Marriage Restored

Day 30, September 7, 2011

As I mowed the horse pasture on our medium blue New Holland tractor at work in the cold mist, I listened to a podcast on my wife’s iPod as I tried to figure out what I was going to teach the youth group tonight.  It was near impossible to hear the podcast by David Platt on Love over the engine and bush hog’s roar.  It is amazing where God can speak to you and how he can touch your heart even in the midst of being damp and cold.  I slowly began to lose dexterity in my hands as the wind and rain took its toll on me.  Through this state of cold depravity, the Lord seared my heart with His love. 

Last night I searched for messages on love by well-known ministers whom I respect.  I found a few podcasts by David Platt and Francis Chan.  As I began to mow on the tractor, I decided to listen to Sex in Salvation History by David Platt from the Disciple-Making International website.  His message is on the book of Song of Solomon.  I have to admit that I do not believe I have ever heard of a pastor preaching on Song of Solomon.  So of course, I was instantly intrigued to know what he would say especially since this is a topic that is vividly on my youths minds. 

I love that he taught this sermon in his church on a Sunday morning.  Today we live in a Christian culture, especially within the conservative church, where we are too afraid to discuss the tough topics like sex today.  I believe because of this oversight on our part we have loads of Christian teens and young adults who are mired in elicit sexual acts or getting married to young due to being unable to control their passionate desires.  This has led Christians into the huge amount of broken, non-traditional, divorced, and abusive family systems that we encounter within the church today.

It would really be best if you listened to the podcast yourself and made your own judgment about it but I believe it was well presented and Christ Honoring.  One part in particular that impacted my heart deeply is where he taught that Song of Solomon is between a pure monogamous couple.  He went on to accentuate the importance of keeping your eyes only on your spouse.  The part that pieced my heart the most is when he said that all other women other than your wife are trash. 

After marrying my wife, I went through a period of turmoil where my heart struggled with the idea of being married so young.  I wondered if I had chosen right and if I had married because of my passionate yearnings.  During that time my wife and I experienced a form of hell in our marriage and it was due to me.  I did not understand the need to uplift and be thankful for my beautiful bride given to me by the Lord.  Instead I focused on all the other girls I had liked through the years as I wondered if there was someone who would’ve been a better match for me.

When David said that all women other than your wife were like trash it pierced my heart and brought me back to that time of struggle in my marriage.  I knew that I had wronged my wife by my actions and though I have sought and received forgiveness from her, I had not truly understood the damage I caused in my heart, her heart, and my marriage through these actions.  The Lord has brought me a long way from that first year of marriage and has taught me how to love and cherish my wife.  He has been teaching me how precious a gift she is and continues to show me the beautiful marriage he has given me.  Today I was truly able to be thankful for the purity my wife and I were able to give as a gift to each other on our wedding night.  Though my heart struggled years before, I now am more in love with my wife than I have ever been. 

Through the message on Song of Solomon today, I am now better able to understand the love that my Lord has given me through His grace and the love that He given me through my wife.  My marriage and all that I have learned through it have immeasurably blessed me.  I have now seen the incredible power of a prayerful wife, a wife who stands strong even when you are not, a wife who loves you despite your many failings and struggles, a wife who fights for marriage no matter what the situation, and a wife who has completely supported me in every step of our walk together. 

I have had to learn a lot of these lessons through the school of stubbornness and hard knocks but I hope that my own testimony can help others navigate around the same struggles.  How wonderful is the grace of our Lord that he compassionately waits for us even in our time of rebellion and gently teaches us truth as our hearts become open to receiving it.  Our God is a loving God who is compassionate enough to show us the importance of a healthy and passionate marriage relationship.  We should never be ashamed of the lessons in the Bible even if they are on a sensitive subject like sex.  Being willing to teach books like Song of Solomon can help to prepare the singles in our church for a pure and centered marriage relationship and teach married couples the beautiful and joyous relationship we should have in marriage and that God intended for us.       

Humbly,

Greg