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This past week, a friend dealt with circumstances that were a real struggle in her marriage. It was a time when many choices could have been made that would have caused deep regret for years to come. Fortunately, she is a believer in Jesus and sought God for wisdom FIRST and made difficult choices that were in line with His will for her marriage to heal and prosper.
When I’m faced with a struggle or have friends dealing with a challenge, my tendency is to find and pray a scripture that addresses it with a promise from God. In this case, I prayed Jeremiah 32:39 [NLT], “And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants.”
This was a promise we needed as my husband and I dealt with infertility. Having one heart and one way in facing infertility is key if a marriage is to survive the emotional, physical and financial strains. It’s so easy to get so involved and pre-occupied in the struggle that you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Being surrounded by darkness and not seeing where you can go means that you’ll go in any direction in the search for a way out. If a husband and wife can’t agree on what to do, where to go, and how to get there, it’s easier to go in separate ways and therefore experience increasing distance between them. But what if the decision is made FIRST to only go in one direction together, giving each other encouragement and keeping in mind the same goal?
God’s promise in Jeremiah 32:39 was that the result of having one heart and one way would be good not only for the husband and wife but also for their children! Putting God first means that He will give wisdom so that you know what to do and where to go together to get out of the seemingly endless dark situation.
Looking to Jesus and therefore going in one direction together will increase the likelihood of reaching the light at the end of the tunnel much sooner and happier and make the outcome of the struggle much more rewarding.