Proverbs 18:22 reads, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the LORD” (NKJV). Let me add to that verse Proverbs 31:10, “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.” Together these verses teach us that a virtuous (which means “faithful and dependable”) woman is really a blessing from the Lord that is more valuable than any earthly treasure. Proverbs 19:14 emphasizes this same truth: “House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and A PRUDENT WIFE IS FROM THE LORD.”

It is vital to see the connection between “finding a virtuous wife” and “obtaining favor from the LORD.” If a Christian man has a strong desire to be married he MUST seek the Lord’s guidance in “finding a wife.” Some have gone looking (and sometimes in the wrong places!) for a wife, only to settle for less than what the Lord had in mind for him. There must be earnest prayer to the Lord so He will direct you to that one, special woman that He created just for you. You recall when God instituted marriage He made the woman for the man. Genesis 2:21-22 says, “And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man he made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.” Though God won’t be creating a woman from your rib, He has indeed created just the right woman for you if it is His will for you to marry. And just as He brought Eve to Adam, He WILL bring your perfect soul-mate to you if you will but allow Him to guide you in “finding a virtuous woman.”

We do have two extremely important “principles” from God’s Word that helps to “narrow the search.” The first principle is found in 2nd Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” Your wife MUST be a true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! To marry an unbeliever is to invite disaster, for she will have absolutely nothing in common with you regarding spiritual things. The prophet Amos warned of this in Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” A believer and an unbeliever will NOT agree on anything when it comes to honoring the Lord Jesus, for the unsaved wife will seek to pull her saved husband in the opposite direction. This is the object lesson we see in the “unequal yoke,” for Paul had in mind two different animals being yoked together as we see in Deuteronomy 22:10: “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.” The ox and the donkey’s step and pull will NOT be equal, and nor will the step and pull be equal if one marries an unbeliever.

The other vital principle is found in 1st Corinthians 7:39 where Paul tells the widows, “A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, ONLY IN THE LORD.” She must not only be a BELIEVER, she must be SUBJECT TO THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST.”  Her desire should be to be guided by God’s word and to glorify the Lord Jesus in all that she does. If these two principles are followed, and the Lord guides you to that special and unique woman that was made just for you, you shall indeed “obtain favor from the Lord!”  (211.3)  (DO)