned us.

You have promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). You are always with us. Help us open our hearts to feel your presence, to find your grace in the midst of our pain.

You promise us you are close to the broken-hearted (Psalm 34:18). Quiet our hearts and our spirits so we can hear your tender whispers of love as you pull in closer to us.

In the midst of the pain and devastation, teach us to be still and know that you are God (Psalm 46:10). Draw near to us as we reach out to find you, to get our security from you. Hold us close. Rejoice over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

Give us a vision for the beautiful future you have for us. You have promised us that you are doing a new thing in our midst (Isaiah 43:18-19). Give us daily reminders that divorce is not the end, but a new beginning.

Give us confidence in your promises that all things work together for the good of those of us who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). In the midst of the pain, it’s hard to imagine how good can come out of so much destruction. But, that’s who you are. You are the God who takes what man meant for evil and you use it for our good and your glory.

We need a newfound faith, a new strength that comes from walking with you through the refining fires of divorce. Don’t let our pain be in vain. Instead, do a mighty work in us so you can do a mighty work through us.

Comfort us so we can comfort others with the comfort we receive through this trial (2 Corinthians 1:4). Give us a new empathy, a new passion for helping other people. Use our lives, our trials, to shine brightly through us, to make us a living testimony of your amazing love and grace.

We are too weak to carry this burden. Teach us to cast our cares on you knowing you care for us (1 Peter 5:7). We don’t want to carry these burdens, but it’s so easy to continually pick them up again. Teach us to fully abandon our cares to you and trust you with our pain.

Remind us continually that one day you will have us put together and on our feet for good (1 Peter 5:10). You never leave us in that place of destruction and devastation. Instead, you are constantly working to bring beauty from the ashes of our lives. Give us confidence in your character.

Divorce brings so much chaos and uncertainty. We need your perfect peace to surround and carry us through each and every moment of every day. Help us focus fully and completely on you so your perfect peace envelops us (Isaiah 26:3).

Focus our minds on you. Teach us to think on things that are lovely and noble and true and right and excellent and praiseworthy (Philippian 4:8). Transform us by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Help us take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ so we can know your will, your heart, your mind.

Father, be our cloud by day and our pillar of fire by night, guiding our every step throughout this journey. Remind us that we only need to be still because you are fighting for us (Exodus 14:14).

Help us to live above the level of reproach. Give us strength to walk in integrity in every area of this journey. Show us how to let your light shine in the midst of the battles that are so prevalent in divorce. Teach us to walk in your way and trust you with the outcome. Let our righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of our cause like the noonday sun (Psalm 37:6).

Open our eyes to anything we may have done wrong, any part we may have played in this mess called divorce. If we were not at fault, give us peace to know we have done all we can, that we are faultless in your eyes. No matter what teach us forgiveness—that we have been washed in the blood of Jesus and wear His righteousness as our masterpiece and teach us the power of forgiving others so you will forgive us.

Lord Jesus, divorce was never your plan for us. But in this fallen world, we are subjected to the pain and rejection and devastation and loss. Remind us that we are never without hope as long as we have you. Show yourself faithful by bringing beauty out of our broken lives.

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.