His Favor, Her Protector- The Gift of Marriage

I want to start off by saying there is a gift of marriage and a gift of singleness, each having its own unique benefits and blessings. I am grateful for those walking out their single season and grateful for those who have chosen marriage, so today I will be talking about the gift of marriage, because we need to be reminded that marriage is a gift as well.

Most people remember the day they laid eyes on your spouse. Whew….Goodness gracious, I thought I had hit the jack pot! Even this week I was reminded of the first months of our dating experience and how I thought life could not get any better than this. Every night out with this man left me in a swirl of anticipation of spending the rest of my life with him. Sometimes we have to take the time to look in our spouse’s eyes and remember, this is a gift! I understand that everyone is in different seasons of marriage, but I challenge,  even if you are in a tough season, to see all that has grown and matured from the gift of your union.

The Gift Giver came up with the concept of marriage and gave it to meet our need for companionship and to provide an illustration of our relationship with Him. During tough seasons in your marriage it may be hard to see how marriage can be a gift and during sunny seasons you see blessings overflowing. I wanted to shed light in this blog on the idea that marriage is a gift, by highlighting that fact that being married has it’s beautiful benefits.  Marriage has a ‘specialness’ in Scripture,  because of its spiritual ‘overtones’ all over the bible (i.e. the bride of Christ, the wedding feast of the lamb). There are beautiful descriptions of marriage all throughout the bible and God gives us this gift to experience love in a deep way.

One of the first benefits of marriage is Favor, so let me first take moment and pump up you wives, because God states more than once that finding a wife is a Good thing! God says finding you is like finding a treasure! Which means there was a lot preparation God took in putting his queens together. Proverbs 31:10 says A wife of Noble character who can find? She is worth FAR more than Rubies. God sees us a gem and a precious ruby! That means we are precious to the Lord and add value to our husband’s life. Even in Proverbs 18:22 it says that when they find us they receive favor! To favor means to give special regard to; to treat with goodwill; to show exceptional kindness to someone. Sometimes, it means to show extra kindness. So I believe it’s safe to say that God gave your husband something very special to add to his life, and that’s you, Wives. In our husbands God has given us protection, love and safety. How wonderful it is to be protected by our kings.

Secondly, there is purpose in your togetherness. There is a special reason that you and your spouse are together! There is something on the planet that only you and your spouse together were sent to fulfill in the earth. Somedays I sit and reflect on the idea that there are somethings that Raymon and I were made to do together. We have this special thing that God uses to impact the world, and I believe each couple has a special something to give the world and to those around you. That’s why I love the uniqueness of each couple and believe that because of your union you will impact your sphere of influence in ways that no other couple could. When God is at the center of your union a three chord strand cannot be easily broken. Together you impact more than you even realize.

Lastly marriage provides a beautiful companion, friend and polishing gift.  We get a lifetime companion and friend, and an opportunity to grow through marriage. Marriage is a gift that provides the greatest opportunity for each of us to smooth off our rough edges and become more whole and complete as human beings. It’s worth it. As a couple you each bring a beautiful compliment to one another that assists you becoming a greater version of yourself.

I am pumping up you married folk today so take time to stare at your gift, open it up, and keep discovering this wonderful gift.

(Prayer from unveiled wife)

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of marriage. Thank You for giving me someone to love. Thank You for giving me such a beautiful depiction of what unconditional love is like and please help me to be able to love like You. Thank You Lord for the husband You have given me. I pray that You stay at the center of our relationship, transforming us and guiding us always. I pray that we would be a team for You to use to share the light of Your gospel with the world. Please protect my marriage from the destruction of the enemy. Guard us against temptation. Make us stronger every day. Fill our hearts with desire for each other and a passion that will never cease. Bless our marriage in Jesus’ name Amen!