Praying for a Miracle—When the Miracle Might Be You Walking Away [337]

Flying Free

Natalie Hoffman

Emotional, Narcissism, Christianity, Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, Spiritual, Christian, Self-improvement, Education, Divorce, Marriage

5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if the miracle you've been begging God for—the divine intervention, the total transformation of your emotionally bankrupt marriage—is actually you walking out the door?

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on my own bathroom-floor prayer sob sessions (complete with cold tile and mascara rivers) and challenge the dangerous theology that says staying in abusive marriages = holy martyrdom.

If you’ve been stuck in a cycle of “pray harder, suffer longer,” it’s time to consider that the still, small voice urging you to get out might actually be God.

Key Takeaways:

You might be the miracle. Sometimes, walking away is the divine answer.
God doesn’t endorse abuse. Staying to suffer isn’t a spiritual badge of honor.
Faith isn’t a formula. Praying harder won’t fix what someone refuses to change.
Waiting on God means moving. Biblical waiting sometimes involves action, not passive endurance.
Peace is holy. A quiet, safe life isn’t boring—it’s blessed.
Leaving can be faith-filled. Seeking safety is aligning with God's heart, not betraying Him.
You’re already worthy. Your value isn’t tied to enduring mistreatment.

Read the full show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

If you liked today’s episode, you may relate to some of my others, including “What Are the Biblical Grounds for Divorce?” and “How Can You Tell if Your Abusive Partner Has Changed?”

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, this is Natalie Hoffman of Flying FreeNow.com, and you're listening to the Flying Free Podcast,
0:08.2	a support resource for women of faith looking for hope and healing from hidden emotional and spiritual abuse.
0:18.7	Welcome to episode 337 of the Flying Free Podcast.
0:25.0	I remember so many nights, so many nights, you guys.
0:30.4	Nights when I would go into our tiny bedroom bathroom, lock the door, and curl up on the floor with my face pressed against the cold tile, tears
0:40.5	streaming down my cheeks, whispering through sobs, begging God for the millionth time,
0:46.8	please, Lord, fix this marriage, change his heart, make him see what he's doing to me.
0:54.0	I will do anything. You've got to save me.
0:57.9	I can't do this anymore. I had been praying these same prayers for two decades. I memorized scripture.
1:05.8	I joined and even led women's Bible studies about being a godly wife. I read tons of marriage books. I worked
1:14.1	hard on submitting and staying quiet when I wanted to speak up in indignation. I tried harder and harder.
1:21.8	Now, was I perfect? Of course not. Sometimes the deep rage at what was happening broke through and I yelled. Sometimes I even said
1:31.1	the word, damn, when things really got bad. And afterwards, I would apologize, I would beg for
1:37.9	forgiveness for being a rebellious woman who had no self-control. And I would go back to quietly
1:42.9	baking the bread, burying the bread, bearing the children,
1:46.2	cleaning the house, homeschooling, cooking meals, nursing, just basically holding it together
1:53.5	without any encouragement, praise, or appreciation because it was selfish to want or to need
2:00.5	those things. That's what I was taught.
2:02.9	And what did I get in return? Well, I got more blame. I got passive aggressive
2:08.3	criticisms. I got gaslighting that left me questioning my own sanity. I got more moving
2:15.5	goalposts of what would finally make him happy, and I'm not the only one.
2:20.1	I've worked with thousands of Christian women now over the years, and the stories are all eerily similar.
	...

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