Inviting God and His Blessings into Your Marriage

PRAYING THE SCRIPTURES FOR YOUR MARRIAGE 

This is the latest addition to Jodie’s bestselling Praying the Scriptures series which includes: Praying the Scriptures for Your Children, Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens, and more. Her book on marriage is not about “fixing” your spouse. “It is about bringing your cares and questions to God knowing He has good plans for our marriages and that He delights in fulfilling His best purposes in our lives,” shares Jodie. The book consists of anecdotes from her 37-year marriage to her husband, Robbie, as well as from other couples. 

NAVIGATING MARRIAGE WITH PRAYER

Jodie shares how you can support and pray with your spouse in some of the most common marriage struggles so you can build a more loving, connected marriage:

•    Handling Conflict - Jodie shares, “Satan hates marriage because it reflects God’s love for His people. When we buy the lie that our spouse is our adversary, we play right into Satan’s hands.” She recalls a time when Robbie and she were invited to a party after moving to Atlanta. There was dancing and music at this event. After several unsuccessful attempts to get Robbie to dance with her, Jodie left the party feeling defeated. Robbie eventually embraced the idea of stepping outside his comfort zone and dancing with her when the opportunity presents itself. He is now an accomplished and willing dance partner which came in handy for their three daughters’ weddings. Approach marriage with the mindset that you are on the same team. Learn to let go of anger quickly, don’t complain about your spouse to your friends, and be careful of the words that come out of your mouth because you can’t take them back. 

•  Parenting Priorities - “The greatest thing we can do for our kids is to model Christ’s love and put his John 13:34 command into practice by loving one another,” reveals Jodie. Although she and Robbie made their share of parenting mistakes, they are convinced they did two things right: “First, we let our kids see us pray. We knew we didn’t have all the answers, and we openly acknowledged our dependence on God. Our children learned to look past our weaknesses and recognize God’s strength and provision for our family.” The second thing they did right, which gave their kids a greater sense of security and family stability, was to ignore them (for about ten to fifteen minutes every day). This parenting strategy was to avoid “child centered parenting,” and allow them to prioritize the husband-wife relationship. For example, when Robbie came home from work at night Jodie and he would take fifteen minutes of “couch time” to talk about the day before he interacted with the children. This allowed the children the opportunity to see that their marriage was stable and that they prioritized one another.  

•  Handling Money - What matters to God more than our financial portfolio is our unity. In their marriage, Jodie yields to Robbie on some financial decisions because she knows he values her opinions and that he is accountable to God.                            

•  Learning to Listen - Listening promotes understanding and is great way to show love, to let our spouse know that what they are saying is valuable and important. Don’t be a serial interrupter. Jodie says, “Treat each other with love and respect as God charges us to do in Ephesians 5:21-23. "Some strategies that have helped them through the years when listening to each other: acknowledging each other’s feelings, listening and identifying the main issue instead of getting distracted by things that don’t matter (Robbie is good about this), and finally after each expressing their thoughts and feelings they determine how they want to proceed.

•  Having Fun - Although marriage takes a lot of work you can also have fun along the way. Even if something does not sound fun to you be sure to try it at least once with your spouse. Jodie once bought a pickle net. Although Robbie was not thrilled with the idea of pickle ball, he mapped out a court with chalk in their driveway. They invited another couple over to play the game and ended up having a great time. 

LIVING ON PURPOSE

To ensure that your marriage will be meaningful and productive, Jodie says you need to discover your biblical calling. “The way we become fruit bearing people who bring glory to God and thereby live out our purpose – is through prayer,” shares Jodie. You may feel awkward praying together with your spouse, but Jodie encourages you to give it a try even it is for only five or ten minutes at a time. When you begin to understand how God wants to work in and through you and your spouse, it will allow you both to become people of impact. 

LOVE IN ACTION

Jodie reveals, “The most important predictor of satisfaction and stability in marriage is kindness. The more someone receives love in action (getting your spouse a cup of coffee, paying attention to your spouse’s needs and desires or appreciating their good intentions) the more they will demonstrate kindness themselves.” The reason this is so important in marriage is because “our lives are meant to bring glory to God. They are “intimate places” where God wants to showcase his splendor…give Him full access to your heart, and let Him do what he does best,” shares Jodie. 

ABOUT JODIE

Jodie is the author of ten books, including the bestselling Praying the Scriptures series. She is also a former television writer and producer and has appeared on Focus on the Family and The 700 Club, as well as other programs and podcasts. Her writing has been featured by media outlets such as Fox News, Proverbs 31 Ministries, and several family and parenting magazines. Jodie speaks to church groups, family conferences, and at parenting events around the country. 

Jodie earned her B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. She also met her husband, Robbie there and all four of their children graduated from the university.

She and Robbie do not claim to be marriage experts, but they have taught marriage classes and mentored many couples on relationship issues. They do believe in the power of prayer, particularly praying the Scriptures, and enjoy talking about how praying can transform relationships.

To purchase Jodie Berndt's book, click here: Praying the Scriptures for Your Marriage. For more information about Jodie Berndt's work, please visit her website, JodieBerndt.com.