“And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her” 1 Sam 1:19
I have always found this passage of scripture to be an excellent example of holy matrimony the way God intended it, an ideal to be strived toward in any marriage relationship. For all you married couples, take special note of this scripture and apply it to the relationship with your spouse.
Notice the order of events between the married couple Elkanah and Hannah. First, they “rose up in the morning early together.”
So often in today’s relationships, husband and wife lead such separate lives that they rarely get to spend time with one another. Our culture esteems freedom and independence so much that when we see a happy couple in Love, always doing things together and spending a great deal of time with one another, we get sick to our stomach. But really it is our own jealousy that makes us sick, for we all crave a relationship of Love, harmony, and unity—a relationship in which our partner knows us more intimately than we even know ourselves. Elkanah and Hannah have this relationship. They look forward to spending time together, for they “rose up in the morning early together.”
Sometimes when we think we have found true Love, when we think we have found our soul mate, we later realize that it was not Love at all that captivated us, but an unhealthy infatuation and preoccupation with another person. Perhaps our infatuation caused us to idealize this other person to the point in which we had deceived ourselves—it was not Love at all, but our own selfish desires trying to fill that desperate void of loneliness in our heart.
Many romantic relationships are doomed for failure or are severely limited because they are predicated on unhealthy infatuation and preoccupation. The missing ingredient is not in anything one partner does or does not do, but in God Himself not being a part of the relationship. Examine the relationship you are in: is God a part of that relationship? In your failed or unhappy marriages of the past, did you and your spouse regularly commune with the Lord?
Notice with Elkanah and Hannah, they not only get up early in the morning together to spend time, but they also include God. They “worshipped” together as husband and wife. I get warm and fuzzy feelings when I think about this. How romantic! It reminds me that his is exactly what I should be doing with my wife.
We are called to Love Christ more than mother, father, sister, brother, child, spouse, etc. (Luke 14:26). Christ is to be the center of our heart and universe. The morning that husband and wife wake up early together and worship is a blessed morning indeed, an excellent way to start any day.
Finally, and this is like dessert after a most delectable meal, Elkanah and Hannah made love together. Notice they did not just roll over first thing in the morning and get busy. They first woke up together early in the morning; then they worshipped the Lord together; and then finally, they made love. Hannah, who had been praying for a child, went on to conceive the prophet Samuel. Hannah’s elation and praise is often considered a prophetic scene that foreshadowed Mary’s rejoicing at the annunciation that she would bear the Messiah (compare 1: Sam 2:1-10 with Luke 1:26-55).
So if you have had or are currently having trouble in a romantic relationship, consider whether God might be that missing element. Perhaps you and your spouse could seek a relationship with Him together, just like Elkanah and Hannah did.
The Good News is that it is easy to get right with God. He will accept you and your spouse exactly “as is,” wherever you are at in life. You do not need to make dramatic self-improvements before coming to Him. In fact, the opposite is true—first come to Him, and then He will empower you through His Spirit to make whatever changes He requires. He will mold you and shape you as a potter does clay, if you but submit your will to Him. For a relationship with God is the true Holy Romance that fulfills the heart, surpassing anything we could imagine in another person. And, I guarantee you that you need not fear rejection in courting a personal relationship with Him, because the promise of scripture is:
“...him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37
Larry Word
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