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Dwelling in Blest Accord (23)

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Dwelling in Blest Accord (23)

(Our Marriage Form)

7 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

That Thy Spirit Us Might Lead1

The heart of the prayer

Now that we have considered together the Person to whom this prayer is addressed, we will in this chapter focus on the heart of the prayer: “We pray Thee … that Thou wilt give them Thy Holy Spirit” (lines 149-151). This, then, is the thing sought after—the gift of the Holy Ghost. The most important thing is that this gift will dwell in the heart of the bridegroom as well as the heart of the bride. Prayer is made for each of them personally and for the two of them together; “Lord, give the power of Thy Spirit unto each of them personally as well as in their married life.” Regardless of how their future pathway may unfold, no one can do without this Spirit. Indeed, without the working of the Holy Spirit, no one can be a good husband for his wife, and no one can be a good wife for her husband. God’s Spirit is indispensable both for life and for death.

Called and united

While prayer is made for the gift of the Holy Ghost, a short insertion again confesses that the Lord has called and united these two persons in the holy state of marriage (lines 149-150). Does this thought live in our hearts on our wedding day? Is that also our upright confession? May we also know that we have walked in God’s way on the road to our marriage? Are we conscious of the fact that we have longed to live according to God’s will, and have we acted accordingly as we made this marriage commitment? If our marriage has come about in an unholy, carnal way, then the words of this prayer will be merely words. It will make a great difference whether our marriage was confirmed in God’s favor or in God’s long-suffering. Together, we have already considered that matter. There was a tremendous difference between the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah and the marriage of Ishmael and his Egyptian wife. Both were circumcised, both were married, but for the rest … ? It makes quite a difference whether or not there is a seeking for the Lord and His power and a determined continuous seeking of His countenance, or only doing what we feel and want to do. Just compare the differences in the marriage of Zachariah and Elisabeth and that of Ahab and Jezebel.

If we, like Isaac and Rebekah, have sought God’s countenance, then He will not deny us His blessing. Then the Lord will show us that He hears our prayer. Even though the way may at times be very difficult, His help will manifest itself. As our book of comfort, the Heidelberg Catechism reads in answer 116, “God will give His grace and Holy Spirit to those only, who with a sincere desire, continually ask them of Him, and are thankful for them.”

Live holily

The prayer now continues: “So that they in true love and firm faith may live holily according to Thy divine will and resist all evil (lines 151-152). To live holily ….

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of sanctification. He begins His work in the heart by making it alive and by leading God’s children to eternal glorification. He remains with them from the beginning to the end, and in all things that may befall us in this life.

As we are instructed in Lord’s Day 33, one of the distinguishing marks of the work of the Holy Ghost is that He not only makes us to see sin, but also to mourn, hate, and flee from it. He grants a desire for holiness and purity and a fleeing from ungodliness. How necessary it is in our married life that we experience the working of the Holy Ghost. It is especially in marriage that many profane and unclean things threaten us from both within and without. Therefore we pray that the Holy Ghost will safeguard the bridal couple from all evil and wrong in their future married life.

Holy

Just note how many times the word holy occurs in our form. It occurs four times just in the prayer: Thy Holy Spirit, live holily, Thy Holy Name, and the holy gospel (lines 151, 156). The marriage forms of the husband and wife each use the word holy three times; holy Church, holy life and holy gospel. The marriage form uses holy, holy, holy, over and over again.

What does this mean for us, unholy and sinful people? It means that without the gift of the Holy Ghost, nothing of this—absolutely nothing of this—will occur. Of ourselves, everything is so sinful and corrupt, so carnal and unclean. Our form confesses this directly, briefly, succinctly, objectively and scripturally.

By Thy good Spirit led

Sin ruins everything, even the most beautiful and most holy, yes, even that flower of Paradise—marriage. The grace of God’s Spirit, however, encompasses everything in both natural and spiritual life. Just like leaven, the grace of God pervades our entire life. Nothing can be excluded. The life of grace longs to live holily according to Thy divine will and resist all evil (lines 151-152). When it pleases God to give us His Spirit, then we learn to ask about even the smallest things. “Teach me Thy will to do.” Life, also married life, thrives whenever we find the prayer, “Let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” Then we will begin to want what God wants and to hate what God hates.

Our forefathers did not assume that the gift of God’s Spirit was automatically present in everyone. They included it as the essential point in the prayer at two weighty moments in your life. When you were baptized during your childhood, prayer was made for you personally. “We beseech Thee, that Thou wilt be pleased of Thine infinite mercy, graciously to look upon these children and incorporate them by Thy Holy Spirit into Thy Son Jesus Christ.” And now, on your wedding day, there is a request that Thou wilt give them Thy Holy Spirit (lines 150-151). Do you know that you are carnal, sold under sin? Lost, ruined, and incorrigible? In the Old Testament, the Lord promised, and it was fulfilled in the New when He poured out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28, Acts 21:17). A greater contrast cannot be imagined, the holy over against the unholy, the pure over against the impure. But God’s outpouring, not by drops, will also apply to younger ones—your sons and your daughters will know and serve the Lord. For that reason, we ask for the powerful working of the Spirit of Christ on your wedding day, the first time as a married couple, but to continue it together at home.

Our wish for you is that together as husband and wife, you may pray the petition of the Morning Song, “That Thy Spirit may lead us and dwell in us.” As we shall see in the third part of this prayer, this will not be without results.

(To be continued)

1The title of this chapter is derived from the Dutch metrical Morning Song.

Rev. G.J. Van Aalst, Klaaswaal, the Netherlands

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