The Works of God

Paul successfully swallowed a large pill the other day, and has taken them without much complaint ever since.  You might recall Hannah got him to swallow a small pill some months ago.  This one was at least four times larger.

The first success wasn’t easy or pretty.  Dianne had to work carefully to get the pill positioned in such a way as to encourage him to swallow, without at the same time getting bitten.  He may not chew anything, but his teeth work just fine.

He managed to work it out of his mouth a couple of times.  Then he swallowed.

We rejoice in small victories like that, especially when the medicines in those pills might actually help him!  We don’t take too much for granted with him.  And we long for it to be better for him, and for us.

For some reason, that reminded me of Pastor John’s closing to Momentary Marriage.  This investment in Paul is worthwhile because God made him and gave him to us as he is.  But it also isn’t going to last for very long.

So it is with marriage. It is a momentary gift. It may last a lifetime, or it may be snatched away on the honeymoon. Either way, it is short. It may have many bright days, or it may be covered with clouds. If we make secondary things primary, we will be embittered at the sorrows we must face. But if we set our face to make of marriage mainly what God designed it to be, no sorrows and no calamities can stand in our way. Every one of them will be, not an obstacle to success, but a way to succeed. The beauty of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church shines brightest when nothing but Christ can sustain it.

Very soon the shadow will give way to Reality. The partial will pass into the Perfect. The foretaste will lead to the Banquet. The troubled path will end in Paradise. A hundred candle-lit evenings will come to their consummation in the marriage supper of the Lamb. And this momentary marriage will be swallowed up by Life. Christ will be all and in all. And the purpose of marriage will be complete.

To that end may God give us eyes to see what matters most in this life. May the Holy Spirit, whom he sends, make his crucified and risen Son the supreme Treasure of our lives. And may that Treasure so satisfy our souls that the root of every marriage-destroying impulse is severed. And may the marriage-watching world be captivated by the covenant-keeping love of Christ.

John Piper, This Momentary Marriage, p. 178.