Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us." - Jeremiah 42:5-6
Please read this verse over and over again. Sometimes you come across a passage in scripture that hits you straight between the eyes and wakes you out of your ignorance.
What are you going through right now as a couple that is causing you grief, panic, anxiety and stress? What is it that you continue to cry out to God about? Are you even crying out to God?
Read the Psalms and see how often the phrase "cry out" is used. After David was delivered from his enemies he sang a song (Psalm) to God that is recorded in Psalm 18. In verse 6 he reminds us what he was doing when he was stressed and waiting for God to answer - "But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears."
Our biggest challenge isn't the trial before us, it's whether we trust God enough to obey Him and let Him see us through. If you've been praying about your spouse and how they are treating you then what are you doing while praying? Are you arguing with them? Are you pointing out their faults in subtle ways each opportunity you get?
How are you trusting God? We often hear that we need to trust Him but we need to take this one step further and ask how we are trusting Him. What does trusting and obeying God look like when you're relationship is strenuous or when you're both waiting for an answer to a serious trial or when you're both heartbroken over a child?
Do we really believe everything will turn out well for us if we simply obey? Let's answer the question of what it looks like to trust and obey Him.
Most of us want certainty that we're doing the right things when it comes to our walk with God and our relationships. Certainty is a rare find for many things in life but when it comes to God, we can know that we are walking the right way especially when we're faced with difficulties in our marriage, whether it's with each other or something we're facing together.
What do you think it looks like to obey God during times of stress?
The expected answer might be to make sure we're reading our bibles, going to church and staying connected with community. Those are all good but often they are just activities that give us the feeling that we're doing the right things.
The answer lies in our behavior. How you behave tells others who you really are. If you are struggling in your marriage but you are praying for your spouse, and making every effort to love them in your words and actions, then you are demonstrating that you are willing to obey God whether you like it or not.
Maybe we need to say what it looks like not to obey. This might be an easier way to determine where we are in our thinking and behavior at the moment.
Do you complain about your spouse or situation?
Do you gossip to others by exposing you're spouse's weakness or fault?
Are you in a bad mood or just down fairly often?
Are you impatient, irritable, easily annoyed?
Do you murmur under your breath when you don't like something they've said?
I'll pause here. We all tend to do these things from time to time. Life isn't about perfection, it's about consistency - that means when you fail you reset and try again. That said, if you are behaving negatively on a regular basis then you'll know you are not really obeying the Lord and trusting Him in your situation.