God Hi-Jacked My Honeymoon

I once heard David Platt say that sometimes it is necessary to study truth, meaning to dig in with ferocious teeth to discover what God means in Scripture. At other times our souls need to walk through the garden of God’s fellowship, meaning we need to stimulate our love and affections for the truth we already know and have already dug for.

While I was on my honeymoon last week, I was able to do that. I found out nothing will stir your affections to their maximum potential like getting married. The beauty of it was that God used my marriage weekend and the honeymoon not only to grow close to my wife, but to grow my heart in a deeper understanding of His love for us.

Here’s my list of four truths God brought near to me during my honeymoon.

1. He Loves Unconditionally Those Who Are His. Most people never forget their wedding day (and neither will I), but oddly enough I will never forget the night before my wedding. I laid down in a borrowed bed, and thought about my bride to be. I thought of the commitment we were about to make, the vows to be said. I will never abandon or forsake… for better or worse… until death do us part. Like a crashing wave, the intensity of love hit me that night. The weight of Lindsey’s love for me was great. The weight of God’s love for me was even greater. Lindsey and I have sought this road of marriage together, and have equally taken the vows of commitment. But the Lord seeks us out when we are shameful, despised, sinful, and hateful to unconditionally love and protect and provide for us as his beautiful Bride. That is beauty, worthy of praise.  

2. Many, Many People Will Praise God Forever. One of the first scenes beach vacationers look for is the ocean. Lindsey and I were no different! After we checked in, we walked through our room to the balcony and stood to look at the grand scene of Banderas Bay. Mountains circled this wide body of water that stretched as far as the eye could wander. Our eyes opened up to the breadth of the world. We weren’t so focused on the little details of the floor, couch, or pool; rather, we were enthralled with the bigger picture where everything came together as a unified masterpiece. In the moment of looking out to the horizon and seeing nothing but the ocean, my mind drifted to Revelation 7:9 where John beholds the redeemed people of God in a similar manner. I looked out and saw countless miles of ocean; John looked and saw a countless number of people saved from their sins praising the one who conquered sin and death. Many, many people will praise God with us forever each with their own story of God’s grace and faithfulness.   

3. Man is the Pinnacle of God’s Creation. I’ll never forget the beautiful sunset that my wife and I experienced on our last night in Puerto Vallarta for two reasons: One, it was the last night of my honeymoon and it was Lindsey’s favorite color all over the horizon, dark pink. And two, God orchestrated a unique experience to teach us about creation. While we were standing there we were in awe at how beautiful the scene was, and the conversation turned to what we imagined would be God’s favorite scene of creation. The Alps, a Mt. Everest Sunset, the shores of South Africa, or maybe the very sunset we were witnessing in Banderas Bay. Nope. As we were standing on the back of the porch, there stood a hotel worker right in the forefront of the sunset. He wouldn’t get out of the way! But to be fair, he was working. As we talked about God’s favorite part of creation, we watched him simply doing his security job, talk to the occasional person, and stand with his leg hiked up on the ledge putting out the vibe. It slowly became obvious to us that God, in a sense, had joined our conversation by putting the emphasis on the man and not the sunset. It was a surreal reminder that landscape is beautiful, but man is the Image of God.

4. Man is Meant to Spread God’s Glory. There were many good things that happened on our trip, but there is only one more I want to share with you. I will hoard the others for Lindsey’s and my memories! We had the opportunity to talk with one of the hotel workers, Judith, a couple of fun times. I sat and watched mostly because Lindsey and Judith were speaking Spanish rather quickly. While I hear Spanish pretty well, I couldn’t keep up with their conversations. I think they were making fun of my sun burn! I did get the opportunity, however, to think of the splendor of two people bound by creation – separated by the curse of sin – talk and communicate with one another. It was as if the Tower of Babel was being reversed right in front of my eyes. In sin, our representation of God was tainted and defiled. In righteousness, it is our privilege to reach out to the nations to spread the Glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.