Menu
Bible Gateway logo
account
  • read
    Read
    the Bible
    • Reading Plans
    • Advanced Search
    • Available Versions
    • Audio Bibles
  • study
    Study
    Tools
    • Scripture Engagement
    • More Resources
  • plus
    Bible Gateway
    Plus
    FLASH SALE!
  • explore
    Explore
    More
    • News & Knowledge
    • Newsletters
    • Devotionals
    • Bible Gateway App
    • Bible Audio App
    • Bible Gateway Blog
  • store
    Store
    • Bibles
    • Deals
    • More
Ad-free Bible reading—Save 20% on monthly plans. Start FREE!
close
Go ad-free and access insights alongside every verse! Save 20% on monthly plans and go deeper in Scripture.
close
account Log In/Sign Up show menu
1940 Bulgarian Bible (BG1940)
Version
Bible Book List Bible Book List
Font Size Font Size

◀Devotionals/The NIV Couples Devotional - Saturday, April 12, 2025
Share Print
Prev Day Prev Day
Reading Completed Reading Completed | April 12, 2025 Use the calendar to view readings from this plan. close
Next Day Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

April 2025 Previous Next
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
    1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30      
Return to today's reading

Log in to read this devotional and:

  • Have reminders sent directly to your email
  • Record your reading progress
  • Pause your devotional at any time to read at your own pace
Log In

The NIV Couples Devotional

Duration: 365 days

Fighting Over Nothing

Joel 2:1–32

Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things!
Joel 2:21

In the midst of calamity, of living with the consequences of sin, the prophet Joel reminds us not to be afraid, but rather to be glad and rejoice, for “the LORD has done great things!” This is a great reminder for me in marriage.

Okay, my marriage doesn’t usually feel like a calamity. But at times it has felt impossible . . . like a mistake… like a mess. It has felt, to borrow an image from Joel, like a horde of locusts has come in and taken over everything.

Our most recent rough patch was over nothing. I think the immediate cause was sleep deprivation and too many evening meetings at church and work. Griff and I just got stuck, like a needle on a broken record. For about three days, we couldn’t exchange a pleasant word, let alone a loving one.

We had lost our sense of being a team. Each, I think, was thinking, “I’m contributing way more here.” One of us was thinking, “I do way more housework,” and the other was thinking, “I slog away at work for endless hours to pay the mortgage.” And together we were concluding, “Why do I put up with this? I’m not getting anything out of it.” There were moments in that three-day period when I seriously wondered if we would ever get through that horrible time. “This is how we’ll be for the rest of forever,” I thought.

Our dissatisfaction was not only superficial but also sinful. We were allowing ourselves to feel alienated from each other and to enjoy strangely delicious feelings of self-righteous annoyance. I felt a little superior; I’m sure Griff did too.

The prophet Joel told the people of Judah that unless they got their act together (that is, repented), God would destroy them just as locusts had destroyed their land.

At the time, I didn’t think God was waiting around to unleash lightning bolts on our marriage. But unless Griff and I repented of our small sins—tetchiness, selfishness, anger—our small sins would quickly become large sins that could do serious harm to our marriage.

At times like that, I find it helpful to remember that the Lord has done great things. He has done great things in our marriage. He has gotten us through far worse patches than three days of clawing at each other. Remembering that I don’t have to be in control and that I should cede that control to God, who has done great things, leads me to repent. After three days or three hours of tetchiness, repentance can be as simple and profound as acknowledging that if I let God into the situation, we won’t feel so stuck.

For me, the beginning of repentance is as basic as picturing Jesus walking into the situation. Sometimes I do that when Griff and I are in the middle of a squabble. Sometimes, I can’t get there until later, when I’m alone. Then I replay the scene, the tension and the annoyance, and I envision Jesus showing up. This is not just some imaginative exercise. It is a prayer, a plea for help. And the God who does great things answers.
Lauren Winner

Let’s Talk

  • What are some of the great things God has done in our marriage?
  • What are some small sins in our marriage that sometimes threaten to turn into big, destructive sins?
  • How might inviting Jesus into our squabbles lead us to repentance? What might change as a result?
Prev Day Prev Day
Top
Next Day Next Day

About

  • About
  • News & Knowledge
  • Statement of Faith
  • Mobile App
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Newsroom
  • Support Us

Help

  • FAQs
  • Tutorials
  • Use Bible Gateway on Your Site
  • Advertise with us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • California Privacy Rights
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Cookie notice
  • Site: Terms of use
  • Widget: Terms of use

Our Network

  • FaithGateway
  • StudyGateway
  • ChurchSource
  • HarperCollins Christian Publishing
  • Grupo Nelson
  • Editorial Vida
  • Thomas Nelson
  • WestBow Press
  • Zondervan
  • MasterLectures

Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences
Sign Up for Bible Gateway: News & Knowledge
Get weekly Bible news, info, reflections, and deals in your inbox.

By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 501 Nelson Pl, Nashville, TN 37214 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateway’s emails at any time. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com.

Preferences

  • Versión en español
  • Preferences