“.. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Josh 24:15b (KJV)

God in his wisdom created the institution of marriage for the benefit of mankind and to fulfil His purpose. Marriage is designed by God to bless us and give us access to another dimension of God’s favour. Proverbs 18:22 says “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord.”

God’s desire in marriage is that the man and his wife will raise godly children in a loving environment. This is the foundation of a godly church and a godly society at large.

Despite God’s beautiful intention for mankind in terms of marriage, we still live in a world where marriages are confronted with so many challenges, that it is becoming more and more difficult to have a magnificent marriage relationship as God intended it to be. 

Almost every couple started with the intention of loving each other forever but somewhere along the line, they start to grow apart and what was once a loving relationship becomes something they have to endure. The relationship then breaks down to a point of no repair and eventually, the once beautiful family breaks up in divorce. 

Children are usually impacted by troubled marriage relationships in a negative way. Some become rebellious and disobedient to their parents. It may eventually affect the way they think about life, relationships and marriage in general. 

In spite of these challenges, it is still possible to have a godly, loving and enjoyable marriage and family life, if we follow God’s model of marriage between Christ and the Church. 

Let us see what the scripture says in Ephesians 5:21 -33, 1 Peter 3:5-7.

God in His divine wisdom assigned roles and responsibilities to both the Husband and the Wife. It is important to know that both the man and the woman are joint heirs of the grace of life. Therefore it is not a master-slave relationship, rather, a relationship between joint heirs where God has assigned the leadership role of the family to the man. The two work together collaboratively like a pilot and co-pilot to achieve God’s given purpose for their family.

The husband is saddled with the responsibility of leadership; he is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself to her. The husband must be led by the spirit of God to lead his family in the ways of the Lord. In Gen 18:17-18 KJV, God commended Abraham:

“And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

The wife likewise should submit and respect the husband as to the Lord. 

“For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands.” 1 Pet 3:5 NIV

 This is God’s recipe for a successful marriage. The Holy Spirit of God is there to help us in our weaknesses as it is difficult for the flesh to love sacrificially and unconditionally as Christ loves the Church or to submit to another person as unto the Lord in these contemporary times that we live in. 

God wants us to have beautiful, enjoyable and successful marriages. He wants us to lead our children in the way of the Lord and be a good example of a Christian home that brings glory to His name. He wants us to boldly declare as Joshua did: “…But as for me and my household, We will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15b KJV

Prayer points:

• Pray for our men that they will be Spirit-led leaders, who fear God with the whole of their heart and are willing to lead the family in the way of the Lord. Gen 18:17-19 KJV, Psalms 1:1-5

• Pray for our women that they will use their God-given power and influence to be of great blessing to their families Proverbs 31:10

• Pray for our children that they will be obedient to their parents, honour their parents and be a good example in their schools Eph 6:1-3

• Pray for families going through a difficult period, for God’s intervention and divine restoration. Jer 30:17

• Pray for peace, love and prosperity for all Solid Rock families. Job 36:11

• Pray for passion to serve God as a family unit. 1 Cor 16:15-16

By Elder Michael Olorunniwo