January Devotions: 7 Days of Listening to God for Your Dating Relationship
Photo by Finde Zukunft
MONDAY
God’s Voice Is Life for Your Relationship
Nothing is more appealing
than speaking beautiful, life-giving words.
For they release sweetness to our souls
and inner healing to our spirits. (Prov. 16:24 TPT)
Many of us don’t realize how much we would hear from God if we drew away with Him and listened. He speaks in many different ways, many of them subtle: a quiet internal voice, an audible voice, Scripture, thoughts, impressions, mental pictures, etc. He might use any of these ways when He speaks to us about a relationship.
Proverbs 16:24 tells us what His voice is like:
His voice is beautiful.
His voice gives life.
His voice releases sweetness to our souls.
His voice brings healing to the inside of us.
In whatever way He speaks, His voice is good. Nothing else gives us life the way His voice gives us life. As we listen to Him and value what He says, we can trust Him to pour out His blessings in our relationship.
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on Proverbs 16:24, and ask the Lord to explain it to you in light of your relationship. How does Proverbs 16:24 apply to you and the person you’re dating? Write down what He says.
May your Monday be blessed, and may your heart be filled with holy words.
TUESDAY
God’s Voice Is Health for Your Relationship
This is the day which the Lord has made;
Let’s rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24 NASB)
A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Prov. 17:22 AMP)
There’s a reason the Lord tells us to rejoice in the day He has made. A broken heart (the opposite of rejoicing) is painful in our deepest places, but a heart that is happy and joyful attracts healing.
To have the healthiest relationship we can, we need to understand that God is so good that even our days are good, because He made them. The time you have with your significant other is a gift from Him, and it is filled with His health-giving voice and His love (Ps. 5:12).
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on the first line of Proverbs 17:22: “A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing” (AMP). Ask the Lord to explain this verse to you in light of your relationship. Write down what He says.
May your Tuesday be blessed, and may you come to realize God’s love for you in new (and surprising) ways.
WEDNESDAY
God’s Voice Wipes Out Fearful Thoughts
When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice… My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:4–5, 27 NIV)
A lot of people are “scared daters,” and they have a hard time in relationships because they don’t realize they’re listening to fear and not the voice of the Shepherd who loves them. John 10 can be applied to every aspect of our dating relationship: If something doesn’t sound like Jesus, we don’t need to “follow” it.
The enemy often tries to torment us when we take risks, but we can listen to God and know with all our hearts that He’s leading us exactly where He wants us to go. It’s going to be okay, because He’s with us and we know His voice.
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on John 10:4–5, 27, and ask the Lord to explain it to you in light of your relationship. What does He want you to know about His voice? What does He want you to know about your relationship? Write down what He says.
May your Wednesday be blessed, and may you hear the Shepherd’s voice more clearly.
THURSDAY
God’s Voice Changes the Story
So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. (Rom. 8:28 TPT)
The story God is telling about you is different than the story the world is telling about you.
The world likes to describe people harshly: “Look at how this person has failed! They are a screw-up and probably won’t amount to much.”
But God looks at that same person and says, “This person has waited for Me. This person is brave and strong. They know My voice, and they act when I tell them to act. I can change the nation with this person.”
When the Lord speaks about you, He says good things. He has unraveled the works of darkness in your past and turned your past into gold for you (see 1 John 3:8).
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on Romans 8:28, and ask the Lord to explain it to you in light of your relationship. Do you feel like you’re not good enough to be in this relationship? Or are you afraid that your past is going to catch up with you and ruin everything? Talk to God about these things, and find out what He’s saying. Then write down His words.
May your Thursday be blessed, and may your heart rejoice as it hears the precious voice of God today.
FRIDAY
God’s Voice Draws Us into Simplicity with Him
A single day in your courts
is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. (Ps. 84:10 NLT)
The simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Cor. 11:3 NKJV)
When we feel overwhelmed in our relationship—maybe we’re scared, having a hard time communicating, or have no idea how to live out of our hearts—sometimes the answer is simplicity. The Lord loves simple things, and one way we can reconnect with Him is by focusing on a “small” thing He’s said in the past. It can be really simple:
“Your love for me will never stop.”
“You want me to be with You.”
“You have chosen me.”
“Jesus loves me.”
“You are my hope.”
“You are my peace.”
Small, simple acts of worship stir the heart of the Lord.
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on Psalm 84:10, and ask the Lord to explain it to you in light of your relationship. Is there a “small” truth about Him that you can focus on today? Write down what He says.
May your Friday be blessed, and may you discover the beauty of “simple” worship.
SATURDAY
God’s Voice Is a Trustworthy Guide in Your Relationship
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isa. 30:21 NIV)
God is a trustworthy Guide where your relationship is concerned. You don’t ever need to be afraid to listen to Him, because He has your heart in mind and knows what is best for you.
If you have no idea what’s happening in your relationship, if you need to figure some things out, trust the still, small voice that is quietly telling you were to turn next.
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on Isaiah 30:21, and ask the Lord to explain it to you in light of your relationship. Specifically ask Him to reveal how He is guiding you as you get to know this other person. Write down what He says.
May your Saturday be blessed, and may you be able to rest in the awareness of God’s faithful guidance.
SUNDAY
God’s Voice Makes the Way Clear for You and Your Partner
Lord, I have so many enemies!
Lead me to do your will;
make your way plain for me to follow. (Ps. 5:8 GNT)
Every relationship has times of uncertainty, where the path isn’t clear.
“Am I sure this is the right person for me? What if I’m making a mistake? How can I be sure I’m doing what the Lord wants?”
If you feel uncertain in your relationship, ask the Lord to make His way plain to you—to make it obvious to your heart. He loves prayers like this, and He loves helping you.
When He answers this prayer, write down what He says and come back to it the next time you feel uncertain.
What is God saying to you about your relationship? Spend time meditating on Psalm 5:8, and ask the Lord to explain it to you in light of your relationship. Do you trust Him to make His will clear to you? If you feel like you don’t trust Him in this area, talk to Him about it. Also, realize that no matter how you feel right now, the truth is that you can trust Him. Write down what He says to you.
May your Sunday be blessed, and may your heart overflow with the hope of God for your marriage.
Does your heart need to remember who God is? Check out these other devotions:
For more information on sex, marriage, and finding the person who is right for you, get a copy of Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. You can also order the book in Spanish.