The first marriage as recorded in the Bible was between Adam and Eve. Adam had been placed in the Garden of Eden and given dominion over everything. He was even tasked with the responsibility of naming the animals as well as tending to the garden. But even though he was living a dream, he was still empty because he lacked someone to be intimate with. And so God caused him to sleep, pulled out a rib, and made him a wife. This paints an important picture of marriage – that marriage is ordained by God and as such, he can lead you to your spouse.
So, how does God lead you to your spouse?
Granted, God will not lead you to your spouse the same way he did for Adam. But he still does it. God will order your steps to ensure you meet your spouse (or will order their steps to meet you). This might look accidental but God was working behind the scenes to make it happen. Additionally, it will take walking by faith for you to get the desire of your heart.
God will order your steps
In Psalms 37:23, the Psalmist says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. This can mean many things but in the context of marriage, it means God will direct your paths to ensure you meet your spouse. Your spouse may be living on your street or they may be halfway across the world. Either way, unless the Lord orders your steps, your paths may never cross.
A good example of this is found in Genesis 24 when Abraham commissioned his servant to travel a long way back to his ancestral land to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant does as requested by Abraham and on reaching Nahor, he makes the following prayer:
“Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this, I will know that You have shown kindness to my master” Gen. 24:14
As soon as he finished making the prayer, Rebecca came to the well to fetch water and she unknowingly passed the test he had put. That is how he knew she was the right one for his master’s son. God can still order your steps in a similar manner to meet your spouse. But just like the servant demonstrated, you have to believe God for it
You will meet “Accidentally on purpose”
There are lots of happy couples who would testify that their meeting was “a chance event.” Maybe their car broke down in the middle of nowhere, someone stopped to help a helping hand and they just clicked. Or maybe they were just walking down the street and bumped into someone who ended up being their spouse. These seemingly random chance events only appear random to the physical eye. In the spiritual dimension, God was orchestrating events to turn out as they did. Here is an interesting scripture worth considering:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Not everything that happens to you is caused by God. However, God can cause everything that happens to you to work out for good. And sometimes, an “accident encounter” may actually be a divine appointment that will lead you to your spouse.
The story of Ruth and Boaz is a powerful illustration of this point. It begins with Elimelech, Naomi, and their two sons migrating from their hometown (Bethlehem) which was hinger stricken. They find a safe haven in Moab albeit for a short season. Just when they thought things were getting better, Elimelech dies and after their sons marry Moabite women, they die within a decade as well. This leaves Naomi and her two daughter’s in-laws (Orpah and Naomi) stranded because they now have no inheritance in Moab. Ruth decides to go back home but advises her daughters to remain in Moab and remarry to which Orpah agrees. However, Naomi stubbornly insists on sticking with Ruth. Unbeknownst to her, God was turning around the bad situation which culminated in her meeting her spouse.
You will get your heart’s desire by faith
Faith plays a huge role in meeting your spouse. The Bible says that if you delight yourself in the Lord, he will give you what you desire (Psalms 37:4). This means that God will not force you to marry someone you do not like. However, it is not possible to get what you desire if you do not apply faith.
Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24
The scripture above means that you need to walk in faith for you to get your heart’s desire. Walking in faith calls for patience – because you are bound to meet the wrong people but you should steer away from them and continue trusting God to order your steps to your spouse. As the song says, “Trust and obey.”
As you trust God to lead you to your spouse, remember that God wants to be glorified in your relationship. And for this to happen, the relationship must be founded on faith. In the words of scripture, it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). This means if you have not been relying on faith for your relationships, your relationships haven’t been pleasing God. But the good news is you can begin today because in the times of ignorance, God overlooks but now that you are in the know, you need to do the right thing.
Conclusion
So there you have it – God still leads people to their spouses. Just like he did in Genesis for Adam and Eve, God wants to be involved in the selection of your mate. Because you have a free will, God will not force his will on you but if you allow him to, he will lead you to the right person for you.
