Sunday Scripture

 

 Again this Sunday, I'm sharing from the Made for Community reading plan from Love God Greatly that I worked on back in 2015.  With this study, as I have often done, I used the SOAP method of Bible study.  Just a quick reminder that the S is for Scripture, O is for Observation, A is for Application and P is for Prayer.  The third section is Made for Community with Family.  So here we go with the Scripture for the second day of that section. 

S=  "And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help fit for him."  (Genesis 2:18)

O= After creating Adam, the LORD God made the statement recorded here.  He said it was not good that the man He had created should be alone,  and therefore, He would make a help fit for the man. 

Only one cross-reference was given for this verse in my Scofield Bible, the one I most often use for my quiet time.  It is for the word "help" and is found in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 -- "For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.  Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man."

As we read on in Genesis 2, we see how God created a woman using one of Adam's ribs, and brought her to Adam.  God's plan, as seen in verse 24, is for a man to leave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife.

Psalm 68:6, also in today's reading, emphasizes that God sets the solitary in families.  I love that!

"God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth forth those who are bound with chains ..." Psalm 68:6

A=  Marriage is God's idea!  And He intends marriage to be between one man and one woman.  The woman was created specifically to help the man and so that he would not be alone.

One of my ongoing prayer requests for myself is to be a help to my husband.  This verse reminds me also of the need for companionship in marriage.  My husband and I are good friends.  This reminds me of something that I heard at a couples' retreat.  Dana Schmidt (wife to Cary Schmidt) said (and I may be paraphrasing slightly), "Be his shoulder-to-shoulder friend.  You were taken from his side -- so be by his side."  Great advice!

P= "Lord, I thank You for that privilege of being a helper and companion to my husband.  I praise You for the wonderful relationship and friendship that we enjoy, and how it has become even more precious and more meaningful over time.  I pray that You will help me to be more sensitive to my husband's needs, and to pay close attention to meeting them as You would have me to.  He is my highest earthly priority, so I pray that You will help me to live that out each day.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

There's the Sunday Scripture for this week!  It was a good reminder for me.