| Share |  |
 | |||
The Marriage Miracle
Another fruitful summer season of Ladies’ Bible Study ended and the reports of God’s working transformation continued to reach me. The testimony that surprised me the most was concerning a dear sister in Christ who found God’s answer to her question, “Is my husband the one for me?” You can imagine the Father’s response. As Dr. David Jeremiah once stated on his radio broadcast, “If you are married, then, you are married to the right one.”
Maybe you can identify with my friend and her questioning heart. It is not unusual for one to ponder a possible mistake in the selection of a life-long mate.
We can find comfort in knowing the same question, “Are you the one?” shows up in the holy scriptures.
Let us depart momentarily from the marriage theme in order to look at a bleak season near the end of John the Baptist’s life. As he waited for the outcome of his prison sentence, John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the One?” It was the answer that Christ gave to John’s messengers that begs our attention. He told them, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22, NIV). In essence, Jesus said, “Believe upon the miracles.”
When difficulties in marriage arise, and the same question surfaces, hear Jesus’ words quiet your doubts:
“Believe upon the miracle.”
The marriage miracle that confirms your spouse is the one appears five times in the Bible. Starting in the book of Genesis we read, “they will become one flesh.”1 God’s design of the marriage covenant is an unbreakable union, a miraculous joining of two distinct individuals to create a blessed one. “What God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6, NIV).
I can hear the protests: “But I don’t feel united with my husband,” and, “It seems as though we are living two separate lives.” To clarify, the supernatural work of God in which He takes two and makes them one is not based upon feelings. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, meaning, we have to accept this work of God by faith.
Paul makes an interesting point when he defines the marriage miracle. He calls it “a profound mystery” but clarifies he is speaking of Christ and His Church.2 His depicting marriage with such depth of meaning opens our eyes to its greater purpose. Not only do couples experience the deepest level of companionship in earthly relationships through marriage, but they also proclaim a heavenly message to the world: Christ and His Church are one! This is the hope of the Church, the redeemed of God. Jesus the Bridegroom is returning for His Bride.
There is a wedding date on God’s kingdom calendar, and just because the promise may seem long in coming does not mean it is nullified. No, the Father will keep His word on that day he tells Jesus, “Now,” and, in an instant, we “will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”3
I don’t know what reflecting on the future reality of the glorious union with Jesus does for you, but it definitely charges me with faith, excitement and purpose. Is it any wonder that the enemy of God would want the current earthly representation of the future union wiped out from existence?
The enemy works hard to destroy each marriage and currently gains a foothold in defining what constitutes a marriage. He seeks to pervert the holy institution designed by God. Why? Why is marriage a bulls- eye mark for the kingdom of darkness? The answer is simple: if he can destroy marriage, he can destroy the hope of Jesus’ return.
It’s the same tactic employed in the Garden: “Did God really say…?” The enemy is masterful at inciting doubt in our hearts through erasing all signs of hope.
Hope is here because hope is in your marriage miracle. God took two, made them one, and He never said, “Undone.” Let us contend for our marriages, because the blessed union speaks of a glorious one to come. Let us remember the message that rings forth to a questioning world as we honor one another and God in the holy covenant of marriage: Jesus is coming again!
Notes:
- Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Mark 10:8; 1 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 5:31
- Ephesians 5:32
- 1 Thessalonians 4:17
Copyright © 2008-2015 Renee Beamer
Post Your Comment...
|
|
||||||||||||
