#CHURCHTALK 33: Ebenezer Okorie shares a thought about "The Will of God" in marriage

Ebenezer Okorie

The marriage of David with Saul's daughter, was it God's will? 

The marriage of David with Abigail, was it the will of God? 

I'm asking these because we are dealing with a man after God's heart—David. A man who understood and applied the concept of seeking God's direction first in everything. 

David took Saul's daughter as a wife because she was promised to him, not according to God's purpose for him. She was a gift from the King, and there was no record of David asking God whether he should take Michal as his wife or not. And this is why she wasn't significant in the calling of David, both as a King and as a singing Priest. 

Note that the question in the first paragraph is not, "Is she the will of God?", but "Is it the will of God?". She is not the will. The plan and purpose of God is the will of God. And working towards it is termed "doing the will of God". 

Again, the will of God is not a person. It is the purpose and plan of God for you, for which you need to find the people, the resources, and opportunities that fit perfectly in that purpose. And, among all the people in your life, you will know by personal conviction which one of them fits into this plan. 

And it must not be in form of dreams, or visions, or whatever you have been hearing. 

What does the Bible say about gifts? They are given for the edification of the church for the perfection of the saints. 

Now, where most people get it wrong is that when trying to make their own choice of a person who fits into God's will and purpose for their lives, they do not wait to receive a conviction from God. 

The gifts of the Spirit are what God uses to perfect or establish your choice as fitting to His purpose. And that is why the Bible states, "for the perfecting of the saints", in everything they do. 

If you want to fulfill the purpose of God for your life, you need God who is the giver of the purpose to be involved in the decision-making process for choosing the resources that will be deployed to that end. 

You shouldn't remove the person in the big picture who you want to fulfill His purpose and will while making the key decisions. 

Just like when you wanted to get admission in the higher Institution, or wanted to start a business, or do something at one point in time in your life about some things that were crucial and had to play key roles in your long-term development, you asked God for His direction in the decision making process. So then, why will you now leave Him out of the picture in the case of selecting a spouse? 

Conviction 

Your conviction must not be a dream or a vision or a prophecy. 

You already know how God speaks to you. If you don't, please endeavor to find out. 

Personally, God speaks to me through intuition (in biblical terms, "word of knowledge/wisdom"). So, I don't wait for God to show me a dream of confirmation about one among the few options I have or even someone outside of that circle, except if I specifically ask for a dream as a sign. If I do, then I'll wait for God to show me the dream because I asked for the sign, just as Gideon asked for specific signs with the water and the fleece/wool.

When I've had that conviction intuitively, then I shouldn't wait unnecessarily to get a dream or vision of the night. 

By the way, I already have a vision in my life which has set the tone for everything I need to bring into the picture, including my would-be spouse. 

Lastly, as a genuine Christian, please don't go with the idea that there are people who get married without asking for a conviction or at least a direction from God, and it all works out well for them. 

Our cases are different. Always ask God for a sign because the day you got born again, you exchanged your life for God's life. So, you need to live His purpose. 

You need some form of conviction. At least ask for a sign. Any sign. Like Gideon. 

And remember, those gifts of God are for the perfecting of the saints. That perfection makes you different from the others who are not in the household of faith. 

God bless you.

This article was originally written and published by Ebenezer Okorie via his Facebook page. He writes from India. 

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