A husband and wife from our church were brave enough to stand before hundreds of other couples and give an account of their marriage. The husband was humble, addressing his pasts sins he committed against his wife, including pornography and prostitution. His addictions held him captive for many years.
It was a devastating testimony to listen to, although hearing that he overcame his addictions and also hearing his wife’s side of the story, filled the entire room with hope. We saw the Lord’s hand at work in their lives and in the end He was glorified.
What stood out to me the most was something the wife mentioned. When asked, “How did you hang on to your marriage for so long, with the hurt and pain that was accruing?”
She responded, “I had to see my husband as Jesus saw him. My husband, a man full of sin, needed Jesus, and salvation was priority.”
With that kind of a mentality, that wife was able to carry on in her marriage, despite the pain of betrayal, hoping in faith that her husband would one day be saved. Her life and how she responded to her husband was motivated by that hope.
By the end of the story the couple was smiling with peaceful countenances. It was obvious that God had saved her husband and her marriage. That does not mean this wife was did not feel hurt and it does not mean that this couple did not experience difficult days… we all do and we all will. However, it seemed this wife found a key to striving through the hard times and receiving healing… and that is by claiming an attitude of faith and seeing your spouse as Jesus does.
When I read this verse, I immediately thought of the actual sun. The sun and the radiance beaming in brightness has always reminded me of God’s glory and I feel like this verse confirms that for me, even though it says “Son” as in Jesus. I also love the second part of this verse, specifically when it says, “sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Sustaining is defined as: strengthen or support physically or mentally. I am in awe that words can be so powerful and it fuels a desire in me to want to learn more about Jesus’ words. If he sustains all things by his powerful word, we should all be studying his word daily. How blessed are we that we even have his words recorded! The bible is full of inspiration, encouragements and power, we need to be in it daily, just like the earth is sustained by the power of the sun daily. We will never hit a plateau in our relationship with Jesus, he will always pursue us, and we will always have the opportunity to learn more, but we are required to respond, in one way or another!
If you feel more sustained after doing so please encourage others by posting in the comments!
