May 20, 2011

A Spacious Place!

Often times in this life we let trials, circumstances and problems get in the way of our marriage relationship. If we allow our relationship to be exposed and soiled by the chaos of this world, then we begin to feels confined and restricted. The relationship starts to feel suffocating. We think that it is because of our marriage. We feel trapped.

At this point, we blame things on our spouse and we are convinced that this claustrophobic feeling is a result of our spouse taking up our space. But nothing can be further than the truth. If we look a little closer (hopefully a lot closer) we’ll see that the feeling of being confined, restricted, and trapped is coming from inside of us. It means that we have allowed ourselves to drift away (even if just a little bit) from our relationship with God.
When we get back to basics, that is, seeking God with all of our hearts and running to Him with our trials, circumstances and problems, we discover what King David discovered:

2 Samuel 22:20 (NIV) He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

He brings us from that confined space to a spacious place. Listen to how the Message renders this verse:

2 Samuel 22:20 (The Message) He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

…surprised to be loved by God! Why do we get surprised? It’s because with all of the turmoil around us, we forget. Then we look to our spouse to give us the kind of love that can only come from God.

We also often look for freedom in the wrong places. We look to be free from our marriage and our responsibilities but that is not freedom at all. That is a huge mistake that leads to many, many heartbreaks and regrets. If it’s freedom that we want, if it’s a spacious place that we want, we need to go to Jesus:

John 8:36-37 (NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Feeling a little claustrophobic? Go to Jesus and let Him set you free and take you to a spacious place so that you can enjoy your marriage freely!

Pastor Joey