50+ Encouraging Bible Verses For A Struggling Marriage
Published Aug. 30, 2022
Almost everyone dreams of being married. To meet someone who will stick with you through thick and thin, for richer and poorer, until death do you part.
However, marriage is not the “happily ever after” portrayed in fairy tales. It’s a union of two imperfect people trying to create a perfect life together. As such, struggles are to be expected. In fact, a marriage without disagreements can be pretty boring.
But when these small disagreements are left unresolved, it can put a strain on the marriage. Until the strain becomes too great a burden for the couple and the marriage falls apart.
If your marriage is on the rocks right now, may you take solace in these bible verses for a struggling marriage. But first, you need to understand the concept of marriage as it is described in the Bible.
What The Bible Says About Marriage
- So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Matthew 19:6)
- Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
- From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16)
- In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:28)
- What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. (Mark 10:9)
- He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord. (Proverbs 18:22)
- The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)
- House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD. (Proverbs 19:14)
Encouraging Bible Verses For a Struggling Marriage
Now that you have a better perspective on marriage as it is in the Bible, here is a collection of encouraging Bible verses for struggling marriage to help you get through this trying time:
Biblical Advice for Marriage Problems
- Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. (Proverbs 13:10)
- Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)
- Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)
- Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
- Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
- However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:33)
- I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10)
- Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:3)
- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
- Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26-27)
- Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (Psalm 37:5)
- You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
- The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. (Proverbs 21:20)
- My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. (James 1:19-20)
- Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)
- To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)
- Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
- Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4)
- “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. (Malachi 2:16)
- Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)
- Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (Colossians 3:23)
- Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8)
Bible Verses About Relationships
- Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
- A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (Proverbs 12:4)
- My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. (Song of Solomon 2:16)
- Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me. (Song of Solomon 3:4)
- An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. (Proverbs 31:10-11)
- As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
- But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:9)
- But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28)
Bible Verses About Love
- And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:14)
- And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
- Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
- Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
- Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. (Psalm 85:10)
- Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)
- Do everything in love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Healing Bible Verses for Broken Marriages
- Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)
- For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
- But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)
- Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
- Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. (1 Chronicles 16:11)
- He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
- Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)
- May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
Healing a Troubled Marriage
All marriages go through a rough patch. Even the most successful ones have had their fair share of troubles. But before you give up on your marriage, remember that God sanctified your marriage.
In the book of Genesis, God saw that it’s not good for the man he created to be alone. Thus, he decided to make a helper suitable for him. (Genesis 2:18) So while he was sleeping, he took out one of his ribs and created a woman out of it. And the man said:
“This is the bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman for she was taken out of man.”
This is how the man is united with his wife, and they become one flesh. (Genesis 2: 23-24) From the time God created the woman, He meant her to be a suitable helper for a man. Not a slave, but a helpmate. God made her out of one of his ribs because she is his equal and he is meant to cherish and protect her.
Marriage is not just about living together. It’s a partnership. Married couples have to work together to make their marriage work. From household chores to parenting responsibilities, you are in it together. You should be each other’s physical, emotional, and spiritual support.
Being of one flesh, it is important for married couples to be united. Apart from working together, they need to face adversity together. Remember, it’s easier to conquer a divided kingdom. In the same way, it’s easier for married couples to fall prey to temptation if they don’t hold on to each other.
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church (Ephesians 5:29). When the man marries his wife, they become one flesh. This does not just mean physical union. It means that they are one at heart and in spirit. This is why they should work together to keep the vows they made in front of men, and most importantly, in front of God.
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About The Author
Judy Ponio is a professional writer for the Lay Cistercians blog and a devoted Catholic. She works hard to ensure her work uses accurate facts by cross checking reputable sources.