Psalm 84:1
“How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!”
Marriage is supposed to be an enjoyable relationship between a man and a woman. When God instituted marriage, He meant for it to mirror the relationship between He and the Christian. As is always the case, whenever God meant for something to be good, Satan always tries to destroy it. Psalm 84 talks about the Christian’s attitude towards being in the presence of God. If a marriage is going to stay strong and be happy, these same actions and attitudes must be exercised by every spouse. There are six things revealed in this psalm that will help your marriage to be happy if you will do them.
First, be kind and courteous to your spouse. The verse above says, “How amiable are thy tabernacles…” The word “amiable” means, friendly or cordial. Don’t let the familiarity of marriage cause you to lose your friendliness and courtesy towards each other. Just because you are married doesn’t mean you have the right to be rude to your spouse. If anything, be more polite to your spouse than you are to anyone else.
Second, think about your spouse while you are away. The psalmist says in verse 2, “My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD…” If you would spend more time thinking positively about your spouse while you are away, you might find that you can enjoy each other. Don’t let their physical absence cause you to mentally forget about them.
Third, make your time at home positive. Verse 4 says, “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house…” Be careful that you don’t allow your home to become a war zone. Make home a place of blessing. Make it a place where you both enjoy being together. Learn to leave the hardships of the day at the doorstep when you walk into the house. Make your time at home a time of blessing for both you and your spouse.
Fourth, keep your marriage strong by keeping it pure. Verse 5 says, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee…” Let me simply warn you not to give your strength to another. Avoid those who would take the strength of your marriage. It is difficult to recover the strength of marriage once the purity of marriage has been lost. Whatever you do, protect it!
Fifth, don’t allow the hardships of trials to dry up the blessings of marriage. Verse 6 says, “Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well…” You are going to experience trials, but they don’t have to be the conversation of the marriage. I know you can’t completely avoid it, but don’t make it the focus while you are going through them. Find a way to enjoy the blessings of life while the trials are present. Don’t allow the trials to remove the joy you have in your marriage.
Sixth, make your spouse the best of the best. Verse 10 says, “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand…” Enjoy your spouse for whom God made them to be. Don’t make the mistake of comparing them to others. Make your spouse the person with whom you would rather be with than anyone else. If you don’t compare them to others, and make them your best friend, you will find that you would rather be with them than anyone else.