February 2017 - Marriage and Family Relationships
Dear friends,
Over the years, I have counseled many couples seeking advice and prayer for their marriages and families. I have found that marriages can have many difficulties and that only a few words of encouragement can be like cool, healing water to a dry and broken marriage.
As we move forward with our transition to TWR Women of Hope, notice that the new logo depicts how our hearts connect with each other and with God. In Ezekiel 36:26, we hear the prophet tell us that God will remove our “hearts of stone” and give us “new hearts.”
In marriage, at times, it can feel like we have hearts of stone toward each other. A good marriage takes time and attention. There is a battle for your marriage that is not of this world. Often when we face trials in our marriages, we start to feel that our spouses are the enemy. However, there is a real enemy, and it is not your spouse or your children.
Be encouraged today that you are not alone in the challenges that you face in your marriage.
Be encouraged that God knows what you are going through and is there to help you.
The circumstances aren’t easy, but God is never too far away to be your refuge and help in times of trouble and need (Psalm 46:1).
Don’t give up the fight for your marriage. Continue to pray with other women and lift up the challenges and difficulties in your marriage. Give God your pain and anger, bitterness and unforgiveness. Believe that there is a God who loves you and can see what you are going through. Be brave and tell your prayer group of the challenges you face, and then lift them up to God in prayer believing that he hears our prayers and is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Walk free from holding on to bitterness or anger, and let God take control of your marriage and family.
We can persevere with prayer. We can hold up the arms of each other as we cry out to God for our marriages and families, believing that we serve a God who desires for our marriages and families to bring glory to his name so others will come to know Jesus.
Don’t give up! Keep your eyes on Jesus; he is for you and for your marriage. I am praying for you today!