As I work with couples for the last few years, I am seeing trends that are not healthy. God established marriage in the garden, Gen. 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.” The phrase, “shall become one flesh” is escaping the marriage vows. Couples, especially some Christian couples have expectations that since I have prayed and fasted for a marriage that God will hand you a debt free, pain free and trouble free relationship. Couples didn’t really read the “shall become one flesh”. If Adam and Eve had marital issues and God put them together, you know the rest of us will also. Adam didn’t cover her by NOT chasing satan away from his wife and Eve talking to the devil. Sounds like communication problems to me in the first house. It’s a process and always will be a process BECOMING ONE FLESH. After 30 plus years of marriage, still becoming one flesh.
I grant you there may be few cultural issues facing marriages in the church;
- Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother- parental role models are gone. A man can’t leave what he never had.
- Cleave unto his wife- cleave means to hold onto, chase to overtake, to stick to. We live in a society where it’s all about oneself. I heard a story once that a robber entered a family home and said to husband, “your life or your wife.” The husband said “take her.” There are few that are committed.
- Definition of wife has changed. Prov. 18:22 “whoso findeth a wife, findeth a good thing.” There a good Christian, God fearing women but few wives.
I do believe what God has established and ordained from the beginning of mankind will NOT be destroyed or dismantled. God even compared his love for the church with a man and his wife. Eph. 5:25. And this is why I know it can work because Isa. 54 states, “no weapon that is formed shall prosper.”
Written By: Pastor Lawrence Robinson