Recently I had the honor of asking a few ladies what their best marriage advice is.
Considering they had all been married for more than 50 years, I figured they would be a great place to glean some wisdom.
And this is the paraphrased advice given by a few:
“When you have a disagreement and it’s over, let it go.” –Diane
“Through the good, bad and ugly, choose to make it work. Pray, love, enjoy, endure, commit. Things pass. Choose to make it work.” –Linda
Barbara said this:
“1. Jesus is Lord.
2. Keep the vows.
3. “Let each one esteem the other higher than himself.” (Philippians 2:3 & Romans 12:3 speak of this)
4. I Corinthians 13.
5. Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy with Jesus… (a beautiful hymn to make the motto of our life)
We are so grateful for the testing and strength and sweetness of our marriage. “
Did you catch that last part?
“GRATEFUL for the TESTING…”
I had to pause at the thought of being grateful for the testing of our marriage.
However, from testing comes greater strength. From the fires, storms and deserts often come a sweetness.
The crushing and the pressing of life’s trials are not there to break us but to remake us.
It’s up to us how we will respond and whom we will trust – God, our loving Father who doesn’t desire to see us in pain? Or follow worldly wisdom and the reap the suffering it brings in the long run?
I read this morning in 2 Chronicles 32:31 that “God withdrew from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.”
Pairing that with Deuteronomy 31:3 where we read that “the Lord is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul”, I am reminded that marriage trials truly are a sanctifying work designed to build us stronger together in the Lord and produce sweetness beyond any other relationship on this earth.
Deuteronomy 13:4 goes on to encourage us to “Serve the Lord your God and fear Him alone. Obey His commands, listen to His voice, and cling to Him.”
We do all this by humbling ourselves before the Lord, resisting the devil and drawing near to God, as spoken of in James 4:7-8,10.
No matter the trial, He is always our Comfort, Guide, Trusted Adviser, Strength, and Joy.
We gain our greatest strength and experience the most intimate sweetness when we seek the Lord through His Word, prayer and petition. Here are a few Prayer Books that might encourage you in whatever battle you are facing in your marriage right now.
Marriage Prayer Books
From Yours Truly ?
Click the images to see more information about each book.
