God’s Original Intent

Two women went to lunch one day. One of the women noticed something odd about her friend and commented, “You’re wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger.” To that her friend quickly replied, “That’s because I’m married to the wrong man!”

We may laugh at that little joke, but friends, the vast majority of marital problems— despite what we may think—are not because we’re married to the wrong person, but because we’re following the wrong plan. We’re ignorant of God’s original intent for marriage or choose to follow our own plan instead. We push “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part” to a far corner of our mind where it will make no demands on our selfish desires. We’d much rather pledge fidelity, trust, and commitment “as long as our love shall last,” rather than “until death do us part.” But that is not God’s plan, and that perspective will never bring us what we’re looking for in this earthly life. Only when we examine again and take as our own God’s original intent for marriage and commit to doing it right will we achieve a marriage that is “happily even after”—even after unmet needs, crushing disappointment, or unspeakable tragedy rears its head and threatens the foundation of our married life.

Psalm 18:30 announces, “God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” God’s way for marriage is perfect. For those who will dare to believe Him, all His promises are true: You can have a life-affirming relationship with your spouse. You can build a love that will weather the storms of life and the disappointment of unfulfilled dreams and unmet potential. You can journey through life with a companion who completes you, complements your weaknesses, and enhances your strengths. You can, most assuredly, live happily even after in the great adventure called marriage. But it all begins with understanding and embracing God’s plan.

So, if marriage was made in heaven—and it was—and if the Word of God is true—and it is—then we certainly want to take a look at what God says about it in the Bible. That means going back to the beginning, to the book of Genesis. After God created the heavens and the earth, the animals, and man himself, He looked upon His work and proclaimed it good. He established a lush garden and placed the man within it to tend it and watch over it. But then, in Genesis 2:18, God made a very interesting observation: “It is not good for the man to be alone” (emphasis added). God found something that was “not good” in His wondrous creation, and it was the fact that man was alone. Immediately God initiated His plan: “I will make a helper who is just right for him” (v. 18).

In the next two verses of Genesis 2, verses 19 and 20, we see God bringing the animals before Adam for him to name. I don’t believe it’s too far a stretch to assume that they came before him in pairs, but “there was no helper just right for him” (v. 20). I believe in this Adam learned something very important: neither his work nor his dominion over creation could fully satisfy him. Something was missing, and he would remain incomplete unless God intervened.

And intervene He did—putting Adam to sleep and removing a rib from his side to fashion a perfect helpmate. Then he brought her to Adam. Listen to Adam’s pure, unadulterated joy when he opened his eyes to the scene before him: “ ‘At last!’ the man exclaimed. ‘This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called “woman,” because she was taken from “man” ’ ” (v. 23). In his words “At last!” is the fulfillment of his longing. I can almost hear Adam saying, “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

Excerpt from “Happily… Even After” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER