Praising God for Five Years of Marriage

This week marks five years married to my hubby Luke! To celebrate this milestone, I felt compelled to publicly praise Jesus and share a bit of our story with you all today.

The beginning

When Luke and I got married five years ago, he was pretty sick. If you’ve been following me for a long time, you might remember I shared a little bit about him having a chronic illness. At the time, he had a diagnosis but his treatment was not working for him. On top of that, Luke and I were both going through major career changes. We had both been pursuing music at the time, but due to his health, he decided to go back to school. And within the same week of his decision, I quit my job as a church worship leader to pursue my business full-time.

So much of our identity was wrapped up in music, so these changes felt like major losses. We had always pictured our lives a certain way, but God was clearly moving us in different directions. So we let go of our long-time dreams and entered into uncharted territory.

In the storm

While Luke was in school, he got so sick that he had to get surgery. Thankfully, the Lord used surgery to bring major relief and healing to Luke’s body. He still has minor issues, but his body seems to be responding well to his ongoing treatment.

We got over that obstacle, but then we were faced with several trials – financial struggles being just one of them. These were stressful times, and looking back, I would have done things differently. However, God even uses our mistakes to accomplish His purposes in the lives of believers. He really grew us in prayer, because we were so dependent on Him to provide for our most basic needs. We saw great displays of His mercy during this time. It was pretty incredible.

This was our hardest season. But in God’s great mercy, He got us connected with our pastor Ian who led us through biblical counseling. We learned how to apply the Word of God and experience its power to redeem the broken areas of our lives. God used biblical counseling to really grow Luke and me closer to Christ individually and as a couple. It was truly life changing!

Five years… to today

It’s amazing to look at God’s faithfulness over the past five years – the spiritual and physical healing we’ve experienced, the growth, and ultimately His provision over all things. Luke eventually got a great job and my business is finally in a steady place. Luke’s health remains stable as well! We may be out of that long storm of a season, but our life is certainly not without its problems… no one could have prepared any of us for a worldwide crisis!

Where would we be?

Covid especially has caused us to reflect on how the Lord has faithfully gone before us these five years of marriage. Where would we be if we had remained in music? We certainly wouldn’t have gigs and we might not even have jobs at the church due to cutbacks and online services. We were so heartbroken by the loss of our music dreams at the time. But today, we are exceedingly grateful for the new careers God provided for us and the timing of when He guided our steps. God has graciously sustained us during very unstable times in the world. 

What if…

Another question we have thought about is, What if Luke had needed surgery during the beginning of the pandemic? I wouldn’t have been able to be with him at the hospital and care for him in all the ways I got to. The timing felt horrible (in many ways it was), but it was better than having to navigate pandemic restrictions on top of it all. 

We’ve learned that sometimes blessings don’t look like blessings at the time. But because God is gracious and merciful, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” –Romans 8:28

God is sovereign

My husband and I could ask what if questions all day long, but we know the Lord is sovereign. I will not forget my despair in some of Luke’s sickest moments and messages of God’s sovereignty brought little to no comfort. I wrestled with tough questions like, If God is sovereign, then why is He allowing Luke to be so sick? And, What does God’s sovereignty mean for me personally?

I’ve since learned that when I question God’s sovereignty, I’m:

• Not trusting in His promises to provide for His children (Jeremiah 29:11)
• Not truly believing that He uses trials to produce unshakable faith within us (James 1:2-3)
• Forgetting that He promises to work all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28)

The hope we have

Jesus doesn’t promise us health, wealth, and prosperity. He does promise suffering. But, He is not some sick God who delights in our misery. He is loving, kind, and merciful. So much so, that He left heaven to suffer on behalf of you and me – unworthy sinners. By His grace, when we put our faith in Jesus – meaning we repent of our sins and trust in Him alone as Lord and Savior – we are redeemed and promised eternal life! God promises, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” –Revelation 21:4

I don’t know what the future holds, but God does. Luke and I have seen in just five years of marriage how God has faithfully gone before us. He has allowed us to go through many things we would have avoided if we had the choice, but we wouldn’t trade our growth in Christ for anything. 

God has unique plans for each one of us. He will allow us to walk through different challenges, but His character and promises remain unchanging. Cling to that promise today, sweet friend. Whatever you are walking through today, you can trust Him. He is sovereign and He is faithful.

“You have encircled me behind and in front, And placed Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.” – Psalm 139:5-6 NASB

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Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.