Wednesday, December 12, 2007

“Is there one pre-ordained marriage partner for every one?”

I believe that there is one pre-ordained marriage partner for everyone. Given the perfect nature of God, the creator of all things, there is no doubt in my mind that he set apart for every one another that is perfect for them.
The Bible does not indicate that there is a specific spouse picked out for each person. However much God doesn’t openly promise to provide us with physical mates, there are related biblical promises from which we can take great comfort. God created families, loves families and patterned His entire plan for the salvation of mankind after the model of a growing family. Since Christ will return and marry the Church, He understands our longing for marriage.
I bet we all know that He knew us before we were even born and His word is full of promises of His perfect plan for us. This does not exclude marriage and all that is done before it actually becomes a reality. The Lord declares in His word, if I could site a few scriptural references below:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”(Jeremiah 29:11)

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world” (Jeremiah 1:5).

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm139:16)

“…In all things…He works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purposes… (Romans 8:29-30).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths” (Prov 3:5-6).

When God says he has plans to give us a hope and a future, I believe as a God of eternity he must already know everything in this future, and how can he know unless he already preordained it for every one of us?
As humans we often make choices that are against the will of God. Therefore if God had planned for us to be with one person only, and we miss the chance through disobedience or not seeking him about everything even marriage, then His life's plan for us would be ruined.
But the Bible says that even the most “foolish” plan of God's is far wiser than the wisest plan a human could devise (1 Corinthians 1:25), which means His plan cannot be put off track. When we decide to make the choice to trust God completely with everything, I believe He will put in our path the right people and the right situations that will make us meet. If we seek His direction He will lead us the way He wants us to go and bless our lives (Matt 6:33-34) I believe that those blessings mentioned here include our marriage partners, so along the way as we seek the Lord according to his will, he brings along the right people that will help us to perfectly accomplish his purposes.
If you truly believe this scripture:

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world” (Jeremiah 1:5).
Take a moment here to think; surely if He appointed you as His spokesman then, in your mother’s womb, do you think he didn’t also think of who will stand with you as you accomplish this God ordained purpose?
I'm convinced that the reason people are so resistant (argumentative) to this idea is that they fail to recognize God’s sovereignty over EVERYTHING that happens in a way that's totally consistent with our making our own choices. When we read Isaiah 10 and compare it with Genesis 50:20 and Acts 2:23; 4:24-28. Does it say it something?

The only way I can relate the resistance to this is that people somehow think what's being said is that God picks someone special out for you but then has no interest in what you do to get to the point of finding such a person, which assumes God isn't ultimately sovereign over everything but has this obsession with this one thing about us, and we have to spend all our energy to figure out who that person is before we can live our life normally.
Some of us think God has a special obsession with picking out a mate for everyone but then not telling us, but I'm convinced that's what some people are denying when they say that God hasn't picked someone out ahead of time. If you keep in mind that God is sovereign over everything that happens in our lives, something that does not conflict with our responsibility to act, as scripture clearly shows, then you don't end up with such a one-sided view. God knows full well who every person on this earth will marry; if they indeed will marry (some are called to celibacy). But in some cases it will be because of a bad or even sinful choice that we end up with the people we eventually marry. However he's just as much behind the process of arriving at the point of meeting this person, developing a healthy or unhealthy friendship with the person, whatever steps are taken that lead to considering marriage.

God is not in the business of forcing people to do things. I'm talking about his sovereign care over all things and his love for those found in him who benefit from his working out of all things for their good. This involves steering us in certain directions, and it often involves our learning from our mistakes, not that he approves of those mistakes to begin with. But that's how God works in a fallen world out of perfect fellowship with him, and his sovereign plan can involve our mistakes, since he's always known what we would do and chooses to work through us “sinful people” anyway.

We all know that God cares about the very little things like what the sparrows are doing and has his sovereign hand on things as insignificant as what we eat, drink or what we wear (Matt 6:25- ) As we seek to glorify him and love him, why can't we look forward to all the wonderful things he's got in store for us without having to expect particular things we've got in mind? It's hard to anticipate blessings you don't know particulars about, but the promises God gives us are all very general, and we would do well to meditate on some of them and look up to him to make them come to pass. Is a marriage partner too much for Him??
Some people think that God picks out a John/Joan, but will not help you in finding them. So He is sovereign in terms of the pick, but not the help in finding that special someone. In addition, since we think He won’t help with the rest, it's up to us to do the hard work to find. That is why there is resistance. I think that the resistance might come for other reasons also.
(1) What if I don’t like John and John is the one God has chosen for me?
(2) Free will issues vs. God’s.
I believe that our desires will always be inline with what God predestined for us. Most often, if God has picked Joan, you will one day be singing, "Oh Joan, I love you! ...”
Putting psalm37:4 in mind:
"Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart"
Pray regularly for God to prepare you for your preordained mate. Never settle for second best. No one is perfect, but you deserve the best possible mate that God has for you. Some people accept a marriage proposal for the following reasons: they believe that no one else is going to ask them, because they are not beautiful enough and no one wants them,
“I’m no great catch, I can’t be choosy” or
“I don’t love them but this person is stable and can provide for me”.
None of these are the reason to say “I do”. Its then that someone should ask themselves:
“What is the Lord saying here, is he or she the one?”

It may seem that waiting for God to provide is just too risky. But, with time and a few missteps, we should realize that there is more to God's providing than this. Waiting for Him to provide doesn't mean merely praying and waiting. It includes taking active steps to prepare. Merely waiting often leads to wasted time and opportunities. During this time of waiting for God’s providence, we can and should be developing our talents. If we truly want God to provide, we need to look to Him and develop our relationship with Him. By doing so, we will be developing the traits that are most important in a God-based marriage. But, if we aren't careful, we can lose sight of of his perfect plan. If we are behaving or thinking in a way that separates us from God, then sadly, what we reap could indeed be only what we sow. So, let's look up the hills, where our help comes from.

Still asking, “Hey, when will God provide?” He will provide when we are ready and if it is best for us. Only after learning in a concrete way that God provides only for our good and on His terms. Of course, God will not ask a girl out for you, or tell that special girl that you would like to marry her (boldness and favor he will give, if you ask my brother!!), so there is plenty that remains in your hands. When you have the opportunity to do these things, make sure you are an honorable man who has been looking to and trusting in God to provide.

In conclusion, marriage, as God designed it, is to be a beautiful union of two people who are committed to Him, full of love that He gives us, a place to grow, an incubator for our children. The ultimate goal is for everyone to experience love here on earth and to finally have a family reunion in heaven. Ask for God’s guidance in bringing the mate for you into your life. Wait on the Lord, don’t settle for anything, because the Lord gives the VERY best (Psalms 27:13-14).

Thank you,
Agogong

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