When a man decides to go down on one knee and ask a woman to be his wife, it means he’s seen something within her that has touched his heart profoundly. He’s determined that his search is over, because he’s discovered in her what could not be found in others. This is a choice that he’s made in every way; mentally, emotionally, physically, and most importantly spiritually. It’s a choice that signals heaven above, and everything beneath it, that he intends to spiritually join so tightly with a woman that the two become one. This is what many single women are hoping and praying will soon happen to them.
Going down on one knee is a significant gesture. We see a form of this in the Word of God. Regarding the judgment seat of Christ, Romans 14:11(NLT) tells us, “As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’” Philippians 2:9-11(NLT) says, “9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Every knee will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is truth! It will happen, of this we can be sure.
From this truth, we have an inkling of what is necessary to demonstrate extreme reverence, honor, and respect. Anything glorious deserves glory. Anything respectful deserves respect. To bow before Jesus Christ is not only an incredible privilege, it is also acknowledgement of our understanding of who he is. In His Word, God teaches us that actions convey what is in our hearts, and when those actions match the truth of God’s love and majesty, the jewels of commitment and unity are revealed. And so it is with a man’s understanding of the blessing of a wife. His reverence to God, to the institution of marriage, and his respect for the commitment he is aiming to make; all of this is evident when he goes down on one knee.
Love’s barometer
Ephesians 5:25(KJV) is God’s requirement to husbands. It says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” This verse is a ‘LOVE’ barometer for every woman. It gives us the exact point of reference needed to measure our own expectations, and to also measure a man’s capacity to love. If the Lord has commanded a man to love his wife in the same way that Christ loves the church, then the man must be capable of doing so. It would be a huge affront and infraction to believe that a man lacks the capacity to love this way, for God has mandated that he must, and therefore can.
As a woman believing to marry the person God has ordained to walk with you through life, you must have a firm grasp of God’s standard of how you should be respected as a Daughter of Zion. You must also make sure you are respecting yourself as God’s precious one, and that your mind and heart are full of hope and faith. We don’t have to strive and struggle. Heavenly Father has got this! He will see to it that we are loved in a way that pleases Him IF we are committed to seek His Will in all we do. If for one second, your beliefs run counter to this, you are hurting yourself. Our wrong beliefs are a buffer between us and the blessings we seek. Wrong believing is doubt, and doubt does not come from the Kingdom of God, but from the kingdom of satan. There should be no place for doubt in the heart of a believing Daughter of Zion, because doubt repels love and doesn’t attract it. Do yourself a favor, trust in what God has for you!
Sow on good ground
1 John 3:18 (NLT) teaches us, “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” It’s been said time and time again that getting married and saying “I Do” is the easy part; it’s staying together that snags people up. Sometimes people marry before they’ve given themselves time to find out if it’s a divine presentation. Their chief motivation is physical rather than spiritual. To sow is to invest, and when we invest our hearts into a person, and do so in a way that doesn’t please God, we’ve not invested wisely. We’ve not shown the truth by our actions, because we’re not acting in God’s love, but perhaps we’re acting out of lust or desperation; both are beneath our privilege as God’s beloveds. A better way is to get tight with God so that we’re confident our motives are pure and based on the love of Christ. Best practice is to inspect before we invest. We need to hear from God as to whether we’re sowing on good ground.
Worth the wait
When a man bows on one knee to ask for his queen’s hand in marriage, it symbolizes his willingness to submit all that he has in service, love, and support of her. He’s willing to decrease so that they can increase together as they stand before God in Christ. It’s an awesome aspect of God’s plan of unity. As women of God, we should never try to force a man to honor us in this way. The grace of God we exhibit will compel him to do so. This is an honor that is always going to be worth the wait.
God has called us to be His Holy Daughters, to be women of great love, compassion, and care. The light of our hope will forever be in the promises of God. We should be confident that Heavenly Father never disappoints, but loves us unconditionally. His greatest delight is to see us happy and blessed. So, let your confidence in your future marriage and spouse be anchored in your faith in the goodness of God. Remain positive in thought and mind, because God is swelling the well of gratitude in your soul, so that you can know the depth of honor you’re receiving when your future husband goes down on one knee. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Down on One Knee”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.