Proverbs 18:22(NLT)
“The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.”
I remember hearing a conversation when I took my nephew to the barber shop. One of the younger barbers was talking with a much older gentleman. The older man asked the young barber if he was married. He answered, “No, not yet.” The older man said, “Good, don’t do it!” I was so saddened to hear that kind of response from what in my mind could’ve been a teachable moment. It could have been a lesson on the value of having a good woman by your side. Sadly, that was not the case. I wondered how many times young men have heard these types of comments and questioned the wisdom and purpose of marriage. In reality, they should be hearing the truth and thanking God for giving us this phenomenal gift, as well as the blessing of unity that comes with it.
The Word of God is the heart of God, and in Proverbs 18:22, He says that when a man finds a wife, this same man receives favor from Him. God makes it clear that there’s a blessing for the man that marriage carries with it, and this blessing is God’s incomparable favor. That’s a pretty hefty blessing. Many men are not aware of this truth, and they may not be interested in hearing what God says about the matter. That’s indeed a shame. We need to know that as women of faith, it’s okay to open our mouths and speak this truth to any man who has piqued our interest. We have a duty to let him know how good God wants to be to him, and that humility and obedience to God’s Word is the way to receive all that our Heavenly Father has in store for his life.
We can’t rise above what we don’t know, so if men have it in their minds that marriage is not a good thing, and they fail to seek God for its purpose, they may develop wrong thinking and wrong believing about their responsibility to God and to women. It’s not mandatory for men to marry. If that’s their choice, God will not overstep it. If remaining single is the way we want to go, God is not mad at that. However, although we can be confident that remaining single is not against the Father’s Will and Word, leaving a trail of disappointment and heartbreak most definitely is.
Proverbs 12:4(ESV) says, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.” God makes it clear here that there are two types of wives, those who will be a crown to their husband’s lives, and those who will cause their husbands to make comments like the older gentleman in the barbershop. This man became bitter about marriage, so much so that he let this bitterness roll from his lips and tried to pass it on to someone else as wisdom. Indeed, it was not. It’s very likely this gentleman didn’t understand that his wife was a mirror for him. She reflected some stuff that he needed to see about himself, but this was too much truth for him to handle.
Ecclesiastes 4:9(NLT) tells us, “9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” This is partnership, and God designed it to be a beautiful thing. We should always remember this when we think about the partnership of marriage. It’s not meant to be a burden to our lives. God created it to be a blessing.
The answer to finding good and fulfilling companionship isn’t endlessly dating someone without the commitment of marriage. It’s not trying people on for size and wasting their emotional energy and resources, and it’s not hooking up just for physical pleasure. None of that is pleasing to God. If you believe yourself to be a quality, thoughtful, kind, considerate, and generous person, it is sheer delight and pleasure to have someone in your corner to mirror that back to you. Marriage is the vehicle that delivers this level of intimacy. It brings God’s favor and all the other blessings that come with it.■
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.
“The Favor of the Lord” written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!