Lift Your Hands to God

I forever want to brag on my husband, so this post is going to do just that, while of course giving glory to God. It’s easy to say nice things about a husband who truly loves me and who makes me feel so special on a daily basis!

My husband treated me exceptionally well this weekend. He surprised me by planning a date night for us on Friday by making me dinner and dessert. This weekend truly showed me that I married the right guy. I’ve never doubted that he truly is the one for me, but there are moments when he exceeds my expectations and makes me extremely happy.

Yesterday, I went to church with my husband. He is in the choir, so I usually sit in a spot where I can see him. During the choir song, I looked up and saw my husband, worshiping freely and joyfully. At one point in the song, he raised his hand as a declaration to his belief in the words of the song. The song was about giving all the praise and all the glory to God. In that moment, God spoke to me: “No matter how many nice things your husband does for you, that is the reason why he is your husband.”

In other words, without our unwavering devotion to God, our marriage would not be as wonderful as it is now.

My husband and I do not have the perfect life. We fight, we exhaust ourselves, we criticize other people, and we compare. But when we have our eyes fixed on Jesus, we realize that in the midst of the disappointments, in the midst of the failures, in the midst of our insecurities, we have hope that God will give us strength to overcome. No matter if we fight or not, God will give us both clarity to stay united with one another. No matter what decisions we have to make, God will give us wisdom to trust His plan and to make decisions according to His will. No matter what we do, God will bless us in our marriage, because we have made a decision to glorify Him in our marriage.

So, how do you put God in the center of your marriage? First of all, pray. When I say pray, I mean be totally honest with God. If you do not normally pray, tell God how you feel. If you are frustrated with your husband, tell Him. If you are happy, thank Him. Start with honesty. Then, listen. Read God’s Word, listen to some sermons, and seek wise counsel from godly people you know. Prayer is a conversation with God. Not only does it involve talking to God; it also involves God talking to you.

Now, what I just described is not unique to married people. Everyone needs to pray and read the Bible in order to grow in their faith and in their relationship with God. But that’s what you need to have a healthy marriage. You need faith in God. You need the love of God in order to love your spouse when you don’t want to love him. You need the peace of God when you are both struggling in a busy season. You need the joy of God when you go through tough times. Really, in order to have God in the center of your marriage, you need God at the center of your life.

If you are already doing this as an individual, great! As you both become one, you will experience some friction as you both have unique ways of worshiping the Lord. Even your quiet time with the Lord in the morning may get interrupted. But God is not just a God who requires excellence; He is also a God of grace, grace that will see you through the confusion and discomfort in the beginning stages of your marriage. Even in the friction, seek God, and trust Him to make you one. After all, He brought you two together; He knows how to keep you together too!

Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash