Happy anniversary, dear Ken! Happy anniversary, Joni!
Joni: Thirty years of marriage!
Ken: Amazing!
Joni: Three decades! Does this qualify us to give advice, do you think?
Ken: I don’t know, but you know we’ve learned a lot in those 30 years. Joni, you know one of the things that I would say is prayer has been huge in our marriage.
Joni: Oh, absolutely, hands down. I think prayer beats any “how to” marriage manual or couples conference. What I love about it, Ken, is that you join me in prayer.
Ken: Yes and it’s not a formality, we just pray all the time.
Joni: We do! Like coming here this morning to the Joni and Friends International Disability Center, hikin’ down the freeway, we pray. We pray about people who have lost their loved ones, people who are struggling with serious illnesses, terminal illnesses; we pray for each other. I always pray that God will keep you from the world, the flesh and the devil.
Ken: Well I’m assured in the 30 years when I am apart from you I know you are praying for me. I can feel it.
Joni: Thank you. When you went fishing recently I was excited to hear that you got the big jackpot fish and what did you say to the guys?
Ken: Yeah, the guys were all jealous because they knew that my wife was praying for me… don’t know about the big fish, but praying for me. That was so cool.
Joni: And you know what, whenever we get into a tight situation, an uncomfortable trial that even becomes a signal: “Aha, we should pray about this!” I think with those trials that you and I face with this disability … We’re still going through checkups after my battle with cancer—it’s a lot of things to do, a lot of challenges, but they keep pressing us up against prayer.
Ken: And you know something, Joni, as we have come to 30 years in our marriage we realize that the enemy is not you, or the disability or the bankruptcy, or the disagreement, or whatever might be troubling us at the time, the enemy is Satan himself.
Joni: Oh, I’m glad I’m not the enemy; thank you for that!
Ken: No, no, you’re not the enemy. He hates marriage!
Joni: He does, and this fierce adversary of ours will do everything in his power to suffocate married love, so friends listening …
Ken: … You got to be alert!
Joni: Be on the alert; keep casting yourself on Jesus, relying on Him even when you don’t feel like it, huh, Ken!
Ken: Oh, yeah!
Joni: And when things feel overwhelming I think that’s the time that couples need to ask for help, don’t you think?
Ken: Yes, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Joni: God never intended that marriage should be isolated from other believers. Besides, I think asking for help keeps you humble. You are a guy; it is easy to ask for help?
Ken: No, it isn’t, but you are right and I think we need to underscore that. Asking for help keeps us humble!
Joni: Absolutely! We all know that humility is what keeps the devil at bay, so friends listening 30 years of marriage—again I don’t know if that makes us experts, but I trust that you will see that your spouse, your loved one, when there is a disagreement, that person is not the enemy. No, it’s the devil and he wants to do everything he can to rip apart Christian marriage and also any kind of Christian relationship, any relationship/friendship that is Christ-centered. Nothing displeases the devil more than to see Christians come together. He likes to divide and conquer. But, Ken, I thank you so much for helping me conquer 45 years in a wheelchair, cancer, chronic pain. You and your support, your advocacy for me is what keeps me going. By the grace of God, thank you.
Ken: I love you, Joni and I can only say after 30 years I love you even more.
Joni: Me too! Love you Ken.
Ken: Love you, Joni.
Oh, and one more thing! Do not forget to stop by my radio page at joniandfriends.org. God bless you and thank you for listening to Joni and Friends.
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