How Fasting and Prayer Saved a Marriage
By Raluca Ril
The testimony started when I received a personal e-mail from a stranger. I will call her Laura to protect her privacy. Her e-mail was essentially a desperate plea for help.
“I need someone to pray for me and advise me on how to fast and pray. Please pray for me. Our marriage has serious problems, which is leaving me emotionally broken. And because of that, I am struggling spiritually. I feel I am going deeper and deeper into things, which are not good. I can't pray, I can't read the Bible no matter how much I want to (I know its sound crazy!). I don't know who I am anymore, and my life is falling apart.”
I wrote Laura back, promising that I would be praying for her. I also sent her some of my resources on fasting and prayer. After that, I didn’t hear more from her, so I wasn’t sure what happened.
A month or so went by, then she e-mailed again. I had no idea what to expect as I opened the message. Would she be asking for more prayer? Did she have more issues she needed to tell me about?
Her e-mail flooded my heart with joy as I once again saw that we serve an amazing God who hears and answers prayer. The following are excerpts from her e-mail, which she has given permission to publish anonymously:
Dear Raluca,
For six years my husband and I have been struggling with many issues in our marriage. We tried getting counseling from our pastor. It didn't work. We went for marital counseling. It didn't work. Marriage seminars didn't work. Nothing was working.
From outside our marriage looked perfect. People would tell us how wonderful we are. But inside we both knew that we were not connected. Our love had faded away, and this problem affected me seriously. Knowing that I was not loved by my husband made me feel empty, sad, very confused and very lost, to the point were I could not pray.
The more I was not praying, the more horrible I felt! I was becoming more and more depressed!
To give you some background, my husband is more spiritual than me. He has been my spiritual mentor since we met. Many things I know about God are from him. When I told him about your blog on 100 Days of Prayer regarding prayer and fasting for 21 days he was very skeptical. He gave me all the reasons why I should not do it. But I was not convinced. I knew for sure I needed to do it right away, even if it meant I would do it alone.
It was a Sunday early in the morning when I told my husband to pray for me because I was going to start the 21 days of prayer and fasting. Guess what? Without any hesitation he told me, "I am doing it with you!"
That was my first miracle! You see, before we got married we used to pray together, but after our wedding everything faded away. One would hardly see us praying together. Now my husband and I were going to do 21 days of prayer and fasting together! It was like a dream come true for me!
And so we began. During the 21 days of prayer my greatest request was "Lord change my life, I want to fall in love with Jesus again." I knew very well if I don't have the love of Jesus in my heart, the love of my husband that I was looking for could never fill my heart.
The Bible says in Psalm 38: 4, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."
Dear Raluca, God is so good and so merciful, His love endures forever. I can testify to it. God has healed my marriage and brought peace and happiness into our marriage again. My husband is crazy in love with me more than you can imagine. But the greatest miracle God did is the work He did in my spiritual life. I fell in love with the Word of God again, and I love being in His presence. If I wrote everything that has happened, it would take forever. Just know that I am not the same woman who wrote you that first message a little over a month ago! Jesus came to my heart and this time He has come to stay.
Much love, Laura
Of course, I don’t take any credit for what God has done for Laura and her husband. But as we share our testimonies, God can use this to help others. And that’s one reason why I’m sharing Laura’s testimony. Her story is evidence of what the Holy Spirit can do in the heart of a couple that is truly seeking the help that only God can give. Yes, prayer works, and fasting and prayer could save your marriage.
Raluca Ril and her husband, Roman, have co-authored several years of the 10 Days of Prayer materials for the world church. Both active in ministry, they currently live in Germany.
To download this week's blog and prayer requests, click here!
World Church Prayer Requests
January 27 – February 3, 2019
• PRAYER REQUEST: February 9–16 is “Christian Home and Marriage Week.” Pray that many families and marriages will be drawn closer to the Lord during this special week. You may find inspiring resources by visiting: https://family.adventist.org
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the homes and marriages represented in your local church. Pray for your pastor and his home and marriage to be especially blessed by God.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for God to work in your own home and marriage, or in the marriages of your parents, siblings, or loved ones.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for your local church Family Ministries to be an active witness for God. This year is the centennial anniversary of Family Ministries in the Adventist Church. Many practical resources have been developed by the General Conference Family Ministries Department, to help churches celebrate. To learn more how your church can be involved visit: family.adventist.org/FM100
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please keep praying for the General Conference Youth Ministries Department as they prepare to mobilize Pathfinders and other young adults all over the world to preach at 100,000 different sites for Total Youth Involvement. This begins March 2019. #TYI19