The music changed. The moment had arrived! The church doors opened, and there she stood in white, “prepared as a bride,” more beautiful than I had ever seen her. Praise the Lord, we have just celebrated our twelfth anniversary! By God’s abundant grace, Sonya is my “prudent wife from the Lord!” (Prov. 19:14).

The Bible is full of lessons from marriage. One profound lesson that God has been teaching me is from Jeremiah 31:31-34. What a beautiful picture of God’s love! He “. . . took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt . . .” I remember the feeling of holding Sonya’s hand for the first time. It was thrilling. How much more infinitely amazing to hold the hand of God! Jeremiah 31:32 goes on to say, “. . . I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.” His love is without equal!

Tragically, God recounts that His people were “. . . an unfaithful wife toward the Lord” (Hosea 1:2 ICB) and broke the covenant they had made with Him (Jeremiah 31:32). Pained to the depth of His heart, He said, “Plead with your mother, plead: for she [is] not my wife, neither [am] I her husband” (Hosea 2:2). But, “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I hate divorce’” (Mal 2:16 ICB). His love would not let us go, so He proclaims, “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.” “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him” (Hosea 2:14, Hosea 14:4). God describes a time when He and His people will have an unbroken oneness and loving relationship exceeding that of the best marriage. To be continued, Lord willing!

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