The Bible is full of interesting and inspiring words that can help you in your marriage relationship. As you read God’s Word ask Him to help you understand the scriptures you read in light of marriage. It is amazing how relevant the Bible is, never ceasing to amaze me!
Please take a moment to read Job Chapter 1.
This piece of scripture really helped me recently. Although I knew the story of Job, specific things jumped out at me that I never took into account before. My heart was sensitive to it, because it reminded me of my own life.
Job 1:13-19 is exasperating as one thing after another hits Job. Between each messenger talking to Job is a repeating phrase,
“While he was still speaking, another also came and said…”
Job never really had time to process what was happening. Before one messenger could finish explaining bad news another would come in and start explaining something else. I could only imagine Job’s heart racing more and more, feeling as if it were going to explode! There was no break, no breathing room, nothing!
This last season of my life has felt very similar to this. Although I did not encounter messengers with bad news, nor did I experience the severity of bad news which Job received, I did experience a season of hardship that was incredibly difficult to process, a season without break, or breathing room.
Some of you may have also experienced a season such as this. Some of you are in the midst of it right now.
You can’t seem to catch a break. One thing after another keeps hitting you and your family. You feel like the world is crumbling around you and your life is shaken. Perhaps you have had a few messengers that scream in your ear – Job loss, illness, death, diagnosis, addiction, shame, unforeseen expenses, unexplainable ailments, anxiety, life changes, past haunts, repossession, foreclosure, dislocation, relocation, and the bombardment continues.
The past 7 months have been hard for me. My hard may look different than someone else’s… but I believe we can all take a piece of wisdom from Job’s story. After the bombardment of bad news, Job responds (Job1:20-22):
“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.”In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Job fell to the ground and worshipped God! He did not blame God for what was happening, instead Job praised God, acknowledging that God gives and takes away. Job humbly submitted his life to God, regardless of what was happening, regardless of his circumstance.
I desire a heart like Job.
A heart that can praise God instead of blame God.
It is important that we learn to praise God in the hard times. Think about the impact this kind of perspective and attitude can have in marriage. Instead of getting angry or frustrated at the onslaught of bad news – which would negatively affect our relationship with our spouse – what if we remained submissive to God and worshipped Him? Our attitude would reflect trust and faithfulness in God and hopefulness towards our spouse. That is powerful.
