Daily Devotions
The Blessing of Trials in Marriage
Title: The Blessing of Trials in Marriage
Reading for May 25: Esther 1-5
Weekly reading for May 20-26: Acts 16-19
And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...
Acts 16:23-25
This devotion is for married couples who are going through a hard time. Any number of circumstances in life can get you down: unpaid bills, problems at work, deadlines, problems with the kids, church problems, illness, chronic fatigue, depression, the daily grind, etc. All of this together puts tremendous stress and strain on a marriage.
But these problems represent an opportunity. Imagine how much closer Paul and Silas must have been after enduring this ordeal in prison together. It's not just that they went through the trial. It's that they PERSEVERED through the trial with FAITH and DEPENDANCE upon God. They shared a common faith and hope. That's what pulled them through. That's why they prayed together and sang together. They had to have been closer for having gone through this.
If you're going through a rough patch in your marriage, consider the example of Paul and Silas. You may not feel like singing and praying together, but if you will hope in God, not only will he pull you through this trial, your marriage will be blessed because of it.
Father, whatever trials we face in our marriages, help us to cleave to each other as we cleave unto you.
