James 4:3(NLT)
“And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.”
When Jesus came to the coasts of Caesarea Philippi in northern Israel, something dramatic happened. It was during the first six months of his third year of ministry and close to the end of his time on earth. The disciples had heard and listened to his teachings and witnessed the miracles he had performed. Matthew 16:13(NLT) tells us that Jesus Christ posed a question to the disciples. He asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Some of them responded that many had said he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets, but Simon Peter answered in Matthew 16:16(NLT), “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This is known as “Peter’s Confession at Caesarea” and it is so profound because Peter received this revelation of Christ directly from the Holy Spirit. It was indeed the right answer, because Jesus Christ is always and forever the right answer, and we are required to know this in the deepest part of our hearts.
Peter was sometimes very impetuous and got ahead of himself by acting without considering consequences, but in the record of Matthew 16, he received an amazing revelation from heaven. The Holy Spirit downloaded a truth that cut through all the doubt, bypassed his thoughts and feelings, and came through with razor sharp precision. Lightbulbs went off in Peter, and Jesus Christ told him in Matthew 16:17(NLT), “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” Peter was not a perfect man, but he received this revelation because his heart was in the right place. Many of us that are seeking and praying to God for marriage should take note.
There can be no doubt that marriage is something special. It is an integral part of God’s plan for the earth, and it is God’s provision for humanity. We know how special it is because marriage is a deep desire for many of us. Some born-again believers have been waiting for the blessing of marriage for quite some time. And because they’ve been waiting a while, some are secretly thinking that God doesn’t want them to get married, but this isn’t true.
They have been waiting on God, but in truth God has already ordained their marriage to the person He will send. He did this long before either of them was even born. So, God is waiting on us to wake up. Some of the very single people that are praying for marriage have never had a razor-sharp revelation of the reality of Jesus Christ. We’re praying for the husband to come into our lives, but we haven’t prayed as diligently as we should for the love of Jesus Christ to flood our hearts.
Jesus Christ told the disciples in Matthew 16:24-27(NLT), “24 “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.”
We must have a heart that seeks God first, because it’s the only way to have the kind of relationship that honors the greatness of all that God is. Hebrews 11:6(NLT) tells us, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” It’s not about having faith in marriage or having faith in the right husband. It’s about having faith in God. It’s knowing Him intimately and understanding that He is the Giver of good and perfect gifts. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:11(NLT), “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” God knows how and when to bless, and this is a truth on which we must anchor our believing in every way.
We cannot think that our believing to receive a certain blessing will outpace or out-perform our faith in God’s unconditional and unlimited love. That will not work. So, if we are believing God for a husband, but we’re not truly connecting with God’s love through our faith, we’re always going to be running behind. For many of us, this is the issue that continues to block us. God is not number one in our hearts, and our actions reveal that. Although we have a tremendous amount of love and enthusiasm for the husband we’ve never met, we don’t feel that way about the love Jesus Christ gives us. Why is that? Well one of the reasons is because we’re not actively and fervently praying for a revelation of the love of Christ.
Yes, marriage is something special, but nothing is more special than doing what Jesus Christ commands in Matthew 6:33, which is to seek God and His righteousness first in all that we do. Single women worry that they won’t ever get married, that God won’t bless them with someone to walk with through life. This worry is doubt. It means that we lack confidence in God’s love, and we need to change that. Like the Apostle Peter, we need a revelation of the love of Christ that blankets our entire being. We need to know from the depth of our hearts how special we are to Heavenly Father. Jesus shows us this in Matthew 6:26 (NLT) when He said, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your Heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” We know from this verse that the answer to this question is clear to Jesus Christ. Pray that it will be clear to you as well.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Marriage Is Something Special”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
