Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. — 1 Peter 4:19
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… entrust their souls to a faithful Creator …
Honestly, I know very little about suffering while doing good {besides the shame of scrolling past and not liking or sharing a picture of Jesus on Facebook}. I’ve read the stories of the persecuted church and been moved. I’ve been horrified by the stories {and photos} of mass executions that faced by Christians in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.
I’ve often wondered if I have the fortitude to be faithful in the face of this type of circumstance. I honestly want to shout “Yes!!” But truthfully, my faith has never been tested to a degree anywhere similar to what believers face in other parts of the world.
As I read these stories, one thing has always stood out to me: the overwhelming peace and unwavering resolve of those facing death. I greatly admire that. The peace they know is based on the fact they have deposited their entire soul into the bank of the faithful Creator. They don’t worry about their lives because they know they are securely locked up in the faithfulness of God.
On June 1,1996, I stood before God, in the front of a church and entrusted my heart to my beautiful bride. I made a deposit into the bank of our marriage. It wasn’t easy. I’d seen too many marriages crumble and too many people fall. I couldn’t guarantee we wouldn’t end up going down the same path at some point. But that day she and I both chose to entrust our hearts to one another. And for twenty years we’ve been steadily depositing into that account.
As that account has accumulated over these years, it has become a place of great peace. Certainly there have been times we have had to make withdrawals — but we could because we had invested. At the end of every day there is no where I would rather be than with my wife. Even if we’ve had some horrible argument, if we’re in the same house but different rooms, we may be mad but we are still together.
That’s not to say we could never face a complete crumble of our marriage but we’ve purposely chosen trust over distrust. We’ve pursued peace over insecurity and we understand the priority of “we” is much greater than the importance of “me.”
Marriage requires understanding the priority of WE is greater than the importance of ME. Click To TweetThe pictures of Christians in Egypt, full over peace, kneeling down in front of armed men stand as a testimony to the faithfulness of God. While Teri Lynne’s and my story may never reach as many as theirs has, we pray our marriage will stand as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to those within our circle.
~ Scott
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Today’s Prayer
Father, Thank You for Your peace and faithfulness. Thank You for the gift of love and marriage. May we continue to invest into our marriage as You continue to invest in us. Ultimately let our marriage be a testimony to Your goodness and faithfulness and consistently point people to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
PS
Father, Please forgive me for not liking that picture of Your Son, Jesus, on Facebook. Amen.
#MarriagePrayers: May our marriage consistently point others to You. Click To Tweet**********
Thank you for joining us for #MarriagePrayers: 31 Verses to Pray for Your Marriage. Scott and I will be sharing a new verse and prayer every day throughout May, leading up to our 20th anniversary on June 1. You can find every day’s post indexed here. We pray you will be encouraged and challenged as you pray God’s Word for your marriage.
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