“In their heart’s humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs16:9
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified you…” Jeremiah 1: 4
In a few days, Ricky and I will be celebrating our 47th Anniversary. We both will tell you that our marriage has not been without its ups and downs but that we both know God put us together as a couple. So yes, we have a marriage made in Heaven.
We believe that we were destined to be married to each other because our Lord gave us both a foreknowledge of our lives together. Ricky tells everyone that he made the statement to Randy McClendon that he would marry me someday. This was when we were in 6th grade, and I was at least a foot taller than him. By circumstances that could only have been orchestrated by God, we ended up on a date in the fall of our Junior year of high school, and from the moment he kissed me, I was quickened in my Spirit that I would marry this man.
Ricky was not a Christian, at this time, and I knew God wanted me to marry a Christian boy. I set about witnessing to him and insisting he go to Church with me. He was so crazy about me that he did exactly as I asked. He began attending church and willingly gave his life to Jesus when he was 17.
We believe that God is the Master of our lives and that He had carefully mapped out every aspect of our journey from then and through this day. We know that God is Sovereign; His will and purpose for our lives is called “providence.”
Many believe that God gives us gifts and talents to steward, but does not have a specific job, specific spouse, or specific direction for our lives. We believe that God has a detailed plan for every aspect of life and purpose for our lives. We have been given many wonderful occasions in our years together, but we have also had to endure many times of hardship and testing that affected us individually and as a couple.
Our first time of testing came even before we were married. In November of our Senior year, my mother was diagnosed with Melanoma Cancer, and my world was turned upside down by this. Then right before Christmas, we were involved in a car accident that was awfully bad, but God spared both our lives because He had plans for us as a couple.
We married only two weeks after graduating from high school. Many advised us to not marry at such a young age, but I wanted my Mother to be at my wedding, and we were given a diagnosis that she would not live much longer. We lived in a trailer next to my Mother and Daddy, and I can testify that there were many times that I wanted to walk back over to their house and live in my old room, but we were determined to honor God of our promise to not let anything tear us apart.
Mother moved to Heaven when we were 22, and learning to live without her in my life was a great time of testing. I questioned God so often because I felt like I had been abandoned and betrayed by Him. I know now that He was preparing me for even greater hardships.
C.S. Lewis stated: “Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.”
Our next time of testing came when we had been married for seven years, and we were not successful at conceiving children. For those that have never walked in this pathway, you cannot understand what a strain it can put on your marriage. I can testify that we spent many difficult times burdened by this, but God answered our prayers, and we were able to give birth to a precious boy named Richard.
We were blessed with two daughters later, but five weeks after our first daughter, Ryann, was born, we were again thrust into a time of testing. Ryann developed severe double pneumonia and had to be rushed to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. It was early on a Sunday morning, and our world was in great anguish from this turn of events. Our faith was being tested in a way that was inexpressible at that time. Thanks to our Lord Jesus and the prayers of our church family and friends, she was given back to us after many days of not being assured of her condition. Our lives were blessed, and another daughter, Rylee, was given to us. We never planned on her, but God knew that we would need her in the years to come.
The next time of the testing of our faith came on Christmas morning in 1997 when Richard and Ryann were taken to Heaven through the avenue of a bad car accident. That day plunged us into a time of tribulation and testing that was unlike any other time in our lives. I cannot describe the pain and the many days of doubt and confusion, but God gave us the grace and mercy to make it to the other side of great stress, and our marriage grew stronger.
I have shared our story in order to give God all the glory for His providential care in every circumstance of our lives. We do not believe in “accidents,” but that God had a plan for us and for our journey. God’s sovereignty is not just for our individual lives but for our lives that He joins. Every difficult thing, no matter how confusing or hurtful, is a time to grow in the grace and understanding of the Lord, our God. James 1: 3-4 puts it this way, “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So, let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (NLT)
The journey of our lives is important to God! Why? Because there are lessons to be learned along the way. Lessons about God –
- How He works
- How we relate to Him
- How we represent Him
- How we draw on His power
- How we stay connected to Him as we overcome trials
- How we are transformed because we work to become more like Him
We are in the process of being molded into the image of God, individually and as a couple. We must go through this process in order to be the servant and child our God had in His mind before we were ever born. We grow through various storms and adverse conditions in our lives, and sometimes these trials can cut us down to the ground, and we “feel” like we will never recover but, God lifts us up and continues molding us into the vessel He can use for His glory. We all have a unique purpose, and we all must TRUST God in our life journey.
Dear God,
Thank you for gracing us with Your providential care as we live out our days on this side of eternity. We want to please You by being the examples to others that we can always Trust You in each situation we are asked to walk. Show us how we should respond amid every situation so that we are honoring You. Show us the areas of our lives that need to be changed and help us to accomplish the transformation. We want to be conformed to Your image so that we may be a living testimony for You.
We love You, Amen.
Rebekah Marsh, loving wife of Ricky –I thank God for you in my life!
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