God Did Good!

praise - God Did Good!

He did good . . . filling our hearts with food and gladness. Acts 14:17

What an understatement it is to say that God did good! He did good because that’s His nature. He’s not a celestial killjoy but a caring Father who desires not to withhold any good thing from us. His longing is that we might come to enjoy everything pertaining to life and godliness. That includes us enjoying our spouses. Enjoying another person—coming together with another to find a special joy in each other’s company—is a special part of God’s plan for marriage. God did good when He created your spouse just for you.

It’s amazing how many couples have the mind-set that at best marriage is to be tolerated. Coping is the most they hope for, and they believe that they’ve done great by just somehow staying married.

Into this attitude of mediocrity and complacency comes a God who desires to give life and give it abundantly. This doesn’t mean special protection from problems, but it does mean joy, peace, and liberty in the midst of them. Part of His plan for such abundance is the divine relationships through which He’s chosen to work: marriage, the family, and the church.

A particular strategy Teresa and I have developed to see God bring forth “His good” each day is to obey Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (NIV). We do that often by inquiring of one another, “Did anything positive and exciting happen today?” We then rejoice together. We also ask, “Did anything sad or disappointing happen today?” and if anything sad or disappointing happened, we mourn together.

Being able to rejoice together and mourn together has helped us to develop an attitude of praise in our marriage. It’s an attitude that says, “God, You did good by bringing my spouse to me.”

In what specific ways can you celebrate God’s goodness in bringing your spouse to you?