1/2 Marathon Challenge, Day 5

To be thankful when things are hard, it is imperative we have faith that God knows what he is doing. We don’t need to be able to see fully the big picture - as finite and flawed beings, God’s plans, at least in their entirety, are beyond our comprehension. As God says in Isaiah 55:9

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Who can fathom the breadth and depth of what God does? Not us, and God tells us as much. In Job 41:1 he asks “Can you raise leviathan with a fish hook?” Nope; me either. Don’t let that take away what you CAN know though - that God has a plan, and it is for your benefit. To the prophet in Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans i have for you” says the lord. “Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.

If you are married, then that future most certainly includes your spouse, and you can rejoice in that fact. What you cannot do is to sit back and just wait for good things to happen, or expect it to be easy. Things are going to be hard sometimes, and those times are when the most dramatic spiritual growth happens. As it says in James 1:2-3

Consider it nothing but joy when you face trials of any kind, because you know the testing of your faith produces perseverance

or in Romans 8:28

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Catch that last part? “For those who love him, those called according to his purpose.” You and your spouse must be seeking God’s will for your lives, individually and as a couple. When you are, you can rest assured that blessings will come as a result. Marriage is work, hard work at times, but there is no work you can do that has a higher purpose. Jesus’ love for the church is constantly illustrated with marriage metaphors, and in Revelation the reconciliation of creation to its Creator is described like a wedding. Our own marriages are supposed point to that relationship, to serve as pictures of God’s love for the world. There is also little you can do that has a bigger upside. When the blessings of God are on your marriage, you get to share in that joy! Live your life, work for your marriage in ways that honor and glorify God, and claim the future God has prepared for you.

http://www.upliftingmarriage.com/12-marathon-blog-challenge/