30 Marriage Devotional: How to Have a Marriage After God

Show notes

About This Episode Most of us want a marriage that looks impressive. God is after a marriage that tells the truth about struggle, grace, and what Christ can do when two people finally let go. In the final episode of the 30-week Marriage After God devotional series, Aaron and Jennifer share the story that changed everything for them: a hopeless season a few years into marriage, a silent Sunday drive to church, and the moment the Holy Spirit brought Aaron to Jesus praying in Gethsemane. If Jesus could surrender His will for a bride who would fail Him, could Aaron do the same for his? That question broke him, and the promise he made to Jennifer that day became the foundation of everything they've built since. This episode is for the couple who feels like there's nothing left, and for the couple who wants their marriage to be something others can imitate.

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 — Series finale — Thirty weeks through Husband After God and Wife After God, what's coming this fall, and how to send topic ideas 01:52 — Transformation from the inside out — "Not about perfection, but about progress" — why a transformed spouse means a transformed marriage 03:45 — Investing in your marriage — God's Word, marriage books, Bible studies, and asking God where He wants to grow you 04:39 — The story from Husband After God — A few years in, trying on their own strength, and feeling hopeless for the first time 06:03 — A cold, quiet car ride to church — Emotionally upset, numb, and barely present for the sermon 07:34 — Matthew 26:36–44 — Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me" 09:04 — "My soul is very sorrowful" — Why Jesus can relate to a husband or wife in despair 10:23 — What God showed Aaron — If My Son could yield for His bride, can you yield for yours? 11:50 — "While we were still sinners" — Love that doesn't wait for your spouse to change first 12:49 — The apology and the promise — "I promise to love you like Christ" — and what it did to Jennifer's heart 13:48 — What changed and what didn't — Trusting each other because they were trusting God 15:42 — Reframing expectations — From "what I want" to "God, what is Your design for marriage?" 16:09 — The cup of wrath — The Passover cups, Jesus' human will, and "not my will, but yours" as the start of every transformation 18:06 — For the couple with nothing left — How God's Word confronts hopelessness 19:05 — The birth of Unveiled Wife and Husband Revolution — Sharing the journey, not a finished product 21:22 — Confession and transparency — Why bringing struggles into the light dissipates the power of darkness 23:14 — Falling in love again — How praying "help me love my wife / respect my husband" changed the way they saw each other 24:41 — Personal transformation comes first — Your relationship with God is where the transformation flows from 25:09 — Steps of faith — Share your journey, find godly couples, and be careful of friends who lead you away from truth 26:05 — "All of our marriages are proclaiming a message" — What message is yours showing the world? 27:31 — Not a perfect marriage — Reconciliation, perseverance, and restoration are the message of the gospel 28:29 — What a marriage after God is — Jennifer's definition: accepts hard times, perseveres, stays constant in the Word and prayer 29:29 — Sanctification is a lifelong pursuit — Not a one-time transformation 29:59 — "A marriage after God is one that others can imitate" — Closing quote from the Marriage After God book 30:28 — Discussion questions — Affectionate gestures that draw you closer, and the hardest part of writing a love letter 31:51 — This week's call to action — Write a love letter to your spouse and share it with them 33:47 — Congratulations — You finished the series — share it with another couple 34:30 — Closing prayer — "Bring hope where there's hopelessness, peace where there's chaos"

Scripture Referenced Matthew 26:36–44, Romans 5:8, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 11:1

Resources from This Episode Husband After God by Aaron Smith Wife After God by Jennifer Smith Marriage After God by Aaron & Jennifer Smith Full show notes and blog post Start the series from the beginning: all 30 devotional episodes Send topic ideas for future episodes to @marriageaftergod on Instagram

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