Reach to Rejoice

by Paula Friedrichsen
Published December 1, 2008

Marriage Enrichment Series - 12 of 12

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

During a recent three-month-long illness I would wake up each morning (sometimes after only sleeping 2 or 3 hours) in a state of fear and depression. At that moment of groggy-awakening I would say aloud, “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.” As an act of my will I would align myself with the truth of God’s word, and submit myself once again to His command to “rejoice.” This one simple gesture would greatly help me to begin my day in an attitude of hope instead of despair.

When we’re going through upsetting times rejoicing isn’t a natural response, is it? When life seems dark and hopeless our natural human reaction is to begin to imagine the worst—to let our minds wander down dark paths of vain imaginings. And when it comes to a difficult marriage, this is especially true. It’s easy to imagine that nothing will ever get better, nothing will ever change, and that your marriage will remain a source of pain and trouble in your life. But all things are subject to change (except for God of course!).

So I encourage you today to reach out to God in faith. Reach out to Him in prayer. Reach out in worship. Reach out by proclaiming His word over your marriage. Reach to rejoice in spite of your circumstances. Begin to thank Him for all He has done for you in the past. Rehearse all His good deeds in your life. Make a decision to recall the many promises He’s made to you regarding your marriage. Don’t give up on all God has spoken to you because you’re still waiting for the promises to be fulfilled. Remember that His timing is not your timing. And even when you don’t see obvious signs of change, it doesn’t mean the Lord isn’t working behind the scenes.

There’s a Ziggy quote that says, “You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.” Think of your marriage as a rose. Sometimes it’s thorny, sometimes it’s sweet. But whatever state it’s in you must choose to thank God for your mate and rejoice in His provision for your marriage. You might ask, how on earth do I choose to rejoice in my marriage when it’s so difficult right now? Well, you do it the same way I did while suffering through my three-month illness…by choice. The last half of the Scripture I began this column with says, “I will rejoice and be glad in it.” It’s an act of will to choose to rejoice. It’s a “reaching” for rejoicing, and a “stretching out” of your faith. And what happens when we stretch out our faith toward God? He responds. Always. He responds with peace, with direction, with joy, and with answered prayer.

This IS the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!

Paula Friedrichsen is a conference speaker and the author of "The Man You Always Wanted is The One You Already Have" (Multnomah 2007). She lives with her husband and daughter in Northern California.
© 2009 Paula Friedrichsen - All rights reserved.
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This column is used with permission.