In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters, Genesis 1, 2. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, John 1:1. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1 14.
From the beginning God described and made known unity and relationship in creation. From Genesis and the family built by Adam and Eve, through Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and Ruth all the way to Jesus’s parents, Joseph and Mary, God describes marriages and the families that made the lineage, the generations producing His son, Jesus, Yeshua Hamashiach.
His words in both Old and New Testaments speak of the marriage and family being foundational for the building up of the family of God, not only in building the tribes of Israel but also for building the families in the body of Christ, His Ekklesia. All throughout scripture, He is clear about the roles of and instructions for the father, the mother and the children.
Genesis 2:18 It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
.Ephesians 5:30-32 for we are members of His body of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason, man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
1 Corinthians 11:3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God.
Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land your God is giving you.
Genesis 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that he Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.
Psalm 78: 5-7 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God. They would not forget His deeds, and they would keep His commands.
Luke 1:17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. To make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
In the Bible, God has blessed us, His people, with a beautiful structure and blueprint of unity and relationship based on His love for us and His plan for us, the bride, to rule and reign with His Son, Jesus. As we follow our Lord’s commands and continue to abide in and love Him, love our spouses and love and teach our children, we become more and more the prepared bride for our coming King Jesus. As we follow His lead and guidance in our families, we have a strong role in preparing the way of the Lord.
It behooves us all to study scripture closely that gives explicit instructions for us to follow to make our family members prosper in all ways, especially that they know our God and adhere to His commandments and ways, passing this along to all generation so that the’ knowledge of the glory of God will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea’ and there is a bride prepared for our King.
Lord I pray that:
*We honor you as the creator of the family and its members.
*We diligently read Your Word to find your instructions as to how best for fathers, mothers and children to function in the family.
*We put into practice the behaviors that you describe will make the individual, and the family prosper.
*We put Christ as the head of our marriage.
*We love and honor our spouses.
*We would consecrate and surrender our children to You Lord and seek Your wisdom to parent them.
*We bring our children up in the training and admonition of the Lord so that future generations will know You.
* We would love and cherish each member of our family as a gift from God
*We would model loving You Lord, hungering for Your presence, praying fervently, reading our Bibles and following Your Commandments.
* We would continue to love, model for and equip our adult children
* We as the body of Christ would understand how to be a family who loves You and loves one another as part of your kingdom family.
* We as the body would grow closer to being the bride ready for our King.
Dearest Lord,
We humble ourselves in your presence, knowing you are God of all Creation, including our marriages and our families. Lord we long to live as your word prescribes and we repent that we have fallen so short. Lord give us the grace to live out your instructions in loving our spouses and in training our children. Help us to have the will and determination to continue growing in love and as a reflection of you. Help us to be a strong and righteous part of your kingdom family. Amen
