Nicole raised her hands in worship. This was her favorite place to be. As the melody and lyrics washed over her, she lifted her hands and her heart to God. I surrender Father. She was filled with such joy, yet tears soaked her cheeks. May he know you as I do Father. As the music stopped and the preaching started, she sat solo wishing her husband was with her. Someday Lord, Your will be done.
Nicole, like so many in marriage, walks intimately with God, longing for her husband’s salvation. She doesn’t have to travel to Africa to be a missionary, she just has to go home. She’s mocked for going to church and believing in fairy tales. After all, her husband will tell you the church is filled with money hungry hypocrites. The spiritual divide feels like the Grand Canyon.
Maybe unlike Nicole, your spouse wears the title of “Christian” but falls short in living it. He attends church and prays before meals, but follows the world instead of The Word. You long to enjoy marriage as God designed it. You want to be challenged and led by your husband’s spiritual strength instead of feeling like you’re dragging him to church.
There is hope friend! God specializes in impossible situations. Take a look at David and Goliath. Can you just imagine the headline, “Shepherd Boy Takes the Head of Philistine Giant and Saves the Nation”. How about Joseph? Left for dead by his brothers, yet rises to power and returns grace to his family. How about Paul? Shackled in chains, beaten and starving, yet he’s singing from his cell while freeing captives with the gospel of Christ. Then there’s Mary, giving birth as a virgin!
Your spiritual mismatch may feel impossible to you, but with God everything is possible. You don’t control your spouses free will, focus on yourself. Choose to pray in the power of Christ for their salvation. Choose to fast and sacrifice your will for God’s. Dive into God’s word like never before. Love your spouse as Christ does. Let them see the joy of the Lord in your life. Let them hunger and thirst for what you have. If this is your cross, carry it with honor for the King who died for you!
- “If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.” (1 Corinthians 7:12-15 NKJV)
- “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2Peter 3:9 NLT)
