When Faith Falls Prey to the Despair of Divorce

Carol found out her husband was involved with another woman. The affair crushed her to the core. When she confronted him. He said he wanted a divorce.

Carol’s marriage of 27 years collapsed around her. She struggled to make sense of it. She wept from her soul with a sense of total helplessness.

Despair left her unable to form the words to pray. God seemed so far away. She sunk deeper into desperation.

At times like these we need to borrow somebody else’s faith. That’s right, borrow faith.

The ability to borrow faith is one of the great things about being a part of the body of Christ.  When we are all out of hope and too weak to stand on our own faith legs, we can tap into the faith of a fellow Christian.

Two are better than one…. 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.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

How to Borrow Faith

Borrowing someone else’s faith can make a huge difference in your life. Here are four steps to borrowing faith from a fellow Christian or Christians.

1. Admit to yourself that you need to borrow some faith. Staying in the pit alone feeds the struggle within. It can lead to a downward spiral. Tell yourself that borrowing someone else’s faith is a good and healthy thing for you to do at this point.
2. Identify a fellow Christian, or Christians, whose faith you respect and trust. This may be a relative, friend, fellow church member, pastor, or any Christian with whom you feel safe. You can also borrow faith from those in church-based divorce support groups, small groups or Sunday school classes. (See below to learn about our online peer-support group.)
3. Tell the person that your faith is weak right now and that you need to lean on someone else’s faith. You don’t have to tell this person all the ins and outs of all your worries. Share only what you wish. Do let the person know you are going through a tough time and you need the reinforcement and encouragement of their faith in God.
4. Ask the person to pray for you. When we are too weary to form the words to pray, another person can intercede for us in prayer. There is great comfort in knowing someone is talking to God on your behalf.

There is no shame in needing to borrow someone else’s faith for a while. We all face times of grief and confusion.  Christians are all a part of the body of Christ. As your own faith grows and is restored, you will someday be able to loan your faith to those in need.

NOTE:  If you are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts please seek professional mental health assistance immediately.

Join the FREE Online Separation & Divorce Christian Community

If you need the support of a group of people who understands what you are going through with separation and divorce, we encourage you to join our online peer-support group. We will be glad to let you borrow our faith.

To join, you need to have a Facebook account first. Next, click the link below. Then click the “Join” button.  If you request to join and are not admitted within 24 hours, let me know.

Click Separation & Divorce Christian Community now to link to our group page.

God…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

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