Alone

“Grief can take care of itself; but to get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with” Mark Twain (Wit and Wisecracks).

Seasons come and go ever more quickly it seems. With the passing of time we endure difficulties and victories, face burdens and labors of love, and are blessed with bountiful joy. How we handle the struggles and successes is greatly impacted by the people who are in our lives. God knew of the need of companionship for man from the beginning. He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet (helper comparable to him—NKJV) for him” (Genesis 2:18—ASV). From that time, man has had the pleasure of developing the greatest friendship on earth through a fully developed and scripturally based marriage. A proper marriage allows for the sharing of the good times and the bad times. The good times are made greater while the bad times are made more tolerable. C.S. Lewis said it well, “The most precious gift that marriage gave was this constant impact of something very close and intimate yet all the time…No cranny of heart or body remained unsatisfied” (C.S. Lewis through the Shadowlands).

Solomon, discussing friendship, wrote, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? And if man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

A “threefold cord” can be found when husband and wife put God first. A husband who seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, will be a better husband. He will help his wife to be stronger spiritually. He will help her to be a better wife by being the husband that she deserves. He will lead his wife to follow Christ. He will love his wife, giving himself for her daily. He will help her to be pure, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. He will love her even as his own body, cherishing her. A husband who puts God first and who loves his wife according to the scriptures (ex. Ephesians 5:22-33), will never be alone.

A wife who seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, will be a better wife. She will be in subjection to her husband, as to the Lord. She will trust her husband’s leadership, knowing that he loves and cherishes her, nourishing their relationship with each other and with God. She will leave her mother and father and will cleave to him, being joined together, becoming one flesh. A wife who puts God first and who loves her husband according to the scriptures (ex. Ephesians 5:22-33), will never be alone.

There are many blessings in a marriage which is focused on God, but one of the greatest is having someone with whom to share the good times and the not-so-good times. A marriage where husband and wife are focused first on God forms a threefold cord that is not quickly broken. With our “help meet” by our side, serving God daily, we will never be alone. Together, we can reach out to others with the joy of the gospel.


Written By Denny Wilson