Ecclesiastes 4:12 “…A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” – New International Version

As they settled down in bed, he edged closer to her, but she quickly turned the other way and moved further away. They had had a disagreement that evening that turned into a heated exchange. Before long, they were at loggerheads and not talking to each other. At bed time, there was still anger and tension in the air.

“Honey, can we at least hold hands and pray?” He gently asked. They had made it a habit to hold hands and pray together before retiring to sleep every night. She reluctantly turned and with her face still turned aside she reached out for his hands and he prayed… asking God to help them navigate through the disagreement and bring healing and restoration. When they both finally said “Amen”, she stole a quick glance at him, and He took that as the cue to apologise for his contribution to the disagreement. She warmed up and also apologised. Pretty soon they made up and happily chatted for nearly an hour, after which they happily snuggled and fell asleep – both glad that the matter was rested.

While marriage brings with it innumerable benefits, like companionship and friendship, synergistic effect for combined effort, emotional support and comfort during calamity and hardship… and the list goes on; it is not complete without the unifying presence of God.

In the numerous occasions we have habitually brought God into any challenge we faced in our relationship; what was initially a mountain, has always turned into a mole-hill and speeded up forgiveness and restoration, or created solutions for sticky scenarios. God is always present to help married couples navigate through every situation that life presents them, if they allow Him. This is well represented in “The Marriage Triangle” – which illustrates that the more a man and a woman reach out to God in unity, the closer the man and the woman become and the stronger their love becomes.

A three stranded rope is indeed stronger than a two stranded one, and we must consciously make God part of the rope/cord for it to be unbreakable.