Psalm 78:1,13-16 (NAS) The Memory and the Reality

Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

This wonderful heart-piercing Psalm reminds us how gracious our God is in spite of our ingratitude. As we learn to know and trust Him, we will live in the memory and reality of this truth.

He divided the sea and caused them to pass through, and He made the waters stand up like a heap. Then He led them with the cloud by day and all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths. He brought forth streams also from the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers.

God provided for the Israelites; He will provide for us in relationship with our husband. If He controls the light and the waters and the rocks, He can control our husband to protect, provide, tend, and care for us. What wonderful freedom for us as wives to release the “desire to control and change” of our husband to Almighty God. This gives us freedom to work on ourselves and focus on the many verses that command us to “fit into our own husband’s ways.”

Wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives; for in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear (1 Peter 3:1,5,6). Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord (Colossians 3:18). Wives are to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored (Titus 2:5). Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. The wife must see to it that she respects her husband Ephesians (5:22,24,33).

We notice the repeated words “your own” husband. We cannot allow ourselves to focus on how another husband does or doesn’t do for/to his wife. We are to “fit” into our own husband’s ways. This should keep us off the streets and out of trouble for a lifetime. But, in our effort He blesses our tiniest obedience (Psalm 18:20).

So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands (Psalm 78:72).

I ask myself:

1. Before God and the above Psalm 78 words, how do I rate myself on a scale of one-ten (ten being high) as to my “fitting” into my own husband’s ways?
2. How would my husband rate me?

Marriage is “Joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

Nahum 1:7 God is good!