Be Intentional with Your Faith - Crosswalk Couples Devotional - July 21
Be Intentional with Your Faith
By: Michelle Lazurek
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” - Luke 11:9-10
During the weekend at a silent retreat, I spent much time praying with God. Although my husband and I both did the retreat together, we spent much time silently sitting in God's presence, listening for his voice. During a prolonged period of silence, God whispered to my heart:
I want you to ask for the big things.
During my lifetime, I've suffered a lot of loss. My testimony to faith has been far from smooth sailing or full of sunshine and rainbows. It is contained within a lot of pain and a lot of grief. Because of this, paired with a sense of favoritism in my home, I have placed God in a box. I was afraid of being intentional in my faith because I was afraid of being disappointed.
I prayed and asked God for things, but I often hesitated to pray for big things. I don't necessarily mean big things in terms of possession. Although sometimes it did include those types of things.
I do the same in my marriage. I don’t go to God with the big things we ask him to do in our marriage because of the fear of disappointment. But I have nothing to lose when I ask God for the big things in life. Sometimes he wants me to ask for possession of what I've always wanted but never felt I could afford or even deserve. Sometimes he wants me to dream big about what he will do with my life. Whatever the case, God wants me to practice praying for the big and the small things.
I began to write down all the things that were coming to my heart. After the silence, I went to my husband and told him about what God had shown me. My husband admitted that he, too, has difficulty asking God for the big things in life for fear of being undeserving or that God will not accomplish what he set forth to do. We realized we were being unintentional with our faith by assuming God would not fulfill what was promised. We also needed to start praying for God to do big things in our marriage.
It all comes down to intentionality. Just like in a marriage, God wants us to be intentional about investing ourselves emotionally, mentally, and physically in our spouses; God wants us to be intentional about our faith. God wants us to step out in faith and ask him for whatever our hearts desire. It is up to God whether he chooses to accomplish those things.
The above verse encourages this practice. God has given me more things than I know what to do with. He has done more in my writing for my ministry than I ever thought possible. But he wanted me to intentionally set out in faith that God would do what he set out to do, in our careers and in our marriages. God will decide if it's in his will or not. Sometimes he likes to bless his children simply because he can. But that's not for me to decide. Instead, I am to pray, leave it at his feet, and let God decide how he wants to steward it.
Do you, as a couple, intentionally increase your faith by asking God for the big and small things in life? Do you ask God to open doors that you believe are impossible to open in your life? When you pray with your spouse, practice asking God for the big and small things. Then watch what your intentionality does with your faith and your marriage. Watch as God blesses you as he does the seemingly impossible in your life.
Father, let us practice praying for both the big and the small things as a couple. Let us revel in your sovereignty and goodness as you open doors in our marriage and in our lives that seem impossible to open on our own. Amen.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Cassidy Rowell Aawzg
Related Resource: Why Couples Drift and How to Reverse It
What happens when a marriage starts drifting apart — and one or both spouses wonder if it’s even possible to reconnect? If you’ve ever felt discouraged, lonely, unseen, or unsure whether your marriage can recover, this conversation offers practical wisdom and genuine hope.
Like what you hear? Be sure to follow I Wish You Could Hear This on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
