26 Marriage Devotional: Why We Hide from God and How to Return to Restoration

Show notes

About This Episode We all sin, and when we do, our first instinct is usually the same one Adam and Eve had in the garden: hide. In week 26 of the Marriage After God devotional series, Aaron and Jennifer Smith read through Genesis 3 and name the fear, shame, guilt, and pride that keep us covering ourselves with fig leaves instead of running to the God who is already calling out, "Where are you?" Aaron shares openly about the years he hid his pornography addiction from Jennifer and what finally gave him the courage to confess, and together they describe how confession broke sin's power and restored intimacy in their marriage. With Romans 12, Proverbs 28:13, and Psalm 139 as anchors, they offer three encouragements: stop hiding from God, make confession a practice in your marriage, and receive your spouse's confession with grace instead of using it against them. It ends with discussion questions, a call to action, and prayer.

About Aaron & Jennifer Smith Aaron and Jennifer Smith are the founders of Marriage After God and authors of Husband After God, Wife After God, and Marriage After God. Married since 2007 and raising six children in Bend, Oregon, they started Husband Revolution and Unveiled Wife to share what God was teaching them, not from a place of having it figured out, but as fellow travelers pointing couples back to Jesus.

In This Episode 00:27 — Welcome back to week 26 — Aaron and Jennifer return after a month away and set up the final four episodes of the devotional series. 01:56 — The ugly truth: we all sin — Why honestly admitting our sin nature is the starting point for this whole conversation. 02:25 — What is sin? — James 4:17 and Romans 14:23 define sin, and a Wife After God quote calls it an offense against God. 04:19 — Responding to conviction, not practicing sin — The difference between excusing sin and letting the Holy Spirit lead us to repentance and reconciliation. 06:17 — Genesis 3: Adam and Eve hide — Jennifer reads Genesis 3:6-11 and the couple unpacks humanity's first response to sin. 07:45 — Why we run and hide — Fear of judgment, shame, and being seen drive us into the bushes just like Adam. 09:41 — God still came to restore — The sound of God walking went from joy to fear, yet He pursued them anyway. 10:37 — The enemy's second lure — After tempting us to sin, the enemy tempts us to hide and keep intimacy severed. 13:28 — Sin severs intimacy — How unrepentant sin creates tension in marriage and distance from God, and why the two are intertwined. 15:22 — God covers us with Christ — Blame shifting, God's covering in the garden, and how confession breaks sin's power instantly. 16:52 — Fig leaves vs. God's covering — Why "I'll figure it out on my own" never works and how submitting to God transforms us. 18:17 — Romans 12:1-2: living sacrifice, renewed mind — Repentance as spiritual worship and replacing the lies we believe with God's truth. 21:09 — Why do people hide? — Fear of consequences, guilt, disappointment, and being seen differently by the people we love. 21:39 — Aaron's story of hiding — Aaron shares how fear of shame kept him from confessing his pornography addiction to Jennifer for years. 24:32 — The root is pride — Pride as self-protection, and Romans 3:23 and 1 John 1:8 on our universal sin nature. 26:21 — Sin, fear, and pride: a deadly force — A Wife After God quote on justification and the picture of a wound left infected by hiding. 29:09 — Cleaning the wound — The band-aid analogy, Leviticus and leprosy, and Christ as the High Priest who declares us clean. 31:03 — Proverbs 28:13: the whole message — Whoever conceals transgressions will not prosper; Luke 8:17 and Psalm 139:12 remind us nothing is hidden and it is safe with God. 32:29 — Feeling the distance — How unrepentant sin drains your prayer life, your ministry, and your closeness as a couple. 33:29 — Raw transparency and true freedom — The best moments of their marriage came through confession, forgiveness, and being fully known. 35:27 — Three encouragements — Stop hiding from God, make confession a practice in your marriage, and receive your spouse's confession with grace. 37:33 — He convicts because He loves you — Fig leaves can't cover us, Jesus can, and why fear and pride must not win. 38:30 — Confess quickly, often, and boldly — The longer you hide the graver the effects, and a Marriage After God quote on transparency as a flashlight. 39:57 — Discussion questions — Have you hidden from God, how has sin affected intimacy, and why does hiding seem easier than the truth? 41:26 — Call to action — Drag your sin into the light, go to God and repent, then go to your spouse and invite accountability. 42:23 — Closing prayer — Aaron prays for healing, restored intimacy, and courage to confess in marriages everywhere.

Scripture Referenced James 4:17, Romans 14:23, Genesis 3:6–11, Ephesians 5, Romans 12:1–2, John 4:24, Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8, Proverbs 28:13, Luke 8:17, Psalm 139:12, James 1:15, 1 John 1:9

Resources from This Episode Husband After God by Aaron Smith Wife After God by Jennifer Smith Marriage After God by Aaron & Jennifer Smith Shop Marriage After God Full show notes and blog post

If this conversation encouraged you, please share it with a couple you love, and subscribe wherever you listen. Follow us on Instagram: Marriage After God · Unveiled Wife · Husband Revolution Want to go deeper? Become a patron and help us keep creating resources for marriages that pursue God together. Smith Family Resources, Inc © 2026