Four years married! Wow!
Not long but I'm already having hardships (he he) - not in a wrong way to be taken because conflict is inevitable in marriage or in life in general.
Marriage is a wonderful place to be when things are well and sweet but when things are rough and bitter, I find myself saying, "Why did I get married?"
Well, I guess that's why they say for better or for worse since marriage is a UNION of two IMPERFECT people living in an IMPERFECT world.
Jesus even says that in this world we will have trouble right? But take heart! He has overcome it! - yes, not us but Him.
In life, I don't think we can overcome things on our own.
Our struggles, longings, bondages, addictions, and many more hardships we can name of.
These things cannot be defeated by our own strength, instead, it has to be surrendered to the One who has the power to overcome them - His name is JESUS.
So what are the practical ways of surrendering our battles to the Lord?
I will be focusing on the context of marriage as it is my heart's desire that all of us will not just ENDURE married life but also ENJOY it for the glory of God.
Let's put it in the acronym of H-O-P-E
Because there is always hope in the Lord :)
1. H-UMBLE ourselves.
Acknowledge the need for a Savior.
Admit that our marriage is not perfect.
We're having problems as couples.
There are hurtings and misunderstandings, big fights, and lonely nights.
Only humble people will seek help from the Lord.
Prideful people don't think they need help.
Those who are self-sufficient will not seek Him.
So let's humble ourselves before God.
He is close to the brokenhearted and surely a broken and contrite heart, He will not despise.
Isaiah 57:15
"I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to REVIVE the spirit of the lowly and to REVIVE the heart of the contrite..."
2. O-PEN it to the Light
There is fear and shame in admitting that our marriage is going through some downhill path.
Hence, our usual response is to convince ourselves that we can resolve this on our own and people won't understand and will judge us anyway.
The danger of keeping our struggles alone is like putting ourselves in the hidden - and the enemy, Satan, works powerfully in the dark. He wants to hide us from people so he can attack us alone.
It is also possible that our hearts will become callous when we hide our sins and struggles.
If we don't renounce it in the open then no amount of preaching, studying, fellowship, or discipleship can rebuke it.
Let's beware of isolation.
We all need someone to walk with.
We all need people to share our life with.
2 Timothy 2:22
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
3. P-RAY unceasingly
They say that nothing can wreak havoc in your marriage unless it is given more thought than prayer, and more attention to our spouses than Jesus.
Do we invest our energy in thinking about how can we change our spouses rather than praying for them?
Are we focusing on our spouses rather than on Jesus?
Indeed, every marriage needs a prayer because it is constantly being attacked.
Satan is in the business of stealing joy, killing life, and destroying families.
So pray for one another, for our spouses, and for ourselves
Don't be complacent.
Marriage is a work and prayer is work.
It doesn't mean that when we seek God in the beginning, we'll seek Him until the end.
1 Kings 4:11
As Solomon GREW OLD, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been
Let's pray for peace in our marriages and seek to maintain it.
I hear this line somewhere saying "If one of you is a peacemaker, your marriage will survive but if both of you commit to becoming peacemakers, then your marriage will thrive!"
Luke 18:1
Now He was telling them (the disciples) a parable to show that at ALL TIMES they ought to pray and not to lose heart,
4. E-XPECT God's presence
I think this is the hardest thing to do among the four because expecting the Lord's action involves waiting on Him.
And we cannot wait with someone without believing that He will come or do what He says.
Waiting requires FAITH.
Faith as the Bible tells us is the ASSURANCE of things HOPED for and BELIEVING of things we don't see YET.
Faith is knowing that our expectations will not put us in vain.
It is understanding that our encounter with Jesus is the ultimate blessing while waiting.
Jeremiah 11:13-14
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.I will be found by you,” declares the LORD,
To end, I want us to be encouraged by these verses from Ezekiel,
Ezekiel 37:4-6
...'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'"
If God can put life to the dry bones then He can put life into our marriages too.
If He can resurrect a dead person, then He can resurrect dead marriages too.
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