Jentezen Franklin (February-06-2023) Daily Devotional: You need each other (3)
“No suitable helper was found.” Gen 2:20 NIV
The blessings and benefits of a good marriage include such things as companionship, sexual fulfillment, and the joy of having children. However, its primary purpose is to provide both parties with everything that’s needed in order to fulfill God’s charge to “have dominion” (Ge 1:28). Marriage is a covenant designed by God to strengthen the capacity of each partner to succeed in the sphere where He placed them. A “suitable helper” simply means “an essential contributor.” And when a husband or wife rejects the helpful input of the other, they limit what God can do through them as a couple. What a loss! Sometimes it’s hard for men in particular to acknowledge that they need help—and when you don’t reach for help, you don’t get it. That means you don’t succeed to the extent you otherwise could have. A woman’s point of view isn’t inferior information; it’s essential information. Her presence wasn’t designed to be ornamental; it’s vital to fulfilling your shared potential.
When a man consistently makes decisions without consulting his wife, he is making them without all the necessary components for deciding wisely. Men tend to think logically. But women have a plus, because they’re programmed to think intuitively as well. They give the relationship a perspective it wouldn’t otherwise have, so when a husband fails to utilize his wife’s God-given capacities, he is robbing himself of God’s best. Once you grasp that principle and start operating accordingly, your relationship will be greatly enriched, and you will experience the joy of walking in God’s blessing every day. So the question is this: Why would you settle for less when you can have more?
