Every marriage has its ups and downs. The trials that come can at times feel that they are impossible to get through. There are times you may think what can be done to help, fix, or mend your marriage. No matter what is going on in your marriage the one thing that you can always do to make things better is pray.

The Word of God admonishes us that in all things we should pray. Along with that prayer we should be rejoicing in the Lord. When doing this you will have the peace of God. When you have the peace of God, it guards your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus where you will be able to function above what is going on.

Philippians 4: 4-7 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When you are in the midst of a situation, you have a decision to make. You can either allow your emotions to take over and allow your mouth and actions override and make a situation worse or you can pray and allow the Holy Spirit override those emotions.

At first this may seem very hard to do and may even feel impossible. Hurts, mindsets and learned behaviors from things you’ve experienced or handled in the past effect the way you hand things. The beginning of breaking this cycle is to take action by accepting the fact that you are doing this and repenting of it. Once you acknowledge it and confess it to God, then you can take the actions of correcting it, by putting into practice Philippians 4: 4-7.

Have you ever tried to sing a song of praise and worship when you are upset? You may be come unable to focus on the problem and your emotions begin to come back into balance or the song that you are singing begins to minister to you. It brings you to the place where you are able to pray and pour out to God what is going on.

You may be surprised at how the change of how you respond to a situation that has presented itself differently can minister to another person, especially your spouse. If it is not something that has to be addressed in that very moment, then don’t. Excuse yourself for a moment and go and pray. This the “steering wheel” out of your emotions and back to God. He will guide you through them.

In this season of the Marriage Tidbits, you are going to find different ways to pray for your spouse and your marriage each Saturday posted on the website. Take time to pray them throughout the week ahead and watch the works God will do in you, your spouse, and your marriage.