Whether you are looking for marriage advice or powerful stories of love, may these five marriage devotions bring you joy and comfort.
READ MORE: 10 Wedding Prayers and Blessings
1. A Devotion to Help Strengthen Your Marriage
By Ashley Wiersma
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Hebrews 13:15 (ESV)
Staring back at me from the bathroom floor is a pile of dirty clothes. Specifically, size-large gym shorts, one sweaty workout shirt, an undershirt, well-worn briefs and haphazardly balled-up socks. As usual, the mass of neglected garments sits not inside but beside the hamper, clear evidence that my husband has been on the scene.
Today, as I stare back at the messy mound, I fold my arms across my chest and smile. Laugh, even. I catch myself elbowing past annoyance and choosing gratitude instead.
I once heard a radio talk-show host doling out advice to a sourpuss bride who had called to tattle on her clutter-hound husband. “It sounds to me like you’ve got two options,” the host said. “You can live in happiness with a sometimes-frustrating husband or you can live in sparkling cleanliness alone.” The comment went deep, both for the caller and for me.
Besides the relationship between humankind and God, marriage is the only covenantal bond noted in Scripture. Which I assume means it’s a connection prized by God. I want my attitudes and my actions to show that I prize it as well, and I’m realizing more and more that part of how that gets worked out in my life is by knowing what things to focus on and what things can stand to be overlooked.
And so despite occasional golf clubs in the kitchen, spare sunflower seeds dotting the floorboard of the car, unwashed dishes left stacked in the home office and derelict duds strewn about the bathroom floor, I thank my heavenly Father for giving me a man to know and be known by, to love and be loved by, to serve and to be served by each day. My darling husband may be prone to untidiness, but untidy companionship carries a certain appeal when it involves such a magnificent human being.
Thank You, Lord, for eyes to see an abundance of blessings all around.
2. A Devotion About the True Meaning of Love
By Pablo Diaz
One of the most important relationships in my life is with my wife, Elba. We have been through a great deal together. We have raised two wonderful children and discovered the power of human love in its own unique way. And this week we celebrate 35 years of marriage. Of course just like all couples, we have had our ups and downs. Learn Pablo’s secrets to a long-lasting marriage in this touching devotion about marriage.
3. Daily Devotion: Planning the Perfect Wedding
By Ashley Kappel
“Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied, “My time has not yet come.” John 2:4 (NIV)
Mom and I were hard at work planning the finer details of my upcoming wedding. As we hurried around town orchestrating transportation for guests, finalizing the reception menu and making sure someone was at the church early to turn on the air-conditioning (the wedding was in May in Alabama, after all), I began to feel overwhelmed. Read this touching marriage devotion and see how Ashley found peace during the stress of planning her wedding.
4. A Marriage Prayer
By Julia Attaway
Today Andrew and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I’m happy, though we happen to be in the midst of one of those bumpy patches that plague almost every marriage.
I woke up, made coffee and sat down to pray. I pried out the words I’ve used almost daily for two decades. I pray this prayer when things are going well, and when they are rough. Learn more in this marriage devotion and read the prayer that Julia says to strengthen her marriage.
5. Finding a Pause in Marriage
By Shawnelle Eliasen
The children are in bed and Lonny and I are in the schoolroom. He’s at one end of the boys’ school table, working on his computer. I’m on the other end, working on mine. I look up and see him there, work-face pulling his brows. The clickity-clack of his keyboard is the only sound. “Hey,” I say. “Can you stop? For just a sec?” See how a single moment taught Shawnelle an important lesson in this unique marriage devotion.
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