And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. — Philippians 1:6
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Somehow I always thought I’d be much more put together at 44 than I am. We were 24 when we got married and twenty years seemed an eternity away. I figured by now all those insecurities and doubts I have about myself would be long since reconciled. While some of them are long since settled, parenting has brought a whole new set of questions and concerns.
That’s why verses like Philippians 1:6 mean so much to me. It is comforting to be reminded I’m not finished yet. In the words of a familiar children’s song, “He’s still workin’ on me.”
And I am reminded He is still working on Scott too. We are both works in progress. And we will be until we meet Him face-to-face.
It takes a whole lifetime for God to do the work He desires in us. We can’t rush the process nor will He allow us to skip steps. Every part of the journey, every struggle, every victory, it all is for a purpose — for His purpose.
God treats us with such grace and tenderness as He does this work of conforming us into who He created us to be. And sometimes we need to be reminded to treat ourselves with that same grace and tenderness. We also need to remember to treat each other with that same grace and tenderness.
When your life isn’t what you dreamed, when your marriage isn’t what you’d like, when you aren’t who you want to be — remember He is still working on you. Give Him time and space because He is doing a GOOD WORK in you. And one day, it will be finished … one day, He will look at you and welcome you into His presence forever and ever.
Until then, give grace … to your spouse and to yourself.
~ Teri Lynne
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Today’s Prayer
Lord, help us remember You are doing a good work in each of us. Give us courage to trust Your work and to believe You will finish what You start. When we’re discouraged about how long it’s taking, remind us it will take our whole lives but it WILL be completed, WE will be completed. But until then, may we give ourselves and each other grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
#MarriagePrayers: Give us courage to trust Your work and to believe You will finish what You start. (Phil 1:9) Share on X**********
Thank you for joining us for #MarriagePrayers: 31 Verses to Pray for Your Marriage. Scott and I will be sharing a new verse and prayer every day throughout May, leading up to our 20th anniversary on June 1. You can find every day’s post indexed here. We pray you will be encouraged and challenged as you pray God’s Word for your marriage.
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