Congratulations! You're both at the final session. The last nine weeks have been quite involved and if you've both followed the course to the letter, I expect that it has been an engaging and fulfilling time for both of you.

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Throughout this course we've made some assumptions about you and your spouse. We've assumed that you both desire a relationship with the God of the bible. We've assumed that faith is important to you and that you want to have a marriage that honors God. If you have come this far, and the bible and faith have been foreign to you prior, then you have likely found the course even more challenging, but hopefully enlightening.

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We know that not everyone believes in God, in what the bible says, and in His Son, Jesus Christ. We respect that people have different beliefs and views. It's important to reinforce why this course was designed in this manner. The deliberate emphasis on God and His word is simply because it is the only foundation from which a godly marriage can flow.

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This final week will focus on a topic that is often overlooked in our walk of faith - Providence.  The dictionary describes Providence as a manifestation of divine care or direction.  What's important to know here is that God is sovereign over ALL things. His providence speaks to the detail and fulfillment of His plan in our lives, especially our marriages. He cares about our individual lives. We see this principle of providence throughout scripture.

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God wants you to know how involved He really is in the details of your lives. The scriptures you'll read this week will tell you that plainly. It is so vital to our walk of faith and to our marriages to know that His fingerprints can be found everywhere on our journey together.

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To know that every day of our life was laid out before a single day had passed (Psalm 139:16) should bring us great comfort, but too often we choose to forget the promises we have been given about His care for us. This is why we chose to complete the course by discussing the journey of providence.

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We all want assurances and to some degree, certainty. We all get that difficulties and tough times come and go but it's how we ride those storms that makes the difference. Regardless of the season of life you're both in, the need to be encouraged never ends. You've heard the story about Satan's yard sale. He had one table laid out with lots of different tools. One buyer wanted a specific tool and Satan's reply was - "Oh no, not that one - that tool is priceless to me and shouldn't be on this table, I could never do without it". The buyer asked what the tool was called and Satan's reply was "It's called discouragement."

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Discouragement is one of the enemy's greatest tools in getting people to doubt God, and the motives of your spouse. This can also lead to a belief that change is not possible, and causes us to complain and criticize rather than to be motivated to change. Understanding that God's providence exists all around us will help us see every circumstance with a new pair of lenses. If you wear glasses then you know the quality of the lens makes all the difference. Providence is a lens that helps us see the finer details even when the larger plan isn't clear yet.

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To take all the things you've both learned and applied forward, you'll need the lenses providence gives you to ensure that your perspective remains balanced and that you both stay close to the life-giving principles you've both studied and put to the test.

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With God at the center, Solomon's words in Ecclesiastes 4:12 make much more sense - "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.