A Prayer When You and Your Spouse Disagree on a Church - Your Daily Prayer - February 28
A Prayer When You and Your Spouse Disagree on a Church
Written by Vivian Bricker, Read by Rochelle Alberti
Bible Reading: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” - Ephesians 4:2-3
Read or Listen Below:
Within marriages, there will be disagreements. Even though some friends and family may try to portray their marriages as “perfect,” they are not. Every marriage has its own conflicts, struggles, and disagreements. This is completely normal, and most of these issues can be worked through.
If you and your spouse are having a disagreement right now, know that you are not alone. A very common disagreement couples have concerns church matters. The husband wants to go to one church, and then the wife wants to go to a different one. While this may be a common problem, it can also be resolved through help from the Lord.
When we look at the Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:2-3, we see him speaking to the Ephesian church, telling them to be humble, gentle, and patient, bearing with each other in love. Additionally, Paul tells them to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in their hearts by the bond of peace. It is true that Paul is speaking to the body of believers as a collective whole; however, this can also apply to the disagreement you and your spouse may be going through right now.
The Lord does not want you to be at odds with your spouse. When there are consistent disagreements, it can lead you to become distant from each other, and this is not something God wants for your marriage. Instead, God wants to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. This means that sometimes we have to agree to disagree and not allow frivolous things to impair our relationship with our spouse or God.
The Art of Discerning a Church
Before you and your spouse can come to a resolution of which church you both should go to, you need to bring the matter before God in prayer. Turn to Him and ask Him to give you direction. He will answer you in His own timing. You might be surprised as to the way He answers your prayer.
It is important to also talk with your spouse about the church they want to attend. Major questions to ask include:
-Is this church gospel-centered?
-Does this church have biblically sound doctrine?
-Is the church community made up of true, believing Christians who are active in their faith?
If the answer is yes to all three, then know that there is nothing wrong with your spouse wanting to go to this church rather than the one you are currently going to. While it is traditional to only attend one church, you and your spouse could attend both churches on alternative weeks and see which one you both feel more comfortable and at home with, as a trial, before making a membership decision.
Whenever you feel you are getting stressed out, overwhelmed, or feeling unheard, share these tough feelings with your spouse. Your spouse should want to work through any disagreements. Be in prayer that God will guide both of you as you continue to lean on Him and seek support from the Bible. The Bible never specifically mentions which church we should go to, but we do need to be going to a gospel-centered church with biblically sound theology.
Going to church together as a married couple is a beautiful blessing. Things might feel difficult now, but know there is a solution in Jesus. Go to Him in prayer today and release all your stress to Him.
Let's Pray:
Dear Jesus, my spouse and I are in a rough spot. We cannot decide on what church we want to go to. One of us wants to go to one church, and the other to another. It is hard to work out differences sometimes, and we need your help. Please help me to be humble, gentle, and patient, bearing with my spouse in love. Help me to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace with my spouse. I trust that You can help us through this time and bless us with answers. Thank you, Lord. In Your Name, Jesus, I pray, amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Christin Lola
Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast
We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer, where you can sign up to receive it every evening in your inbox. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on God. Check out an episode below:
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below
