GOD’S DESIGN FOR MARRIAGE 1
Dear Reader,
I welcome you to another wonderful month. This month, we shall focus on: ‘God’s Design for Marriage’. We understand that marriage is significant to God, and as such, He has ordained it for us to provide a picture of His love for men and women. Marriage is the means through which married couples demonstrate their love for God and a means of serving and glorifying God. Young women who view marriage as their chief goal are turning the wedding and married state into an idol. God planned for marriage to be a blessed state of mutual service to Him. Dr Myles Monroe once said, ‘When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable’. In other words, when the purpose of a thing created is not known, it is bound to be abused (misused). Just as we have drug abuse in the society, we also have a lot of ‘Marriage abuse’. So many people who are involved in marriage or are intending to get into it do not know the purpose for which God, the manufacturer of marriage, made it; therefore, they misuse it.
Whether you are married or intending to get married soon, as you follow this teaching with concentration, God will open your eyes to the truth that will exempt you from the heartaches and sorrows others experience in marriage today! God is a God of purpose; there is nothing He created that is purposeless or useless, and that includes marriage. God had several purposes for instituting marriage, and I will be discussing each one as outlined in the Holy Scriptures.
HELP
Before Eve was brought into Adam’s life, certain responsibilities had been committed to him. God’s Word says in Genesis 1:28, And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. That statement is a blessing, but it also connotes responsibility. Certainly, Adam needed help, but it was also his duty to dress and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). God saw that he needed help to fulfil those responsibilities, and He said, …It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him (Genesis 2:18). So, God sent him help in the form of a woman; one that was suitable, adaptable and complementary to him. She was not just any kind of help, she was ‘A help meet for him’. Therefore, marriage was created to help man, not to hurt him. It was created for his comfort, not discomfort. Both the husband and wife are meant to support one another in every area of life. When a man is struggling to carry a heavy load alone, he experiences a lot of strain and struggles, but once he has someone to share it with, he is relaxed. Marriage is created for improved living, so be determined to make yours that way.
REINFORCEMENT
God expects the married couple to be stronger spiritually than when they were both single. In Deuteronomy 32:30, the Bible says, How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? That means the spiritual efforts of two people who are united in marriage is supposed to be ten thousand times more effective than that of a single person. This kind of spiritual reinforcement results in all-round prosperity in the lives of the couple (3 John 2). Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Marriage is God’s strategy to ensure that the devil or the pressures of life never overcome His children. However, many women complain of not being as spiritually active as they were before marriage. Some claim it is because they are faced with greater responsibilities (a husband and children to look after, meals to cook and general household chores), particularly if they are also employed outside the home. I have been married for more than two decades now and blessed with four children, yet I am full of zeal in the service of the Lord, facing each day with a new determination to climb higher. The secret is, I embraced the Word of God that says, Two are better than one… (Ecclesiastes 4:9) and have used it to invigorate my life for a higher calling and service unto God.
PROCREATION
The Bible says, And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:28).Marriage is for procreation. God purposed it to be a means of multiplication and sustenance for the human race. Psalm 127:3 says, Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. One of the rewards of marriage is the fruit of the womb. Every couple looks forward to having children, so sometimes, when they do not, grief and frustration sets in, which may lead to ungodly situations like divorce and keeping of concubines by the men. The love a couple has for each other is strengthened when they see themselves reproduce in their children. However, it is clear from Scripture that barrenness was never part of God’s original plan for man; it came as a result of sin, so it is a curse (Deuteronomy 28:18). But God sent Jesus to redeem mankind from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). If you are born again, you are exempted from the curse of barrenness. Therefore, see your frustrations ending now! Begin to believe God for your own children because you are entitled to fruitfulness and multiplication.
COMPANIONSHIP
Every man is created to crave constant fellowship. It is one of the major motivating factors that draw two people of the opposite sex together. After creation, the only thing God called ‘not good’ was the fact that man was alone. Loneliness has been discovered to be one of the causes of mental retardation and erratic behaviours in many people who are in that condition. True companionship is what makes marriage meaningful. Spouses are not meant to be roommates but the closest of friends. It is unfortunate that many couples are missing out on this wonderful aspect of marriage. They live under the same roof, yet they are more or less strangers. Such marriages are empty, and with time, their frustration will lead to divorce. This is not the will of God; He expects you to have a sweet communion, not only with Him but also with your partner. Proverbs 27:17 says, Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. There are some decisions I would have taken that would not have profited me, but because I am privileged to be married to a sincere and godly man, who is not only my husband but also my best friend, confidant and closest adviser, those errors were avoided. Despite the years we have spent together as a couple, I still miss my husband a great deal whenever he is not around. That is proof of companionship. You too can enjoy the fulfilment and honour that God has reserved for you in marriage by building your home according to His laid down purpose. You will not fail, in Jesus name!
However, to enjoy the fulfilment and honour God has reserved for you in marriage, you must be born again. If you are not yet born again, and you desire to do so right now, please pray this prayer with faith in your heart: Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins and cleanse me with Your Blood. I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Make me a child of God today. Thank You for delivering me from sin and satan to serve the living God, and thank You for accepting me into Your Kingdom.
Congratulations! If you prayed this simple prayer of faith with me, you are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave you. Read your Bible daily, obey God’s Word and seek Christian fellowship (John 14:21). With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace, in Jesus name! Call or write to share your testimonies with me through oyedepofaitha@gmail.com, 07026385437 OR 08141320204. For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building a Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).