How Can You Connect Spiritually with Your Spouse? - Crosswalk PLUS Marriage Devotional
How Can You Connect Spiritually with Your Spouse?
"And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." Ecclesiastes 4:12
My husband and I have tried several things over the years in an attempt to connect spiritually. We've prayed together before we go to sleep, read daily devotional entries together, and have tried to do book studies together. Those are all good and beneficial things and can result in spiritual connection, and some may have even been consistent and successful in these endeavors. What my husband and I have found is that, more often than not, unexpected things happen, and life gets in the way. The result is that we get thrown off from attempting to be consistent in these things that are meant to help us connect. For example: one of us will go to bed later than the other—there goes our prayer time. Someone comes over for the evening—there goes our devotional reading time. Or we get overwhelmed with the amount of reading we are doing for other commitments and fall behind in our book study. Then, inevitably, we struggle with guilt because we weren't consistent in the things that were supposed to be keeping us "connected" spiritually. Discouragement sets in, and we feel defeated. Have you experienced this?
Reflecting on the things we have tried in the past causes me to wonder if adding to our "to-do" list is what it really takes to connect spiritually. Maybe there's another way!
After 36 years of marriage, I have found that my highest priority is to nurture my own relationship with God by spending time in His Word, praying, and abiding in Him on a daily basis. Regular fellowship with God helps me be tuned in to my husband's needs and what it might take to connect with him spiritually. When I am in fellowship with God, it becomes a more natural part of daily to connect in this way with Brian. One day, it might be texting him a Bible verse that has spoken to me that morning or a quote from something I am reading that applies to some circumstances we are in and burdened about. Another day I might share a song with him that I think will encourage him or speak to his heart.
Serving others together has been an incredible way to connect spiritually. When we pray together before meeting with someone or walking into a church meeting, remind each other of the areas we are working on in order to glorify God, and spend time debriefing after being with people, we are helping each other serve God and grow as we strive to focus on God and others.
Being united in the day-to-day service of others and battles helps us connect with each other. Together, we rely on God to do what we have been called to do. This not only draws us together spiritually, but we are constantly drawing God into what we are doing together. This is where our strength lies. This is how victories are won, and lives (ours and others) are changed because we are partnering with each other and God; this "cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart!"
Prayer:
Father, please bring to my mind, today and every day, the ways in which my spouse and I can connect with each other on a spiritual level. Please open our eyes to the ways that we can intentionally bring you into our daily interactions with each other so that we might be constantly growing closer to each other and to you. Most importantly, I pray that we will have this connection so we will be strengthened and enabled to live out the callings you have placed on our lives as a couple and individually. Cause this "cord of three strands" (You, me, and my spouse) to be so intertwined that we are strong and "not quickly torn apart!"
Challenge Questions:
Have you been striving to connect with your spouse by adding things to your "to-do" list, yet you've ended up feeling frustrated and guilty? Have you wondered how to connect spiritually in a way that is intentional yet feels more "natural" and a part of your daily rhythm? How can you intentionally fit Scripture, sharing, and prayer into the daily living of life? How can you partner with your spouse and with God and become more empowered to fulfill God's call on your life as a couple?
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd
Gina Smith is a writer and author. She has been married for 35 years to Brian, a college professor and athletic trainer. For 25+ years, she and her husband served on a Christian college campus as the on-campus parents, where Brian was a professor and dean of students. They reside right outside of Washington, DC, and are the parents of two grown children, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law, and one granddaughter. She recently authored her first traditionally published book, Everyday Prayers for Joy, which is available everywhere books are sold. You can find Gina at the following: Website: ginalsmith.com, Instagram, and at Million Praying Moms, where she is a writer.
We hope you and your spouse are challenged and encouraged by today's devotional! For more of this premium marriage devotional, visit here.
