“Where have you seen God at work lately?” That is the opening question Brad asks men every week at the Thursday morning Bible study he leads. Initially, Brad was met with blank stares and a couple of half hearted responses. (It’s tough to get guys to talk at 6:15 in the morning!) But over the years the men have learned to show up ready to talk about different experiences they have had with God.
In the busyness of life it can be so easy for couples to keep conversations on the surface. We discuss our schedules, kids’ activities and any chores that need to be done around the house. We may talk briefly about anything interesting happening at work. But after that, the nights and the weekends consume our time and we rarely take our conversations deeper.
After Jesus healed a man he told him to “…go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you…” (Mark 5:19). We have the opportunity on a regular basis to tell our spouse and our children what God has done for us!
So what if we took that simple question and brought it into our conversations at home on a weekly basis? What if there was a regular meal each week when you knew the conversation was going to be centered on where you’ve seen God at work?
We are encouraging you to inject this question into your marriage on a weekly basis. Here are four reasons to start asking this question this week:
1. It honors God.
When you give your spouse a gift or do something for them, isn’t it nice to have it recognized? God feels that way as well! From cover to cover in the Bible people are giving thanks for the things He has done for them. Acknowledging God’s activity in your life honors him and “gives credit where credit is due.”
2. It redirects our focus.
We would probably be saddened if we knew the number of times God has intervened in our lives and we recognized it in the moment but quickly forgot. In fact, Jesus knew this about us. He had to instructed us to take communion on a regular basis so that we would remember the greatest gift and sacrifice that was made for us on the cross!
When we know that a conversation is happening to discuss where we’ve seen God at work, we will start noticing where He is at work! Very quickly, the mundane trivial things that we might otherwise overlook become recognized as divine interventions. Suddenly, we are seeing His activity at work all around us.
3. It increases our faith.
Recognizing God’s activity in our lives on a regular basis strengthens our faith. We may be going through the valley of difficulty, but we know that we are not alone. We may feel like we have minimal strength, but we know that God’s power is available for us. We may believe we are at the end of our resources, but we have seen God’s provision for us time and again.
4. It disciples our children.
When our children listen to us talk about the activity of God in our lives, it sows abundant seeds of faith into their lives as well. Instead of hearing negative things about the world or about other people, our children hear us talk about the goodness and presence of God.
The psalmist wrote, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4). And you have the opportunity to do that on a regular basis with your children.
So pick a meal that works best for you. Ask each other the question, “Where have you seen God at work lately?” and watch how GOD will build your marriage!