By Rainy Lehman
Genesis 29:20, And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
Duh, duh, duh, DUUM! The pianist begins to play the bridal march and the preacher cues the crowd to stand. The ushers grab hold of the door handles, your dad squeezes your arm just a little bit tighter, and you take one final deep breath. The doors begin to open, and you see HIM - your gorgeous groom! The day you have spent a lifetime dreaming about and months planning for is finally here!
Some of you may be reading this, and you are longing for the day when it is finally going to be your turn. Others may be remembering that moment so vividly that just thinking about it brings back butterflies in their stomachs.
To my girls out there who are still patiently waiting for your wedding day, I want to remind you that, as cliché as it may sound, true love is still worth the wait! In a world that trivializes marriage, makes light of a life-long commitment, and mocks purity standards, remember that our Heavenly Father esteems these highly, and we should too. Your purity isn’t something that should be taken lightly. It should be more guarded than the most precious jewels on this earth. Your purity is priceless, and you only get one chance with it. I Timothy 5:22b commands us to, “keep thyself pure.” The Bible tells us that we can accomplish this task by heeding Romans 13:14 which says, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
Your commitment to saving yourself for marriage needs to be renewed every single day.
Whether you are a week away from getting married or you have just begun courting or you don’t even have a prospect in sight, today is the day to purpose in your heart. While the temptation may not be there right now, it only takes one weak moment in your flesh for the devil to move in. Where temptation and opportunity meet, there is disaster on the horizon. Surround yourself with godly counsel and accountability so that opportunities to falter do not have the chance to present themselves.
Another reason to purpose to stay pure daily is that purity encompasses so much more than just the physical. Psalms 24:4-5 talks of having a pure heart and Philippians 4:8 talks of having a pure mind. What do you think about when you are alone? When you are laying in your bed at night or you catch yourself daydreaming, where is your mind wandering?
The Bible says very clearly in James 1:13-15, “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.“
Sin starts in the mind, and what we think about will eventually betray us through our actions. We must strive daily to put on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and to be sober and vigilant (I Peter 5:8). We have the world, the flesh, and the devil fighting against us. They will stop at nothing to find a weakness and exploit it. While we are destined to fight this nasty flesh until the day God calls us home, do not let that discourage you!
We have something far greater on our side – the Lord Jesus Christ!
Those that are saved can be emboldened by I John 4:4 which says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."
Despite living in this dark, perverted world, it is still possible to earn that white dress and stand pure at the marriage altar. It will not come without determination, full reliance on God, and dying to your flesh. But it can be done!
From experience, I can tell you the path of devastation and destruction that is left behind by a friend or family member that chooses to get ahead of God is far greater than the person who commits the sin ever anticipated. A few moments of fleshy pleasure leave behind broken-hearted parents, tear-stained pillows, wrecked homes, and a shattered influence among other things. However, I can also tell you that the joy you can feel on your wedding day, knowing that you did it right, is nothing short of extraordinary! No guilt or shame is clouding your special day. There is a supernatural peace in the middle of the will of God, and I challenge you to fight for it!
There will be times when the waiting can be overwhelming, but like an old preacher used to say, “Do not sacrifice ‘permanent’ on the altar of ‘immediate’.” God’s timing is always perfect. He will always give you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it. I have always loved how the Bible words Jacob and Rachel’s love story in Genesis 29:20, “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” The waiting, no doubt, was dreadful at times for both Jacob and Rachel, but they seemed unto Jacob “but a few days” because he knew that Rachel was worth it.
I implore you not to lose hope and decide to take your future into your own hands. Satan has a counterfeit out there waiting to steal your heart. Your Jacob is out there! Your heavenly Father is working on him and proving him to make sure he is worthy of His precious daughter. It is better to wait long than to marry wrong.
To the married ladies that are reading this, do you remember what it was like to pray for the Lord to send you a husband? Do you recall how the waiting seemed to last forever?
Now that the Lord has given you the desire of your heart, do you still cherish him, or do you take your husband for granted? Outside of Jesus, is he still first in your heart?
The Sunday school teacher of our married couple's Sunday school class says this phrase very often, and it is one of my absolute favorites — “Not everyone gets to be married.” Just because you are married now, does not mean you get to quit fighting. The devil is after our homes and our marriages; don’t let him have yours! Marriage is a gift from God and the quality of our marriage is our gift back to him. Pray for your husband. Encourage him. Be his best friend and embrace the divine purpose of your creation (Genesis 2:18-25).
Rejoice in the fact that “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (Song of Solomon 2:16a), and it was completely worth the wait!
Comments