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Revelation 19:9 – Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." (NIV)
I think that I have presided over 200 weddings in my ministry. Some of them I remember very well, so when I see a Facebook post of a special anniversary or some photos of the wedding, I happily congratulate the couple. It takes a lot of energy, focus, forgiveness, and encouragement to keep a marriage going. Those who survive their relationship issues and keep their love alive should be commended and celebrated.
Sadly, for some folks, their marriages have not survived the rigours of the years. What started out as a loving partnership has ended up as a depleted relationship. No matter what the cause of the divorce, I think that most people who undergo a final separation feel a lot of pain, mixed with guilt and regret. The wedding celebrations of yesteryear are largely forgotten, and the feeling of making a mistake will probably always be there. Divorce tears at the heart and mind, as well as the bank account and life resources. This is why more churches are setting up divorce recovery groups, because the burdens of grief and regret can be difficult to carry alone.
As Christians, there is a wedding feast and a marriage that we can all look forward to occurring in our future lives. It will be the moment when Christ is finally united with the church, His bride. When He returns among us, He will invite all of His people to the celebration. It will be a time of great joy and jubilation, of everlasting love and eternal happiness. We may not always get things right with our relationships on earth, but as Christians, we do have this wonderful event to joyfully experience when Jesus is at last reunited with His followers and we are all welcomed into His kingdom forever.
Questions for personal reflection:
What does marriage mean to me? How does Christ's marriage to the church differ from what we experience on earth?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for inviting us to Your wedding feast. May our hearts be open to Your love, so that when it finally happens, we may joyfully celebrate the eternal union of Your kingdom in heaven with Your church on earth. In Your holy name, we wait and pray. Amen.
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Amen.
Thank you John.
Lovely John. Thanks for sharing this thought.
Hi Pastor Stuart
I have been reading your devotions for years now and I just wanted to Thank You from the bottom of my heart, for the words you have given to me.
God Bless YOU.
Good Morning, John Stuart
I always know when the devotional is written by you — even before I read it!!
Your message today touched my heart as my marriage became very strained and love dwindled away due to my husband being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. As he became less communicative and his health declined I asked our Lord for patience to deal with the situation. A while ago he suffered a heart attack and we knew that he would not recover. After consultation with the doctors we agreed that it was time to let him go.
I believe that we were guided by our Lord to make that decision and to let him have peace.
Since my husband’s death I have become closer to my family and share a great deal of joy. I truly believe that the Lord guides me in all I do.
Please keep writing your devotionals. They are an inspiration.
What an insightful devotional! As an organist, I enjoy being asked to provide music for a couple’s first day of their journey together. The music is not the focus — it is merely the quiet background on the canvas. Marriage is a partnership and, like all good partnerships, it takes an equal amount of work by both partners to make it work in both the good and bad times (something we always need to remember!). It would be so nice if we could simply have all the “good” part of the vows — for better, for richer, in health — but that would be unbalanced. Like it or not, we need to have the “negatives” — for worse, for poorer, in sickness — in order to make the balance work! Without them, it would be like having just the icing but no cake — nice, perhaps, in the short-run but eventually we would tire of that and not want it!
Please do continue to write.
God bless.