The picture accompanying today’s blog was taken on July 15, 2012. Our church had just honored us with a wonderful retirement celebration, and Linda and I were looking forward to the next chapter of our lives: We were moving back to Cleveland, Tennessee, and I fully expected God to heal Linda! Several years later, God emphatically revealed to me that He was not going to heal her on this earth. Nearly a decade has passed since that picture was taken and neither of us physically look like we did then; however, as long as she was able to effectively communicate, we persistently asked that our lives might continue to manifest righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Thankfully, each of us continues to benefit from the answers to those prayers. Therefore, I am going to chronicle what I have learned under three headings:
God Knows Best
This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go” (Isaiah 48:17 NIV).
Alexander Smellie, reflecting on this scripture, states: “The Lord know what is best for me. Wherever He places me, He does so to strengthen my faith and power, and to draw me into closer communion with Himself.”
Marriage Illustrates Our Relationship with Christ
Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands.
Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage.
No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband (Ephesians 5:22-33 MSG).
A Godly Wife’s Impact Continues After Death
God has provided abundant guidance and the promise of His presence to reassure us that earthly marriages can be fulfilling and fruitful each step of the way. Lest I come across as “having it all figured out,” let me share the pain and victory that came out of my Friday afternoon visit with Linda: She slept most of the time that I was with her, waking up on two occasions long enough to squeeze my hand and whisper, “I love you.” While with her and throughout the evening, a cacophony of images and emotions competed for my attention. I remembered those precious moments with family when she served as the catalyst for fun and excitement. And, I tried to imagine my future without her.
In Saturdays with Billy, Don Wilton provides insight into Billy Graham’s understanding of the lasting impact of a Godly wife:
In 2016 Billy Graham, Bev Shea, and Cliff Barrows sat on the stage at the Billy Graham Library, perhaps for the last time. It was a truly wonderful evening. After singing “This Little Light of Mine,” Cliff asked his longtime friend, “Bill, if you had one more choice in your life, what would you like to do?” Mr. Graham pondered the question and then said to all gathered, “See Ruth! She was the most wonderful woman that ever lived, as far as I am concerned. She walked with God; she loved the Lord with all her heart. She had three or four Bibles and wrote detailed notes in all of them. She lived for the Lord, and her children would testify she taught them what it means to follow Christ.”
At that time, approximately two years before his death and nine years after Ruth had died, Billy Graham longed to see his wife again. Perhaps, of greater importance, he cherished her impact as a wife, mother, and, most of all, a disciple of Jesus Christ. I shall do likewise!
Ron Harvard Ministries 