In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. - Genesis 1:1 NIV
Most of us remember how we met our spouse, the experiences and events that furthered our relationship, and the early days of our marriage. And most can say that in the beginning, it was good.
But then life happened: job issues, the arrival of children, unexpected changes, maybe illness or a death in our family. Stress began to stretch our limits, and we forgot about our beginnings. We entered survival mode, and in some marriages, that means an unconscious rut and moving apart that focuses not on the beginning, but on a premature ending—terminating the relationship.
During our years of ministry my husband and I have tried to help many couples whose marriages have fallen into that same pattern. And while we showed them practical and helpful steps they could take to renew their relationships, no matter how long they’d been married, there is a principle we have discovered and emphasized from our own experience that rises to the top. It deals with that phrase, “in the beginning,” and must be the glue that holds marriages together.
I love those first words of the Bible in Genesis 1: “In the beginning, God.” The world, life, and everything that exists had a divine beginning. God created it. And each phase of His creation brought the same words: “God saw that it was good.” He also created man and woman to live in a beautiful marriage relationship together (Genesis 1:27; 2:18-24). That too, God saw as good.
In the beginning, not only did God create the world and everything in it, including marriage; He was the beginning. Later, the Bible clarifies that He is the “Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelations 22:13 NIV). How much should God be involved in our lives? In the beginning, the middle, and the ending (‘til death parts us).
But how easy it is to forget that. This same principle applies to marriage. A marriage relationship that does not begin with God is less likely to find success in the middle or at the end. To start a relationship without God as the center of all our thoughts and activities will not bring God’s sweet blessing: “He saw that it was good.”
Even marriages that start out right can hit walls of difficulty and forget their good beginnings with God. That’s what happened to Adam and Eve who let other “voices” and influences stain their divine relationship (Genesis 3). Couples forget that God is not only the Beginning; He is the One who will help them faithfully through every challenge known. God is the Beginning; He is the Middle; and He is the Ending—if we will keep our focus on Him, not on ourselves or on the things that try to steal us away from each other.
No matter how our marriage relationship starts, the good news is that God’s grace has always been available from the beginning. He will even take us back to our marriage roots and allow us to see not only where we went wrong, but also how we can initiate or renew the good things God intended for our relationship all along. God is always ready to hear a couple’s mutual cry for help. He not only wants to give us a good beginning; He longs for us to experience a God beginning.
In the beginning… with God. In the middle… with God. At the ending… with God. Always, with God. Sounds like a good marriage plan to me.
Rebecca Barlow Jordan is a bestselling inspirational author and day-voted follower of Jesus who loves to paint encouragement on the hearts of others. After five decades of marriage, she and her husband are more passionate about marriage and family than ever. Rebecca has authored and contributed to over 20 books and has written over 2000 other articles, devotions, greeting cards, and other inspirational pieces. She is a regular Crosswalk contributor whose daily devotional Daily in Your Presence is also available for delivery through Crosswalk.com. You can sign up for Rebecca’s free ebook and find out more about her and her encouraging blog at www.rebeccabarlowjordan.com.
Related Resource: How to Make Your Prayer Habits Stick
Have you ever thought: "I wish I would have prayed first?"
Remembering to make prayer our first option over others in times of crisis, need, or our everyday lives can be challenging. We've all experienced the many distractions that circumvent our prayer intentions.
Join Rachel on Untangling Prayer as she shares James Clear's 4 laws of behavior change and how they apply to our prayer lives.
