Welcome to Fresh Starts and New Mercies!
Today’s guest is Sabra Penley with fresh insight on how to pray for your marriage and see it through God’s eyes.
Sabra is a blogging wife and mom who loves the Lord and longs to be an encourager. Along with her husband, David, she writes at SimplyOneinMarriage.com, offering hope and help to strengthen marriages with the power of God’s Word. She loves long walks outdoors and snuggling on the sofa with her sweetheart of 36 years. Stop in for a visit at the blog and say hello. She’d love to get to know you.
Is the air in your marriage getting a little stale?
Maybe you think it doesn’t smell bad, but wouldn’t it be nice for it to be a little fresher? Or maybe your marriage is just flat stinky and needs a complete airing out, but you’re not sure where to begin.
Truth is, each of our marriages can use some freshening up. And this time of year screams, “Fresh start needed!”
But where to begin?
Maybe the greatest change comes first from that what we see not from what we do.
When we desire something more…something better, maybe what we really need is a fresh perspective.
What we need is to get away and PRAY…to the One whose perfect eyes see everything.
The Lord says: “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
God sees what we don’t. He sees inside our hearts, but also inside the hearts of our husbands. He knows everything about us.
What God knows can open our eyes to the blessings in our marriages that we’ve become blind to—or maybe never saw in the first place.
PRAY for God to open your eyes…
…to see all that is good in your marriage right now.
…to see your husband in a good light—with eyes of grace and love.
…to see the ways you are succeeding as a godly wife.
…to see the ways you are stronger together than you are separately.
What God knows can open our eyes to things that need to be erased from our marriages—for our deceitful desires distort the view of our true needs.
PRAY for God to open your eyes…
…to see any destructive attitude, action, or apathy in you that is harming your marriage.
…to see any anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness you hold toward your husband.
…to see the selfish desires in your heart that push your husband away.
What God knows can open our eyes to His desires for our marriages and give us instruction on how to become more godly wives.
PRAY for God to open your eyes…
…to see and understand His good purposes for your marriage.
…to see and understand unrealistic and ungodly expectations of your marriage.
…to see and understand what a godly wife looks like.
…to see and understand what steps you need to take to be this godly wife.
A fresh start must begin with a fresh perspective.
And it all starts with prayer—asking to see our marriages as God sees them. And with that fresh view, we can then move forward to air out the staleness and let Him breathe new life into our hearts and homes.
So pull back the curtains and let God’s light shine in. Open the windows and let all the musty stuff escape. Breathe in the fresh, sweet air, and watch your marriage come alive with a newness beyond your wildest imagination.
“…[God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20).
Grace and peace,
Sabra
Linking up with Holly Barrett, Kelly Balarie, Meredith Bernard, and Holley Gerth to encourage and be encouraged. Come join us!
Sabra,
His mercies are new every morning and so is His perspective. I echo your advice to seek God’s perspective on our marriages (every new morning). Thanks for the godly advice and thought provoking reminders!
Blessings,
Bev
I’m so thankful for those new mercies every day, Bev! Blessings to you.
Sabra, what an important post. My husband and I just celebrated 20 years of marriage. Each of us agree that we never thought we would last this long, but are so glad we hung in there. It wasn’t easy, but God surely was the reason we are still together. You offer so much wisdom in this post. So glad I am your neighbor at #RaRaLinkup! Grace and peace.
Congratulations on 20 years of marriage, Leah! Praise God for keeping you together all these years. Praying the next 20 are ever sweeter!
Sabra, I totally value this in depth perspective on prayer. This is powerful and I love to think of it from God’s unlimited perspective. Thank you for giving me eyes to see in a fresh way.
I’m so thankful that God sees everything…and it is humbling as well, isn’t it? Thanks, Kelly, for your sweet comments.
Great prayer points, Sabra. Sharing this with my readers. Thanks and many blessings!!
Thanks so much, Sheila. Blessings to you!
I have spent far too much of the last ten years being more of a mom than a wife. I’m excited to rekindle that old flame! Thanks for the prayer tips. It is good to remember to invite God along for the fun!
Oh Jenni, I can relate to that. Mothering takes up so much time, it’s easy for it to swallow up our focus. I want to be intentional about remembering I’m a wife FIRST. My oldest will fly the coop in just 6 months, so it’s a good reminder that my husband comes first, before the children even!
I can relate, too, Jenni. And as one whose children have already flown the coop, I’m so glad my husband and I kept our relationship a priority. I mean, it would be so sad to be the only two in the house and have nothing in common anymore. A right perspective is so crucial.
Sabra, I love what you wrote about needing to see differently in order to act differently. This is something I struggle with. In my stubborn moments, I get very focused on my own point of view and refuse to see my husband’s perspective … or God’s. Thank you so much for your prayer suggestions.
You’re welcome, Tarissa. And we all struggle with this, I think. I know I do! Blessings to you!
Thanks so much for your encouragement. It’s beautifully written. I really needed to read this today, bless you. Visiting from Holley’s Coffee for your Heart 🙂
http://angiebenju.blogspot.com/
Thanks for stopping by today, Angie!
So glad you were encouraged, Angie. Praying blessings on your marriage.
I love how practical and specific this is. Thank you for the tips!
Thanks, Sarah. I hope it is helpful.
Beautiful, timely and so Spirit-led, Sabra. Thank you for sharing…and thank you, Betsy for including this. To look for all that is good and celebrate it – that is of the Spirit. Thank you!
Thank you, Ginger, for those sweet comments. Praying we all learn to embrace the good every day.
I like that word too, Ginger: to look for what is good. Sometimes we’re doing better than we think we are! We just have to look on the bright side.
Amen, Sabra! God has done so much in our lives through prayer. Right now we are reading You and Me Forever by Francis and Lisa Chan and there are some great challenges in that book to push us forward in the right direction. I pray that He helps me see the areas where I can grow and serve more. Thank you for sharing your insight! I love hearing your fresh perspective.
I’ve not read that book, Abby. I’ll have to look for it. How wonderful that you and your husband are going through it together. Blessings!
Amen, amen, and amen! Sabra, thank you for providing a prayer tool for marriages. There is depth, and I will certainly be using these as I talk with God. And Betsy, thank you for inviting Sabra. 🙂
Praying God blesses you with insight as you seek His perspective, Kristi. Blessings to you!
What great advice, no matter where you find your marriage relationship. Thanks for sharing, Sabra!