Dear Bride and Groom: A Look to Grace for Newlyweds

Dear Bride and Groom,

You have married the wrong person. Although in many ways you will fit together like a hand in a glove, you are more different than you think. Satan detests anything that would cause us to look to Christ, and so he is already seeking today to undermine your love, your marriage, and your witness for the gospel. He will destroy you if he can.

Dear Groom,

You will sin against your wife in this marriage. You will misunderstand her, disregard her input, hurt her feelings, and fail to appreciate the gifts and talents she brings to you.

Dear Bride,

You will sin against your husband in this marriage. You will not fully understand him, you will disrespect him, hurt him, and wish that he were gifted in ways that he is not.

Dear Bride and Groom,

You will discover yourselves in this marriage, and it will not be pretty. Sins that you never knew existed will rise to the surface. Old temptations will not disappear automatically. You will have plenty of opportunities to regret your words and actions.

Dear Bride and Groom,

Look to Jesus in your marriage. When you think that you may have married the wrong person, remember the ways that God directed your paths to cross. He chose the two of you to walk through life together, and He gives the grace that’s needed.

Dear Groom,

When you sin, look to Jesus.  The world will tell you that when you still struggle with lust, then your wife is not enough. Jesus tells you that His grace is sufficient for you. He, not your wife, is the source of strength against sin.  The church will tell you that you need to add “being a good husband” to the list of things you already do in service to the Lord. Do you pray? Good. Do you read the Bible? Great. Do you attend church twice a week? We expect nothing less. Now get this marriage part right or you’re not a good Christian. On the contrary, Jesus calls you to come to Him as a sinner. The bread broken and the wine poured out are not for those who have checked all the boxes, for those who have an answer to every question. Rather, you come to the Lord’s table as a sinner, conscious of your failings and running to Him for grace to cover every trial and every sin.     

Dear Bride,

When you sin, look to Jesus. The world will tell you that if your husband hurts you, disregards you, misunderstands you, or fails to appreciate you, then you should quit and move on and find someone who loves you just the way you are. Jesus tells you that He will always understand you, He will never disregard you, and He values you more than any earthly treasure. He died to save you and He will never leave you nor forsake you. The church will tell you that if you are not a good wife, you will end up divorced. On the contrary, Jesus tells you that His strength is made perfect in weakness. Run from the temptation to be a good wife just by being good. Cling to the truth that God’s grace is what saves you and what sanctifies you.

Dear Bride and Groom,

You have married the perfect person. God chose the two of you for each other before the foundation of the world, and He has brought you into marriage that you might live and grow. He also brings you into marriage that you might die. Die to self, die to sin, die to the future you had planned. He unites you to Him in His death, that you might be united to Him in resurrection and newness of life.

May you delight in this marriage, but always delight more in your God, for God is gracious and merciful, and His love alone, of all the loves we know, never fails.