His words caught me totally by surprise. I looked up from what I was doing to be sure I’d heard him. My husband has never been very definitive about anything, especially pertaining to our marriage, so his matter-of-fact response caught me off guard.
My husband and I have had a rough few years. We’ve had legal, financial and marital issues, to name just a few. The trauma we’ve dealt with has been almost unbearable. My husband has had to deal with some very difficult issues, and while we’ve tried to navigate them together, ultimately they have been his demons to wrestle while I prayed.
I was frustrated at where we were in our relationship – seemingly stuck. The struggles that we faced took us on very different roads than I ever intended. Navigating them has not been easy for me.
I think I said something like, “I don’t like where we are. I want to feel like we’re moving forward. I want to feel unstuck.”
He answered that we won’t be in this position forever. I won’t always feel stuck. No, someday this will be behind us.
“You want to move forward? Then we start today. We start here. We may not know where we are going to end up, but we can start right here and move forward together.”
Friends, I have prayed for this moment. I have prayed for my husband to step into the position to want to lead our family, our marriage.
And there I stood, surprised, uncertain, not sure what to do.
What if…
What if God actually answered my prayers?
The world is so quick to speak their “truths” into our lives:
You’re not good enough.
Your prayer is too big to get answered.
Your relationship is too broken.
Your God isn’t big enough.
Even those 4 lies right there – they’re huge. We’ve all probably heard them (or a variety of them) at some point.
But what does God do?
God calls us out.
God calls us out – He makes us holy, set apart.
In Exodus 3:5, God called to Moses from the burning bush.
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
And in Joshua 5:15, the commander of the Lord’s army met Joshua near Jericho.
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
When God is ready to use us, when He answers our prayers and prepares us for what’s ahead, He will set us apart for His purpose.
We may not see a burning bush, and we may not talk with the commander of the Lord’s army, but that doesn’t diminish God’s work in our lives! God’s power to work is as strong whether we have a Damascus road experience, or whether we’re struck by the words of our husband.
God is not finished with my marriage. He still has a plan for us. He is answering my prayers for my marriage in ways I can’t even believe.
What are you praying for today? How can we be praying with you?
We will pray, but friends, I ask you to pray, believing.
Rebekah has been completely overwhelmed by the grace and mercy of the Lord in her life. He has proven His faithfulness in every area of her life, especially in her marriage. She has come to understand the power of redemption and God’s work in her own marriage. Her goal is to be Sharing Redemption’s Stories – encouraging wives who are praying for redemption in their marriage.
