Marriage isn’t about “completing” each other or making each other happy. But whenever we choose to extend kindness and grace, putting our partner’s needs or desires ahead of our own, we reflect God’s lay-down-his-life love for us.Īnd that, I am discovering, is what marriage is all about. It might be going to the movie that we don’t care about but our spouse wants to see, or extending forgiveness when they were late (again). It might be a simple as bringing the other person a cup of coffee or getting up early to let the dog out. Which, in a marriage, is something we have a hundred opportunities to do every day. We can love, he says, because he first loved us. And every time we “walk in love” (as Ephesians 5:2 puts it), giving ourselves up for each other as Christ did for us, we get to partake of the gospel. I don’t know about you, but that one little line just undoes me. He says he will rejoice over us “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride” ( Isaiah 62:5).Īnd it doesn’t matter whether we are married or single he promises a love story that lasts: “I will betroth you to me forever.” ( Hosea 2:19 )

He invites us to make ourselves at home in his love ( John 15:9). Over and over again in the Bible, we see evidence of God’s lavish affection: God wants us to love one another because he wants our relationships to showcase the world’s greatest love story! Happily, that’s what God wants as well-for us, and for every marriage. Beyond that, our primary desire was to just love one another. I’m pretty sure I wanted kids and a house and Robbie wanted a dog.

I’m not pointing fingers when Robbie and I got married, we didn’t think about what God might want for our marriage (or the other way ‘round). Nobody, though, said anything about wanting to discover, and live out, God’s purpose for their marriage. These are all valid concerns-and they all made it into the book. People wanted the power to be kind and the grace to forgive. You can imagine the answers: People wanted better communication. That’s the question I threw out on social media last year when I began work on the new book about how we can pray for our marriage. What do you want God to do for your marriage? Earlier this week, I shared a devotional over at Club31Women, and while it really just scratches the surface, I hope this expanded version lands in your in-box today as a reminder that you really are, as Deuteronomy 7:6 puts it, God’s “treasured possession.” Here you go: Oh, how He loves us! I’m still teasing out the love story connection (and its application for both marrieds and singles). Thank you!Įven more than these things, though, with every “launch week” day that goes by–every podcast, every TV or radio show, every IG Live interview–I’m increasingly convinced that we are treading on holy ground in our marriages…and I find myself scrambling to get out of God’s way! I don’t want to say or do anything to muck up the message: God loves marriage because of the opportunity it represents to spotlight the lavish love story he has for us!

Praying the Scriptures for Your Marriage released Tuesday, and it has been PURE JOY to see you sharing the book on social media, reaching out to me via the website, and dropping happy reviews on Amazon.

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