Greetings Prayer Warriors,
God’s ways often defy logic. Perhaps that is because He is above logic, boundaries, and outside of time. He does what is loving and just, even if we don’t understand it.We may rebel, scream in defiance, and secretly think He doesn’t understand, defaulting to following our own will. Do we not sometimes feel that way? Does it cause us to silence the voice of God and the promptings of the Spirit, especially in marriage?
Consider Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His head told him to leave the pregnant Mary, but as an honorable man, not to bring her shame. Yet, in the end, he followed the will of God, even though it was contrary to what a respectable Jewish man would have thought to be proper. He knew to stay, he may have been ridiculed, mocked, and shamed along with Mary, for she obviously was pregnant out of wedlock. Yet, his trust in the Lord prevailed.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. Matthew 1:18-20
You may know of marriages, perhaps even your own, where your whole being is telling you to leave, move on, sever ties. You may think many of your friends and family would truly understand “the why”. Yet, what if the Lord asked you to stay? What if you looked like you were crazy to stay? Quite the dilemma? Ask St. Joseph to pray for you, that you too may know the will of God.
Let us pray for those seeking to understand God’s will in their marriage. What might He be asking you to change?
Lord, you have placed each of us on a journey, one of seeking, discerning, and endless surrender to your Divine Will. In your mercy, be generous with your grace, remove the darkness that clouds our intellect, and soften the hardness in our hearts. Help us to first change ourselves before we beg that you change the other. May we intercede in prayer endlessly on behalf of our spouse and our family, and may you grant us the humility to surrender our will to Yours. Jesus, we trust in You!
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
Lord, have mercy on us, and grant us the grace to conform to your will! Pass it on!
