Diggin Ditches in Marriage- The beauty of humility and service

Digging Ditches for your Marriage

In the Bible, second Kings chapter 3, the armies of three Kings were famishing because they had no water. With all their strength, ingenuity and desire, neither the armies nor the kings could find a solution. They were in trouble and did not know what to do. In fact, the King of Israel asked, “Has the Lord called us together to only hand us over to the enemy?” (v.10).

To test their faith and dependence on God, God commanded the armies to dig ditches in the valley. In desperation, they obeyed Gods irrational challenge and dug trenches in the dry soil. Without noisy wind or dark rolling clouds, the ditches began to mysteriously fill with water. In fact, the entire valley was filled with water. God responded to their faith in ways beyond their expectations. The people were saved, Kings and armies rejoiced, and God’s people were prepared to face the challenges that lay ahead.

In our walk with God, we are relentlessly faced with challenges. At times, our timid emotions say to us that the situation is unsolvable. Often, those fears are founded in truth. On our own, we can’t solve the problem. The ground is too dry, the sky is too clear. But when we tap into God’s power, the possibility is strong that solutions can slowly rise from the ground in mystifying ways and our fears bathed in tranquility.

The same irony is exemplified over and over again in our marriages. As thirst challenges the strongest of armies in a waterless terrain- problems, trials and unsolvable issues will emerge in the Christian’s marriage. Sometimes the human side of us wonders like the king of Israel if God did not bring us together to watch us suffer defeat.

Maybe you have tried reading every marriage book you can get your hands on. Possibly, you have become a seminar junkie. Maybe you have tried more than a few counselors to no avail. You have done all you know to do. There seems to be no resolve. The pain is unmoving and devastating.

Here’s the question of the day, have you dug ditches in your marriage? Have you been led to your knees asking God to meet the desires you cannot meet yourself? Have you been willing to let go and stop attempting to fix the problem on your own? Its in the dry, arid, thirsty valleys of our marriage where God does his greatest wonders and miracles. He works mind-boggling marvels when God’s people dig ditches. When you and I submissively humble ourselves and follow his leading, blessings can flow in ways never imagined.

What ditches do you need to dig in your marriage?

· Do you need to stop complaining constantly about what is wrong with your spouse and begin expressing appreciation for what your partner does right?

· Do you need to focus on changing yourself instead of trying to change your mate?

· Are the sins in your life causing the problems in your marriage versus your spouses shortcomings?

Maybe the answers to problems in marriage lies not only in the resources God has provided- counselors, seminars and books, but in digging ditches. Maybe God is calling you to clear the way for his miracles. Could it be possible that he is waiting on you to dig a ditch before he provides the miracle? It is usually when I respond to God’s call to dig deeper in my own soul that he moves me out of the way and positions my life and marriage for radical transformation. It is at this point that God’s blessings rise up and fills my life with rushing streams of goodness.