by Dennis and Barbara Rainey

Psalm 51:1,2
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

King David had sent a man to his death so he could take that man's wife for his own. But when the prophet Nathan rebuked him for this terrible sin, David had a choice: He could turn from God (perhaps even finding a way to blame others for what he had done), or he could admit his offense and repent.

As we all know, David recognized that God was speaking to him through Nathan, and he decided to repent. The beautiful words of Psalm 51 speak of his broken heart.

I wonder how many people hear God speaking through another person yet make the wrong choice? What if Chuck Swindoll, in that defining moment in his kitchen during his tenth year of marriage, had refused to listen to his wife's cry of pain? What if he had continued in his selfish ways?

One of two things probably would have occurred. First, he might have continued to progress and achieve fame and notoriety-only to have his life and ministry fall apart at a later date. Second, God might have clamped shut the working of the Holy Spirit in and through him, and today he'd be ministering somewhere with very little impact.

Sooner or later, a man who continues on the path of selfishness and rebellion will end up empty and defeated. If he is fortunate, he will listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, often speaking through his mate, early on and save himself years of misery.

When Cynthia Swindoll told Chuck that she didn't feel part of his ministry, "It was like a light clicked on in the room." He told himself, "Swindoll wake up. This is the best thing you could be hearing. This could be the making of your marriage."

You can thrive in a marriage when you commit to create a partnership under the guidance of the Holy Spirit-and when you're willing to listen to Him speaking.

Prayer:

Take your wife's hand and genuinely thank God for her.

Discuss: What has God taught you through your mate? In what situations has the Holy Spirit used your mate to help you become more Christlike?

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