Are there times when things seem hopeless in your marriage or the marriage of others? There is hope!

1 – David’s advice after Nathan’s visit (Psalm 51)

This is good advice for any marriage.

• Ask for God’s mercy (vs. 1).
• Admit your mistakes (vs. 3).
• Tell the truth (vs. 6). Clean up your life (vs. 2, 7, 9, 10).
• Restore fellowship with God and your partner (vs. 10-11).
• Ask for the joy of the Lord (vs. 12).
• Thank God for your broken spirit (vs. 17).
• Teach others from your mistakes and bring them to the Lord (vs. 13).

2 – To tell or not to tell (Psalm 32:1-5)

There should be honesty in marriage. There may be some situations when it is better not to tell the partner. For example if there is a mental illness in your partner.

3 – When telling

Things to remember when telling your mistake to your partner:-

• Rehearse. See Luke 15:18.
• Be wise. See 2 Samuel 12.
• Keep away from specific details.
• Focus on identifying attitudes.
• Watch out for pride.

4 – Reaction of the offended partner

If neither of the partners want to make up then there is no hope. If one of the partners wants to make up then there is some hope. If both want to make up then there is a lot of hope.

5 – The cure for marriage problems

• Decide to improve. See Philippians 2:13.
• Examine yourself, not your partner See Philippians 4:13.
• Forgive your partner silently and apologise orally. See Ephesians 4:32.
• Look at the good in your partner, not the weaknesses. See Philippians 4:8.
• Forget the past. See 2 Corinthians 5:17.
• Believe that God can help you and thank him ahead of time for what he is going to do in your life. See Mark 11:24.

Remember this motto: – “Fill the water pots with water, fill them to the very brim. He will honour all your trusting and then leave the miracle to him”.

Categories: Psalms