40 Awesome Years

My wife LaVerne and I are taking a few days away this week to celebrate 40 awesome years of marriage. It was not always easy. In our fifth year, we began to struggle in our marriage. God by his grace led us to a Christian counselor who gave us hope that we could make it through this dark tunnel.

He prophesied over us from Isaiah 43:2; “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

We received this promise as a revelation from God. And that is exactly what happened. By the grace of God, we are more in love today than at any time during the past 40 years. But we had to walk in faith and practice loving each other when the feelings and emotions of love were not there.

If you are going through deep waters today, or if you feel like you are going through the fire, be encouraged. The Lord is with you. Refuse to be driven by negative emotions and feelings. Instead, live by the truth of the Word of God and confess his Word daily. Make this promise from Isaiah 43:2 your own.