Marriage is not easy, but God wants, and even commands, you to enjoy marriage and your spouse.
Note: This is part 3 of a 3 part series. Click to read part 1 and part 2.
Marriage, though designed by God, is not always easy. There are numerous life circumstances or situations that challenge and attack our marriages.
However, if God designed something, then He can make it work. And not just make it work to get by, but bring it to full fruition.
As evidenced by Scripture, God wants us to enjoy marriage. To find joy in being married to the spouse that he provided to be your perfect provision.
Our Need
While we wait for God, we are to obey Him and enjoy the pleasures He has provided.
“I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should obey Him”
Ecclesiastes 3:14.
Being obedient is not always easy, but the consequences of disobedience far outweigh any difficulties we face in being obedient.
And in that obedience we can find joy, even when things get tough, and enjoy marriage that God has given us.
God's Principle to Enjoy Marriage
All good things come from our Father, and if we can love and give good gifts to our children, then how much more does God give to us.
"There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?" Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
He even commands us to enjoy life with our spouse, and this is the only place in the Bible where it is a command.
"Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works…. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun." Ecclesiastes 9:7, 9
As we trust and obey God, while moving through life’s marital journey in the wilderness of this world, He will supply an oasis from time to time – like a day off, an evening together, a secluded weekend, a vacation, etc.
Take advantage of them!
They are God’s loving reminders that while life can at times be hard and even cruel, He still cares for His own and will ultimately right all wrongs and bring in His everlasting kingdom for all who have come to know Him in a personal way.
Our Response to Enjoy Marriage
In light of this biblical reality check, prayerfully consider the following suggestions:
- Do your own reality check: Is your marriage characterized more by romanticism, pessimism, skepticism, cynicism, or realism?
- If you are in the midst of one of life’s storms, come together as a couple and pray. It may not be a matter of sin on your part. You may be under attack. If it is a matter of sin, confess it to God and to each other. Get others to pray with and for you.
- When is the last time, as a couple, that you really enjoyed one of God’s good oases? When can you take advantage of the next one He brings your way? Pray about it and thank God for all of His good gifts — especially in the midst of your wilderness journey.
If you need more resources, check out Ted Cunningham's Fun Loving You: Enjoying Your Marriage in the Midst of the Grind.
What are some practical things that you can do to enjoy your marriage and your spouse more?
