A Reader Question
01/21/2014
This week I wanted to share a reader question with you.
"Is there a possibility that God would call you to marry someone who spiritually unmatched such as He did with Hosea? I ask this keeping in mind that God's Word tells us not to be unequally yoked with anyone."
My friend, if you look at the story of Hosea and Gomer, God tells him to marry a woman who will become a harlot. More than likely she was of the same "religion" as Hosea, of Israelite heritage and practicing what we call Judaism today. And you are right, God's Word tells us not to be unequally yoked, to not step into a relationship (marriage, business partnership, etc) with an unbeliever. I believe you are talking about 2 Cor. 6:14-16. (First Cor 7:10-16 is another great passage for those of us who are mismatched.)
As someone who had lived and is living this, I don't recommend it. LOL! God has worked in amazing ways in my marriage and grown my faith significantly because of my mismatch, but it's a very difficult and sometimes lonely journey. And I adore my husband and work very hard at our marriage. But the essence of who I am, a daughter of the Most High King, I can't share that with my husband. He doesn't understand it and has no desire to understand because he doesn't think God is real. That's the painful part.
I have encounters with God, see how He works in our lives and am experiencing things in the supernatural that astound me and fill me with such joy and fulfills me as only God can, but I can't share any of it with my husband.
One day I believe that will change and I firmly believe what 1 Cor 7: 10-16 says, especially about sanctification.
So, I hope I have answered your question. I don't know why you are asking, if this is for you or for a friend. There's a reason this is in the Bible because God loves us so much He desires us to have hearts set on Him first. When your spouse doesn't have this same focus, to put God first in his or her life, it makes it more challenging for us, because we are influenced by those we love and make covenants with, and marriage is a covenant.
As God honored the covenant that Joshua unwittingly made with the Gibeonites, God helps us in our mismatched marriages and works in miraculous ways to bless our pre-believers through us. But His first desire is that we do not walk into mismatched marriage, when His Word tells us not too. Pray for wisdom and discernment. I know God will supply that and more for you, my friend. Love and hugs, Dineen