REALITY CHECK

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But I will hope continually and will praise you more and more. (Psalm 71 v 14)

The bride was radiant, her bridesmaid fought back tears of joy, the groom was tall and confident, the attendants smiled at their support, the music was joyous and bright, the flowers were fresh and fragrant. The stage was set for a glorious wedding, and the expectations for the couple’s future were high. Who would get married if that weren’t the case?

But expectations fueled by dreams and movies, by ignorance and youth can go unfulfilled. If we expect our marriage to always feel happily ever after, we are in for a rude awakening, it would be like……..Mary Poppins meets Terminator LOL.

So what do we do? Where do we turn when there’s no hope for the perpetual fairy tale? King David was a man who knew where to place his hope. He knew the only true hope he had was found in the Lord and Him alone. The only expectation David had in his life and for his future was that God would be faithful and He would always keep His promise.

In marriage, we need to be careful where we place our hope. Like David, we need to fix our expectations only on the promises of our never changing, all loving God. And as we do this, we will grow to love and praise Him more and more as we see His faithfulness continually shine through. Say goodbye to fairy tales. Put all your hope in the Lord, who is worthy of our trust and who never disappoints!

LOVE IN ACTION

  1. Think about your wedding day. Talk together about what was going through your mind about the future. Remember together the dreams you shared. Then list three areas that God has blessed you in ways far greater than you could have asked or imagined.
  2. Think about those expectations you had, if any, that resulted in disappointment and despair and reevaluate them. Were they realistic? Ask forgiveness for the stress or distress any unfair expectations may have brought to the marriage.

P R A Y E R

God of wonder, please help me to not put unfair expectations on my spouse. I pray that you will help me better understand that all my hope should be placed in you and your word, and please give me the kind of hope that kindles excitement for what you will do in my heart and my marriage.