Pursuit of a Woman

[buggy]

My humble opposition... but what if the father of the son is not a believer? This is a severe problem in non-Christian families with 1st generation believers. Or, if they are uninterested?

 

[ubermadchen]

...And when I was ready (though I did not know I was) the Lord gave me the perfect wife- without any flaws or blemishes: She is the most important person on this earth to me, and every day I realize my futile finitude is insufficient to provide her with the amount of love that she rightly deserves.

Your wife has no flaws or blemishes? Then I don't think I'll ever be ready for marriage.

 

[Knoxienne]

...And when I was ready (though I did not know I was) the Lord gave me the perfect wife- without any flaws or blemishes: She is the most important person on this earth to me, and every day I realize my futile finitude is insufficient to provide her with the amount of love that she rightly deserves.

Your wife has no flaws or blemishes? Then I don't think I'll ever be ready for marriage.

Oh, I've got 'em - too numerous to count. But I have a very forgiving husband and an even more forgiving God. So take heart, you're ready for marriage if you're a godly woman who wants to please the Lord by being married to a godly man.

 

[Hebrew Student]

Hey Everyone!

I have studied this issue, and my concern is that there is no balance on this. I usually hear that is either God's providence, or it is us pursuing.

What I see Biblically is something far more complex. I do think God gives us natural desires to be married. No question about it. In such a situation, pursuit is something that is, indeed, spoken of in the Bible [Proverbs 18:22]. I would put this in the category of means. Yes, it is God who brings people together, but he uses means such as human pursuit.

Now, I think we must also quickly add that God is not *obligated* to use those means to bring people together. He can say "yes" to your request for a spouse, or he can say "no." If he says no, whether for a season, or for the entirety of your life, it is imperative that we trust him in those situations, since he knows what is best for us, and his own glory.

However, I think this is also not to say that God cannot bring someone into someone else's life simply because they are honoring God in the way they are living. The story of Ruth and Boaz is a classic example. Boaz was just simply showing the kindness and faithfulness that was part of his personality towards the poor and the less fortunate, and God brought Ruth and Boaz together.

I think what we have to say is that, since God uses means, there is no problem with pursuit. However, we have to trust in God that he is going to do what is best for his own glory. Also, even those who are planning to serve God as a single can get a surprise from God, since, ultimately he knows what is best, and that is what I think it all boils down to. Are you willing to trust God if he says "no" to your pursuit or your desire to serve him as a single person? Are you willing to allow *him* to be Lord of your life? That is where I think the heart of the issue lies.

God Bless,
Adam

 

[Theognome]

...And when I was ready (though I did not know I was) the Lord gave me the perfect wife- without any flaws or blemishes: She is the most important person on this earth to me, and every day I realize my futile finitude is insufficient to provide her with the amount of love that she rightly deserves.

Your wife has no flaws or blemishes? Then I don't think I'll ever be ready for marriage.

Oh, I've got 'em - too numerous to count. But I have a very forgiving husband and an even more forgiving God. So take heart, you're ready for marriage if you're a godly woman who wants to please the Lord by being married to a godly man.

What flaws and blemishes? You have infinite purdiestness and I don't see any flaws and such- only perfect purdiestness girl. So there.

Theognome