Jeff and I have been sharing what it looks like for “The Two Becoming One” and “me” to “we”. It seems the more I see the beautiful illustration of marriage and Christ being the bridegroom and we (the Church) being the bride, the more insights the Holy Spirit gives!
I just was reading about a practice described in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 24) that when the men were called to go off to war, if a man had been recently married, he had a year honeymoon before serving. Wow, can you imagine? They were not allowed to go off to war if they had just been recently married because they needed to spend that year nurturing that relationship, that marriage bond, that relationship. I think there is a spiritual application to be considered. In coming to the Lord, we need to take care of our own relationship, nurturing the bond and growing in our relationship. This involves getting to know Him through Bible reading, through prayer, listening to Christian music, surrounding ourselves with believers, maybe even finding a mentor or accountability partner.
Just as marriage involves commitment, surrender sacrifice, Jesus asks total, uncompromising commitment from His followers. He asks followers to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and prioritize Him above everything (and everyone) else.
“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” – Luke 9:23
Following Jesus, just like married life, isn’t always a “bed of roses”.
There’s a phrase “for better, for worse” which has been a part of marriage vows for many years. It originated in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer by Thomas Cranmer. It was part of the standardized marriage vows promising to stick together (kollaō ) “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” In visiting one of our members recently, we have been privileged to see what that looks like – a man who dearly loves his wife and is caring for her as she nears the last days of her life on this earth.
When we join our lives with Jesus, allowing Him to be King, He doesn’t promise that our journey will be a “bed of roses”. But He is committed to be there with us “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health.” The question is, do we continue to trust Him and take up our cross daily when we are in the “worse, the poorer, the sickness” times? These are the times which grow our faith exponentially.
However, we have to prepare ahead of time for the “storms of life.” Levi Lusko states: “It is crucial that you don’t wait for a crisis before you get these sorts of rhythms in place. You must train for the trial you’re not yet in. The worst time to try to get ready for a marathon is when you are running one.”
I remember attending a marriage enrichment seminar and the speaker talking a great deal about the importance of putting collateral into the bank account of your marriage. This is loving, serving, and intentionally putting the other first. This “bank account” of expressed love will sustain during the times that threaten to destroy a marriage.
Isn’t that true spiritually? If I intentionally love, serve, and put Jesus first in my life, that relationship will sustain the “storms of life” which threaten my trust in Him…those times when I am tempted to cry out, “Do you not care? Why are you asleep in the boat? Can’t you see I’m about to drown?” Our relationship and having learned to recognize His voice and His presence is what helps me to hear HIS VOICE above the thunder of the crashing waves, “Don’t be afraid. I am here.” (John 6:20 NLT)
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