“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Psalm 86:11
“God created marriage. No government subcommittee envisioned it. No social organization developed it. Marriage was conceived and born in the mind of God.” Max Lucado
- Call your prayer partner for your 10-minute prayer call! God is the one who has the power to work in your heart and the hearts of those you love. Prayer changes everything!
- Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Challenge yourself to quiet your heart today, and listen for the still, small voice of God as you begin your study time. Jeremiah 29:13 promises that we will find God when we seek Him with all of our heart.
- Read Ephesians 3:17-19. Stop, close your eyes, and let God capture your affection. Meditate on the breadth, length, height, and depth of His love for you. Paul says God’s love is more than we can know. You are so very loved by God!
A Heart Undivided
How is your heart, my friend? Let’s be honest and look inward, deeply.
In Psalm 86:11, King David prays for an undivided heart. In Psalm 51:10, King David asks for a pure heart and a renewed, loyal spirit within him. King David wasn’t perfect, but his heart pleased God (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22). I am desperate to please God! Are you? Are you praying for a pure, loyal, and undivided heart like David did? Are you open to God teaching you His way, even in your marriage?
We are able to follow God’s design for our lives and marriages only if our hearts are pure, loyal, and undivided. His design for marriage is represented by the model of Christ and how He loved the church: Just like Christ is our leader, the husband is the “head of the wife” (Ephesians 5:23), and she is to submit to Him fully. Many times, this Biblical image seems so cliché and traditional to us that we dismiss its significance and, consequently, we don’t consider the gravity of God’s intentions for marriage.
Perhaps marriage and submission are very difficult subjects to broach because you have been wounded so severely in your marriage. Perhaps you are angry at your husband and angry at God. While writing this, I am stopping to pray for your heart. Your loving Father will carry you through the battlefield. Know that He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9) and can do more than you are able to think or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Press into Him, receive His love and healing, and commit to following His path for you.
God is calling you to set your mind and your heart on Him, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2). If you’re like me, your thoughts are on your children, feelings, finances, body image, friendships, plans, food, exercise, movies, work, and the list goes on. Our minds and hearts are often so full that there is no room for God. Yet, in Matthew 6:25, Jesus tells us not to be anxious about our lives. We are in bondage, my friends! Slaves to the things of this world. But marriage is not of this world; it is ordained and designed by God. How can we achieve God’s design for marriage, or any other part of our lives, if we aren’t intentionally setting our hearts on Him?
Psalm 127:1a (NCV) warns, “If the Lord doesn’t build the house, the builders are working for nothing.” If we want a great marriage, but we choose to set our minds and hearts on the things of this earth, our hearts are divided, and we are striving for nothing.
Our cry to God needs to be like David’s in the Psalms: “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (Psalm 51:10, 12 NLT), even if it means obeying Your commandments about marriage. In my marriage, Lord, “give me happiness…for I give myself to you” (Psalm 86:4 NLT).
Blessings and Love,
Kristi
Questions to Ponder
- Read Matthew 6:25-33 (NLT). Jesus says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Ask God for a spirit of revelation as you ponder the enormity of that statement. What is He saying to you?
- Ephesians 3:20-21 (ESV) says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.” Be encouraged! Marriage is God’s design, and so are you and your husband. Go to God and ask Him for a marriage that is abundantly more than you can think or ask. He is able!
Faith-Filled Ideas
Spend some time thinking, praying, and planning about how you can add the fruits of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—into your marriage. Put the ideas God gives you into your planner or calendar.
Choose a 1-minute slot of time every day to stop, be still, and dedicate time to worshiping God in prayer and meditation. Devote yourself to this daily practice for 30 days. After that, try another 30 days, for perhaps 2 minutes a day. Ask a friend to join you!
"...he set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God…”(v. 2-3)
Kristi loves to sing "a song of praise to our God, as He makes her steps secure” atop the Rocky Mountains! So far, she has summited 13 of Colorado's 14,000ft peaks with her husband and 2 boys.After 35 years in California, Kristi and her family have made their home in Colorado, where they delight in spending time together hiking, biking, playing music, or canoeing.
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