6 Proven Ways to Guard Sacred Time with God in Marriage 🛡️

⏳ The Margin Test: Where Does Your Time Go? ✨

In the whirlwind of modern life—careers, kids, finances, and marriage maintenance—the first thing to be sacrificed is often the most important: Time with God.

You might feel a spiritual drift, thinking, “I’ll get back to my Bible reading once the kids are older,” or “We’ll pray together when this project is over.” But spiritual drift is never intentional; it is the inevitable result of neglecting your anchor.

The health of your marriage is directly proportional to the health of your individual relationships with God. If the streams that feed the reservoir run dry, the reservoir will fail.

How do you guard sacred time with God in marriage?

You must treat your spiritual life as the most critical appointment on your calendar. It requires building intentional margin, both individually and corporately.

1. Guard Your Individual Time (The Pre-Nup of Devotion) 👤

The Principle: You cannot give your spouse what you have not received from God. The Method: Establish a non-negotiable time for personal devotion (the “quiet time”). This often means getting up 30 minutes before your spouse or staying up 30 minutes after.

• The Agreement: The spouse who is not having their quiet time is responsible for running interference (handling the crying baby, making coffee silently) so the other can focus.
• The Benefit: This prevents co-dependence, ensuring your spiritual fulfillment comes from Christ alone, not from your spouse.

2. Implement the “First Fruits” Rule (Morning Priority) 🌅

The Principle: Give God the best energy of your day, not the leftovers. The Method: Avoid starting your day with the phone, the news, or emails. Dedicate the first 5-10 minutes of your consciousness to gratitude or a simple prayer.

• The Practice: Even if you can’t have a full quiet time, start the day with one simple truth. Say Psalm 118:24: “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
• The Benefit: This sets the spiritual tone for your home, treating God as a priority, not an afterthought.

3. Establish the “10-Minute Huddle” (Corporate Prayer) 🤝

The Principle: Do not let the lack of a perfect hour prevent you from having a faithful 10 minutes. The Method: Pick the one time slot that consistently works—often right before bed or immediately after dinner—and commit to praying together.

• The Structure: Keep it simple. Share one Gratitude, one Struggle, and pray one sentence for each.
• The Benefit: Shared prayer makes conflict resolution easier and ensures you are aware of the unseen spiritual battles your spouse is fighting.

For more on the power of this unit, read One-Team Marriage: Win Together, Not Against Each Other.

4. Schedule Spiritual Planning (The Sabbath Audit) 📆

The Principle: What gets scheduled gets done. The Method: During a weekly Sabbath rest or planning session (e.g., Sunday afternoon), review your spiritual life.

• The Audit: Ask simple questions: “Are we both getting time alone with God?” “What is one spiritual goal for the week?” “Is there any unresolved sin between us?”
• The Benefit: This brings your spiritual health out of the abstract and into measurable, intentional accountability.

5. Use “Car Prayer” (The Transitional Moment) 🚗

The Principle: Use transitional moments to transition your heart toward God. The Method: Instead of using car rides to talk about bills or school schedules, dedicate 5 minutes of any drive longer than 15 minutes to quiet prayer or listening to a sermon.

• The Practice: When leaving the house, pray for God’s protection. When arriving home, pray for grace to leave the work-day stress at the door.
• The Benefit: It prevents the secular world from seeping into your home without intention.

6. Embrace the “Digital Sabbath” (Creating Margin) 📵

The Principle: You must actively create space for God by removing the noise of the world. The Method: Choose a 24-hour period (e.g., Saturday evening to Sunday evening) where screens are minimized or turned off entirely.

• The Focus: Redirect the energy usually spent scrolling or streaming toward reading scripture, discussing a devotional, or having deep conversation.
• The Benefit: When you silence the world, you give your souls room to hear the quiet voice of the Spirit, strengthening both your vertical and horizontal relationships.

Conclusion: The Unbreakable Anchor 🌟

How do you guard this sacred time?

By recognizing that every minute spent drawing nearer to God is a minute spent strengthening the anchor of your marriage. Your spiritual health is not a passive pursuit; it is a defensive strategy.

Guard your time. Guard your focus. Guard your heart. The future of your marriage depends on it.

Reflection: What is the single biggest “time thief” that is preventing you from having consistent time with God right now?