What is a Wayward Spouse?
If you’re here, your spouse has probably drifted somewhere you can’t reach with your own effort alone. A wayward spouse can take on many forms. It may look like emotional withdrawal, a growing distance from God, anger that surfaces more than tenderness, an addiction that keeps pulling them away, or a busyness that leaves no real room for your marriage.
If infidelity is what brought you here, our survival guide, The First 7 Days was written specifically for you in these early days of discovery.
Regardless which form your spouse’s wandering has taken, the temptation is the same…to try to fix their heart yourself.
Scripture is clear that only God can soften a heart He’s drawing back to Himself (Zechariah 4:6). Your role isn’t to change your spouse. Rather, to pray for them, faithfully and specifically, while you keep tending to your own walk with God. Below is a list of ten prayers written by June Sims that our counselors have prayed alongside couples walking through this exact kind of pain.
Our team would also love to come alongside you in praying for your marriage as you navigate this season.
10 Prayers for A Wayward Spouse
1. “Lord, may Your wise and knowing Spirit rest on my spouse. Be his counselor. May he delight in You and obey Your commands. Convict him of sin, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and of the coming judgment. (Isaiah 11:2-3)
2. God, You will fulfill the purpose in each of our lives. Your love endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands. Do not abandon Him. Draw him to You. (Psalm 138:8)
3. Bring Him to the end of himself and into a living, vital, intimate, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Open his eyes that he may see wonderful things in Your law. (Psalm 119:18)
4. Your hands made Him and formed him; give Him understanding to learn Your commands. (Psalm 119:73)
5. Bless Him. Your Word says that Your kindness leads to repentance. Don’t allow Him to continue to store up wrath for himself. (Romans 2:4-6)
6. His heart is in Your hand; You direct it like a watercourse where You please. I can trust You. (Proverbs 21:1)
7. Give Him singleness of heart and action so that he will always fear You for his own good and the good of our children. (Jeremiah 32:39)
8. Instruct Him and teach him in the way he should go. Counsel Him and watch over him. Your unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in You. (Psalm 32:8, 10)
9. Help Him to humble himself under Your mighty hand, that You may lift him up in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)
10. I pray a hedge of thorns around Him, that those with wrong influence will lose interest and leave him alone. I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood. (Hosea 2:6)
List by June Sims
What to Do While You Wait on God to Work
Praying for a wayward spouse is far from a one-time event. It’s a practice you return to, especially on the days when change feels far off. Keep bringing these prayers back to God and let Him do the work only He can do in your spouse’s heart, while you keep showing up faithfully in your own.
If you’re not sure what faithful love looks like while you wait, we wrote a guide that walks through practical, biblical next steps when fighting for your marriage alone.
Hans Molegraaf is the President and Founder of Marriage Revolution, a biblical counseling practice that has served over 4,000 couples since 2010. Hans is a Biblical Counselor with over 15 years of experience helping marriages in crisis. He and his wife, Star, personally rebuilt their marriage after infidelity and now lead Marriage Revolution’s Affair Recovery program. Hans has been featured in multiple media outlets and is passionate about bringing help and hope to every couple in every season.
