Key For a Successful Marriage

Last week we celebrated the wedding of two young adults in our church. I had the privilege of giving the wedding sermon. And in my sermon I shared with them this time tested key for a successful marriage. Now this might surprise you, but this time tested key for a successful marriage is found in the Bible in Proverbs 18:22.
Carefully read with me the words found in Proverbs 18:22. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." I think it would also be appropriate to turn the proverb around in this way. "She who finds a husband finds a good thing..."
At this point you are probably raising this question to yourself. "What does this proverb have to do with a successful marriage?" This Proverb teaches us two important concepts about a successful marriage. Let me share them with you.
First, this Proverb teaches us about the sovereignty of God in marriage.
A couple with a successful marriage understands this important truth. God is the one who brought them together. Please understand you did not meet your spouse by accident. God arranged all the details of life so that you might meet each other and marry each other.
If God brought you together then your spouse is a special gift from the Lord. And if your spouse is a gift from the Lord then we need to treat them like a special gift. Think what would happen in America if people began to treat their spouse as a special gift from the Lord.
Years ago I ministered at a church in North Dakota. In the congregation there where several couples who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Each of them had a happy marriage because they understood this important truth. God was the one who brought them together. They therefore treated each other as a special gift from the Lord. And this made a difference in their marriage.
Second, this Proverb teaches us about the goodness of God in marriage.
Please understand that God is the one who created the idea of marriage. And whatever God creates is good. Your marriage is a good thing. And if someone puts down marriage they are putting down what God has called good. It's that simple.
At this point you may be frustrated with your spouse. You may at this point wish you were never married to them. But please remember this important truth. If you are married then you have found a good thing. For whatever God creates is always good.
When couples come to me for help they often say this to me. "We just don't like one another any more." I then ask them to list two or three things that originally attracted them to each other. As they list what originally attracted them to each other, smiles usually fill their faces. Once again they realized that they have found a good thing in one another.
Conclusion
The next time you are frustrated with your marriage please remember these two important truths. First, remember the sovereignty of God in marriage. God is the one who brought you together. Therefore treat one another as a special gift from the Lord. Second, remember the goodness of God in marriage. You have found a good thing in one each other.
Dan Korzep is the teaching pastor at Christian Bible Church in Methuen, Ma. He has been in the ministry for thrity years. He has a BS in Sociology from Shepherd University, and a Master's of Divinity from the Reformed Episcopal Seiminary. He is married and has five children.
For years Dan has been helping couples improve or save their marriages. Dan is the author of the forth coming book "How to Rescue Your Marriage.