I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife

I did a wedding this past Saturday. It was the first one I have done since before Covid closed down the world in March of 2020. A wedding is actually a sacred event. I fear too many people miss that. They are focused on the dress, the music, the reception and whether or not there will be an open bar. What happens in the church (if it is even in a church) sometimes feels like an obligation. So many young girls grow up dreaming about their wedding day. Maybe they’ll have a horse drawn carriage. A beautiful church is often chosen but I do wonder if they could articulate why. Why is it important to get married in a church? Is it? I mean, I have officiated at weddings in all kinds of places, from parks, to mansions, to homes or apartments, to outside at Acadia National Park up near Bar Harbor, Maine. However, I prefer the church. It makes a statement that God’s house is important on that day because God is important to the bride and groom.

God was the one who created marriage after all. After God created the universe and all that exists in it, including humankind, we read in Genesis 2 that He put Adam in the garden to tend and watch over it. Then, in verse 18, God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him” (Genesis 2:18). Funny thing is right after He says this, the Bible tells us He creates all the wild animals, livestock, and birds. “But still,” verse 20 says, “there was no helper just right for him.” God is God and He could have created anything or anyone He wanted. He chose to create a woman – Eve. She was the one just right for the man – Adam. The Bible then says, “This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one” (Genesis 2:24). Here you have it – marriage. God meant for a union to take place between a man and a woman that was meant to last forever. In numerous places all throughout Scripture, God celebrates marriage. “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord” (Proverbs 18:22). “Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage” (Hebrews 13:4). “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church” (Ephesians 5:25).

God created marriage to be honored and for those who honor marriage the results are encouraging. I know we have all heard that the divorce rate among believers is the same as the general public – about 50%. Did you know that is a complete fallacy? Shaunti Feldhahn, a Harvard-trained researcher, in her 2014 book “The Good News About Marriage” reveals that the divorce rate among those couples who attend church regularly is as low as 22%! That’s right. Keeping God as a central part of the marriage relationship makes a difference! 

It is becoming more and more rare for me to see a couple who is as serious about their faith as they are about the pageantry of the day, but that was indeed the case last Saturday with Caleb and Elizabeth. For that reason, I have every confidence that they will celebrate aluminum, china, ruby, or even gold anniversaries together.

My prayer for all those out there who are not yet married. Find someone who will pray with you and go to church with you. For those who are married, continue to honor and cherish the one whom God created especially for you. You will be greatly blessed.                          

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