Experiencing the Resurrection Power of Jesus in Your Marriage

When Jesus came and lived, died, and lived again He did so to bring restoration and life to not only our souls, but to everything else in our world and lives. That includes your marriage. Whether or not your marriage is currently Fully Alive, this Holy Week can be a special time of meaning. You can experience the resurrection power of Jesus in your marriage in a new way.

Don’t let this week coming up to Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter be only a time of logical left-brain thinking. Take some time to engage your right-brain emotional and feeling self. Invite Jesus to minister His death, burial, and resurrection power right into the middle of your marriage.

We tend to rush right to Easter, but almost always God takes you through a process. That’s true even in your relationship.

These meditation thoughts may help you see how this applies to your marriage so you can experience more of the life of Jesus this Easter season.

Acknowledge Death

Nobody liked Good Friday. Nobody, that is, except evil. We don’t like death. We shouldn’t like it. But in our world death precedes life. We’re seeing life spring up anew with the green plants and colorful flowers of spring after the darkness and death of winter, and for you or your marriage to thrive death precedes life also.

The expectations you had when you entered marriage will almost certainly need to die. Your hopes of having someone to meet all your needs and satisfy your every desire, or of being able to manipulate your life and spouse and marriage to be what you wanted it to be–yes, those will have to die too. It’s not that desire is bad; God created us as people of desire (see The Soul of Desire). But you will need to let go of what you can’t control.

Death hurts. A lot. Letting go of expecting your spouse to fill you up will be painful. But unclenching your fists and opening your hands allows God to fill them, and to do His work.

Wait Wisely

Pain makes us want a quick fix. But Holy Saturday reminds us that we can’t rush things. Often it’s a matter of waiting. And how we dislike waiting.

Jesus’ followers were disoriented, confused, and hurt as Jesus lay in the grave. They didn’t understand. They didn’t know what was coming. And it’s likely you may not understand or know what’s coming either. Time by itself doesn’t “heal all wounds.” But what you do during the waiting does make a difference.

In your prayers, ask Jesus to help you understand how He sees things. He doesn’t usually tell you everything, but He often gives you some perspective that helps so much. And ask Him to help you see what step you are to take next. Sometimes it’s continuing to pray. Sometimes it’s learning something, or letting go, or stepping into a difficult courageous conversation. Let Him show you what that next step is.

Embrace Resurrection Life

Easter was a surprise. The new didn’t look like the old. And when new resurrection life invades you or your marriage it won’t look like the old either.

You will have to become different if you are to experience the wholeness Jesus intended for you, regardless of what your spouse does or doesn’t do. Your marriage won’t look like it did “before.” And if your marriage is to be healed the two of you together will need to be engaged in building something new and beautiful.

This new kind of life, both in your own soul and in your marriage, doesn’t just drop on you as if by magic from “on high.” The life of Jesus works from the inside of you. As you become different you relate to your spouse differently. You may not respond the same to things that bothered you in the past. Instead of avoiding challenges, you are courageous in dealing with difficult problems or having difficult conversations. You are learning to love well and differently. You will be dancing a new dance, and that will change your relationship.

And if your spouse is also allowing the resurrection life of Jesus to do His work in their soul, they will become different too. Your marriage just may become the next demonstration of what God can do when two impossible humans let Him do His work.

And even if your marriage doesn’t change, you will be different. You will be OK. You will be able to live Fully Alive.

Experience Easter for Your Marriage

I pray for you this week that you allow old things to die, that you learn to wait well, and that you experience anew the resurrection power of Jesus in your marriage and in your own soul.

Your Turn: How have you been experiencing the resurrection power of Jesus in your marriage? What will you focus on this Holy Week in making this more meaningful for you and your spouse? Leave a comment below.

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Holy Week can mean a lot for your marriage. Good Friday: old expectations for your marriage need to die. Holy Saturday: waiting wisely makes a difference. Easter: new resurrection power of Jesus in your marriage! Tweet that.

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