Do you wish you had a husband who knew exactly what you were thinking and was able to anticipate your needs at any time? Perhaps you long for someone whom you can depend on to always be there for you, no matter what the situation.
Whether you’re married or not, if you know God, through a relationship with Jesus, you already have the perfect husband. Isaiah 54:5 says “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.”
While those words were literally spoken to the nation of Israel, through the prophet Isaiah, we can glean truth and meaning from them today. Just as God pursued the nation of Israel and wanted to be her loving and faithful husband, so the Lord today pursues us as a “husband.”
Throughout the Bible, God uses the illustration of a bridegroom seeking his bride to describe His desired relationship with His chosen ones. That kind of pursing love makes Him more than a Supreme Being whom we thank before meals and pray and sing to on Sundays.
That makes Him a God who is intimately acquainted with us, perhaps even more than a husband on earth could ever be.
Jesus wants to more than make up for what you never had in a husband, or be the perfect husband that you have been unfairly expecting your spouse to be. Whether you’re single, married, divorced or widowed, here are seven ways Jesus is your Perfect Husband:
1. He will never disappoint you.
You and I can’t say this about anyone else on earth. Every human being is fallible. Everyone will disappoint us at one time or another. Except Jesus. Your longing for the perfect husband can be satisfied in a relationship with the Perfect One.
Psalm 18:30 says “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true…” (ESV). That means Jesus will never disappoint you, or fail you in any way. You may not understand His ways, as they are much higher than yours (Isaiah 55:8-11), but He cannot act apart from His nature that is good, holy, righteous, and pure.
Jesus truly is the Only One who satisfies. So, bring your expectations to the only Perfect One who is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
2. He knows you better than you know yourself.
Wouldn’t it be nice to be completely known? To know that someone really knows you, what makes you tick, what thrills your heart and what disappoints you. You might think--or maybe you’ve even heard someone say--“My husband knows everything about me.” Yet, no one can really know you completely, except your Maker.
In Psalm 139:1-4, David sang, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all” (NASB, emphasis added).
Think about that. God knows your thoughts before you think them, your words before you say them, and your actions before you carry them out. And He still chooses to love you.
That is a mind-reader husband with whom you can feel safe.
3. He’s the perfect listener.
Do you ever want to pour out your heart to someone but you’re not sure how it will come across or how the other person will react? Will your words be received in the right way? Will you be misunderstood or, worse yet, labeled an emotional train wreck if the words don’t come out right?
Psalm 62:8 tells us: “Trust in Him at all times...; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (NASB). That verse assures us that with Jesus there is safe communication. You don’t have to walk on eggshells or close yourself off because you don’t know how to verbalize what’s on your heart and say it just right. With Jesus as your “safe place” you can say whatever is on your heart and mind and know you are accepted by your Beloved.
4. He’s always available.
Even a husband with the best intentions cannot always be there for his wife. Life happens. The job and responsibilities call. There are aging parents to care for or fires to put out on his job. But in Jesus you have a husband who has always been there for you and always will. Psalm 139:7-12 assures us there is no place we can go where He is not and no place we can wander where He will not follow. He goes before us, walks alongside us, and has our backs. That is a love that is ever available and always there for you.
5. His love for you will never change or diminish.
In Jeremiah 31:3, we are told of God’s heart for us: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (ESV). And that was in the context of a strained relationship in which the wife (Israel) was not acting faithfully toward her husband. Jesus puts no parameters or conditions around His unfailing love for you.
In Hebrews 13:5, He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And in Romans 8:38-39, we are told that “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That means no circumstance, condition, or person will ever draw your heavenly husband’s heart and love away from you. That is perfect love that will never leave.
6. He sees the best in you.
A discouraged wife recently told me “No matter what I do, my husband sees me through the lens of my past mistakes and failures. I will never be able to make him see me the way he once did.” Spouses can tend to see the worst in each other. And that baggage can collect through the years. Yet, Scripture tells us that in Christ we are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and this God who knows everything about us still chooses to not remember our sins (Isaiah 43:25).
In Psalm 139:17 David sang this about the God who sees the best in us: “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” (NLT).
Furthermore, Scripture gives us this tender description of our heavenly husband: “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:8-12, NLT).
That is a husband who holds no baggage against us, remembers no offense, and continues to see us as spotless and new in His eyes.
7. He has your best at heart.
It’s natural for us, as humans, to be selfish. And therefore, a sense of competition can occur between a husband and wife, or just selfishness that leaves us wanting our preferences over our spouse’s and vice versa. But Jesus is the epitome of self-sacrifice in that He gave up His own life for you. He combines that sacrificial love for you with an intimate knowledge of what is eternally best for you. And that means He always has your eternal best at heart.
In Matthew 7:11 we are told that if we, who are human, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our heavenly Father give what is good to those who love Him? Your Heavenly Father and Heavenly Husband knows what is very best for you. Psalm 84:11 tells us “No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
So, if you’re asking your Perfect Husband for something good that you don’t yet have, it either isn’t truly good for you or it isn’t time. Trust Him with what He withholds, with how long He waits, and with how He chooses to bless. You have a Husband who provides for you in the very best way possible.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being the Perfect Husband who pursues my heart, patiently loves me, and promises to never leave. May I be, to You, the perfect lover in return through my surrender and obedience, my worship and adoration of You, and my love and dependence on You as the Only One who satisfies.
Cindi McMenamin is a pastor’s wife, mother, national speaker, and award-winning author of 17 books, including When Women Walk Alone (more than 140,000 copies sold), Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs, When God Pursue a Woman’s Heart and 12 Ways to Experience More with Your Husband. For more on her speaking ministry, books, or coaching services to help you write the articles or book that God has placed on your heart, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Jamie Street
Cindi McMenamin is a national speaker, Bible teacher, and award-winning writer who helps women and couples strengthen their relationship with God and others. She is also a mother, pastor’s wife, and author of 17 books, including When Women Walk Alone (more than 150,000 copies sold), When God Sees Your Tears, When a Woman Overcomes Life’s Hurts, and When Couples Walk Together:31 Days to a Closer Connection, which she co-authored with her husband of 35 years. For more on her speaking ministry, coaching services for writers, and books to strengthen your soul, marriage, and parenting, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.