He who finds a wife

It was a cold night and almost all the animals, children and other villagers had gone to bed because of the downpour. As the rain finally subsided, a loud noise from one of huts disrupted the sleep of those in the neighborhood. Ema and his wife, Emi, were raining insults on each other – heavier than the downpour. Then Ema yelled at his wife, “Ever since I married you, I have not made any progress. You have brought misfortune to my life.” Emi could not hold back her tears.

You will agree with me that Ema is not the only man who has boldly made that statement. Adam was the first man to shift blames to his wife, Eve, when he said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me gave me the fruit from the tree, and I ate.” Ideally, after enjoying the fruit from his wife, he was supposed to protect her. As the Bible narrates, the couple suffered the punishment which also is upon anyone who is yet to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Like Adam and Ema, so many husbands blame their wives for their misfortune. While this may be the case for some homes because of the vain lifestyle of the wife or some form of spiritual captivity, many wives are not to be blamed for the failures of the husband.

One thing Adam understood was that God gave him Eve as wife which is in line with what God said: “It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.” (See Genesis 2:18). It is obvious that God has good intentions for every couple. Therefore, He is the Chief Consultant and Counselor when it comes to marriage. This is because, for every man, He makes a wife and for every woman He makes a husband. God’s Word declares that, “He who finds a [true] wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. (Proverbs 18:22) In his Bible Commentary, Matthew Henry explains that, “A good wife is a great blessing to a man. He that finds a wife – that is, a wife indeed, that sought such a one with care and prayer and has found what he sought, he has found a good thing, a jewel of great value, a rare jewel; he has found that which will not only contribute more than anything to his comfort in this life, but will forward him in the way to Heaven.”

I can vividly recall how I joined some brothers in Christ over a decade ago, as we were about to end our national youth service, to ask God to guide us in locating the wife (suitable helper) He has made for us. Therefore, for every man or woman that desires to get married, finding a wife or husband involves seeking God’s guidance through prayers and being sensitive to His leading. The Bible only tells us how Adam blamed his wife for the couple’s disobedience but didn’t mention if Adam prayed for her. It is important that every husband prays for his wife to resist the enemy and remain strong in the Christian faith and vice versa.

Whether you are a man or woman who desires to get married, you can only approach the Chief Marriage Consultant and Counselor, if you have a relationship with Him. If you are yet to have a relationship with God, say this prayer of salvation: Dear Jesus Christ, come into my heart. I believe that You came, died and rose again to save me. I confess that You are my personal Lord and Savior and I declare that I am born again. Amen!

Sunday Omori