Christ Centered in a Difficult Marriage

Happy Thursday! 

What if the marriage you are in is different than the marriage you wanted or expected? More than a mere what if, right? Because, in many marriages either in small part or to large degree all of what we have is not all we wanted or expected.

That was Hosea the Old Testament prophet’s story. His marriage to Gomer can be helpful to couples today, to think more broadly of how God can use a difficult marriage to demonstrate the Lord’s purpose and direction.

Reading the words of Hosea 1, they are almost too difficult to take in: go marry a prostitute and have kids… God’s directive is so far from our romantic, mostly about fun and feelings, built on friendship…expectations of marriage today.

What if instead of what you expected, God trusted you to call you to a difficult marriage, for His purpose? Yeah, that last part, {for His purpose} is key. God didn’t call Hosea to a difficult marriage just to be in a difficult marriage. Instead, in the difficulty of their marriage, God was making a bigger statement and creating an avenue to draw people to deeper relationship with Him. After reading the entire book of Hosesa here are a few observations of how God used their marriage for His purpose:

1. God has a plan: Right from the beginning God makes it plain that He wants Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman, because the people of God have been unfaithful to Him by going after other gods (forsaking Him).

2. God’s love, loves the difficult to love: Gomer’s unfaithfulness to her husband, illustrated Israel, the people of God’s, unfaithfulness to God. At the same time, as Hosea had to stay faithful to an unfaithful wife, God continued to love and extend mercy to His unfaithful people.

3. Redemption is the point: Chapter 3 closes with statement that ultimately God’s people would return, seek the Lord, David their king, revere the Lord and experience His goodness. It shows that the point of Hosea’s difficult marriage was for God’s people to return to God.

4. Marriage has a bigger point: Few if any of us think of the difficulties of our marriage as a way to impact others. I also can’t say that’s exactly what happens in all cases. Yet the question we have to take into prayer is at least, is this possible, God? For, the last chapter of Hosea ends with these words: Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them, but transgressors stumble in them. God used 1 marriage to impact an entire nation. Hosea and Gomer stand as a testimony that it’s not out of God’s scope to call people to difficulty, for His greater purpose. It’s in these difficult “things“ that we find wisdom, understanding and discernment as we seek the Lord. I’ve taken this question into prayer re: my own marriage challenges. Could God use my faithful obedience to Him in how I handle the difficulties of marriage (& life) to bring others to Him?

That’s it. That’s all I have this week. May God give you His vision to see His purpose in the difficult things He calls you to.

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