Happy New Year’s Eve! As this year draws to a close, I am filled with gratitude and reflection on the reasons God placed it on my heart to create the blog series Marriage After God’s Heart. It has been a journey of growth, faith, and deepening love, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to share these reflections with you.

Each year, like many of us, I find myself reflecting on the past—revisiting what it held personally, professionally, and especially in my marriage. This blog began as a way to draw closer to the Lord and, in turn, to grow closer to my husband.

It was inspired by a marriage devotional I came across, filled with prayers for every imaginable situation. That devotional sparked the idea for Marriage After God’s Heart, especially as a newly married couple (2 years) navigating life together later in life.

As I strive to live my life under the authority of God, I’ve come to realize the importance of intentionally dedicating time and attention to our marriage. A covenant relationship with your spouse mirrors your relationship with God. It is a sacred bond, one that calls us to uphold and nurture it with reverence.

Prayer is a critical part of this journey. This blog, along with the devotional, has helped me craft what intentional prayer in marriage looks like. The logo I designed for this series holds deep significance: the gold bands represent the unbroken, never-ending circle of our wedding rings; the flowers symbolize my wedding bouquet; and the navy color reflects the dress I chose to wear on the day I married my love. Each time I write, I keep the logo design, along with the scripture God places on my heart, as a reminder of the covenant and the beauty of His orchestration in our union.

I often recall that sacred moment when the church doors opened, and I saw my future husband standing at the altar. As the faces of friends and family faded into the background, all I could see was the man God had prepared for me, waiting at the altar. That moment felt like the culmination of a lifetime of waiting, filled with God’s orchestration and grace.

Looking back on 2024, I see the pages and pages of prayers I’ve written for my husband and our marriage.   I’ve always written prayers for my husband, but in January of 2023, I felt led to share my prayer journal with him. My intention was to invite him into the deepest places of my heart, to show him the unfiltered thoughts and emotions that God has placed there. Writing has always been my way of expressing the raw, honest words that He has given me, and by sharing this with my husband, I wanted to create a space for us to connect in prayer and intimacy like never before.

I am so grateful for the covenant in which we live as husband and wife. On January 4, 2023, I wrote my first entry with gratitude for a blessed year ahead, not knowing that year would bring such depths of sorrow and personal trials. It was a season that drove me to lean into God’s word like never before.

It was a season of grief and sadness that continues to challenge me, but God’s faithfulness has been my anchor.

Even in the hardest moments, I have clung to His promises:

• “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).
• “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

The prayer that ended 2023 became my anchor throughout 2024:

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

As 2024 unfolded, my heart remained steadfast in prayer, asking that my marriage be a shining reflection of God’s glory—a living testimony of the love that Jesus has for God, and the love that God has for Jesus. I prayed that our union would be filled with wisdom, discernment, and grace, striving to become a living example of the beautiful three-corded love, woven together with God’s presence at the center. For without Christ, we would have no hope to cling to in times of struggle, darkness, and trial. Without Him, we would have no reason to rise each day and witness the beauty of His creation all around us.

Psalm 33 reminds us to “Sing a new song of praise to Him… for the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything He does.” He delights in all that is just and good; His unfailing love fills the earth. Christ is the very embodiment of that love, filling our world with His presence. The Lord spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and the stars were born. He set the boundaries of the sea and locked the oceans in their vast reservoirs—such is the majesty and power of our God.

As I opened my prayer journal in January 2024, I prayed, “Lord, bring to mind all the goodness and mercy You have shown. Help me to remember all that You have done for me.” Back in November 2023, I prayed these words over my marriage, unaware of the trials and blessings the year would bring. Through it all, I have leaned on God’s Word, trusting that He would continue to guide and strengthen us, just as He always has.

There were moments when all I could muster was, “Father God, I give it all to You”And yet, there were also moments when I saw God moving in powerful ways, answering prayers and working miracles that left me in awe of His greatness. Even in the darkest days, I praised Him, knowing that He is faithful and true.

When God whispered to me to create this blog, to design its logo, and to write these words, I obeyed.  Prayer is the weapon that Satan desperately seeks to steal from us in all areas of our lives, not just in our marriage, because it I the most powerful act of faith we can offer—not only for ourselves but for those we love.

Revelation 5:8 reminds us of the importance of our prayers:

“When the Lamb took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell before Him. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.”

As in 2 Chronicles 20:15 says: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

When God whispers to your heart to write, to encourage others, or to share His truth, respond in obedience.  Commit to embrace the power of prayer in your marriage—a year of deeper, more intentional intercession for your spouse or wife.  Take time to write down the struggles you face, the burdens you carry, and the hopes you hold for your relationship. Lift each one to God in prayer, trusting Him with the outcome.

Praise Him in the midst of it all—even in the most joyful of times, and especially on the hardest days when your heart feels heavy.Offer thanksgiving when the answers aren’t clear, and the path feels uncertain. Praise Him because He is faithful, and His plans are always for your good.

Then watch what God will do. He will bring restoration and hope., making a way where there seemed to be none. He will lift you to heights you never anticipated, transforming your trials and triumphs into a testimony of His love and grace. When you commit to praying for your spouse with unwavering faith and persistent devotion, just as I did from the very start, you will witness God move in ways that surpass your deepest hopes and dreams, unfolding miracles you could never have imagined.

 The bond and emotional intimacy that prayer cultivates in your marriage is beyond words. It becomes a reflection of the deep, sacred connection between God and Christ—an unbreakable unity, woven together by love, grace, and mutual reverence. In this bond, you experience a closeness that mirrors the divine relationship, a shared intimacy that strengthens your love in ways only God can orchestrate.

Psalm 66: reminds us, 

All the earth bows down to you;
    they sing praise to you,
    they sing the praises of your name.”^[a]

⁵ Come and see what God has done,
    his awesome deeds for mankind!
⁶ He turned the sea into dry land,
    they passed through the waters on foot—
    come, let us rejoice in him.
⁷ He rules forever by his power,