7 Days of Prayer to Prepare for MarriageSample

I don’t know about you, but unless we’re talking about a bag of peanut butter M&Ms, I’m good at starting things but not nearly as good at finishing them. I’ve started house projects, diets, exercise plans, and annual goals, but I rarely seem to finish what I start. I suffer from a lack of commitment to cross the finish line with projects. My friend Joe, on the other hand, does an excellent job of finishing projects and helping others complete tasks on their to-­do lists.

Marriage calls us to a level of commitment rarely modeled in our world. And unfortunately, many couples don’t finish what they start. When the going gets tough, individuals begin to look for ways out of the marriage. They distract themselves with work, hobbies, or other people, and they often quit working on their marriage. This leads to a high divorce rate and a high percentage of couples who stay married but are miserable together.

In Matthew 19:3–6, Jesus quoted Genesis 2:24 as He talked about God’s design for marriage. At the end of this passage, He said, “What God has joined together, let no one separate” (v. 6). Jesus was speaking to the commitment and permanence required in marriage. While friendships and work relationships come and go, God intends marriage to be a lifelong commitment.

I’m grateful Kristen and I are committed to each other and to our marriage covenant. I don’t fear rejection from her, and I don’t need to wonder if she’s going to run off with someone else. This type of commitment God calls for in marriage allows us to be “one flesh” with each other and to experience safety and intimacy in our relationship.

In the book of Ruth, a woman named Naomi lost her husband and her two married sons. One of her daughters-­in-­law was a woman named Ruth, who said to Naomi, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God” (1:16). I admire Ruth’s commitment to stay by Naomi. In marriage, God calls us to an even higher commitment to our spouse.

Lord, thank You that Your commitment to us is not conditional upon our behavior or the decisions we make. We pray You’d help us to be committed unconditionally to each other in marriage and that our commitment wouldn’t be based on behavior or feelings. Though we may struggle in other life commitments, help us to be radically different in our commitment to our marriage.