I Walk Away With This...

After two weeks of working on the Love Dare, and hearing from so many of you, one scripture alone speaks to me this morning.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Yes, it takes a great deal of humility and selflessness to make a marriage thrive.

But even more, it takes the power of Christ, working in us, strengthening us, to hold it together.

This excerpt struck me from yesterday's blog post. Re-read...

"And then there’s marriage – the strongest covenant on earth between two people, the pledge of a man and woman to establish a love that is unconditional and lasts a lifetime.

Keeping this covenant is not something you can do in your own strength. There’s good reason why God was the One who initiated covenants with His people. He alone is able to fulfill the demands of His own promises. He alone is able to forgive the receivers of His covenant when they fail to uphold their part of the agreement." - Kendrick, Dare to Love

I have never really thought of this before. The God of the Universe, entering into a covenant of marriage with me and Brent...knowing we could not fulfill it in our own strength. Knowing we are too weak. God alone is able to fulfill the demands of our matrimonial promises.

Kendrick continues, "The Spirit of God is within you by the virtue of your faith in His Son. This means you now can exercise your role as covenant keeper, no matter what may arise to challenge your faithfulness to it.

Especially if your spouse is not in a place of receiving your love right now, the act of covenant keeping can grow more daunting with each passing day. But marriage is not a contract with escape clauses and exception wordings. Marriage is a covenant intended to cut off all avenues of retreat or withdrawal. There’s nothing in all the world that should sever what God has joined together. Your love is based on covenant."

Our culture doesn't really understand what a covenant means. It is not a word we use everyday. A covenant is never to be broken. In our world, we break things...we replace them. Not so with marriage.

When marriages are broken, God doesn't replace them. He restores them.

God has the power to make a severing marriage new.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the Power of Christ may rest upon me...For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10b

This scripture encourages me to shout, sing and cry out, "I am WEAK, LORD. I boast in it. I boast in YOU. I invite your POWER to rest upon me. Upon my marriage. It is in my weakness that your strength resides. It is in my humility that you can come and restore my brokenness. Come, Lord. Heal."

If your marriage is severing today, let me encourage you, His grace is sufficient. His power is made perfect in your weakness. Would you let Him in to heal? In all humility, allow the power of God to rest upon you.

Love Dare #8
Spend time in personal prayer; then write a letter of commitment and resolve to your spouse. Include why you are committing to this marriage until death and that you have purposed to love him or her no matter what. Leave the letter where your mate will be sure to find it.

You know what they say. The quickest way to a man's heart is through his coffee cup.

Well. That's the case around here. My letter was nothing fancy, as you can see, but it was so therapeutic for me to write this to him. To tell Brent that I am committed to this marriage. Not only because I love him, but because I love Christ all the more. I am strengthened by the truth that, in God's power, our covenant of marriage will be fulfilled. Unsevered and strong. No man can separate what God has joined together.

So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:6

Know that your marriage is protected and strengthened by the power of the Living God. When the storms come, rest in this truth. His Word proves He is faithful to His covenant. His end of the bargain is good. Our end is to find our strength in Him. To weather the storm in His power, not our own.

So now faith,hope and love abide; these three; but the greatest of these is love. PURSUE LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:13-14:1a

Lord Jesus. Thank you. Thank you for making your power available to us through the Cross. Thank you that you do not leave us to ourselves in marriage. You knew we couldn't do it without you. Lord, I ask you to make your strength perfect in the weak places of my marriage. You know where we break, Lord. Heal us. Make us new. I ask a blessing over the person reading this right now. I pray they would know your great love for them. I pray you would make your sufficient grace a reality in this moment. You are so good to us, Lord. So so good. We love you. In Jesus Name. Amen.