(BY VEN. FOLUSO TAIWO)

Decision to marry is a very serious one and identity has been described as an important instrument a Christian must be equipped with so as not to go in the wrong direction, but make a success of marriage as covenant children of God.

The Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lokoja, the Most Rev. Emmanuel Egbunu gave this vivid description at the wedding of the daughter of the Registrar of Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Barrister Abraham Yisa at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Minna.

He said a couple must recognize who they are in the sight of God and it is only family prayer that can make them stay glued together. According to the Most Rev. Egbunu, while quoting the Scriptures, there is a way that seems right in the eyes of men but the end leads to sudden death. His Grace, the Archbishop made the couple recite Psalm 34:30, “I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth, Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.” He admonished the couple to make the Biblical quotation their corporal family motto.

The Cleric who identified marriage as a joint decision making venture said if care is not taken and God is excluded from the equation of the family, things will fall apart and head for a wrong direction. He said the big story of people’s lives is God, so God must not be absent so as not to score minus, adding that movement without a spiritual divine compass is a nullity.

Archbishop Egbunu who quoted profusely from the bible to corroborate his stand said that there must be respect for Godly values acknowledging God for Him to make their paths straight. He used the story of Naomi and Ruth, subscribing that every move must be God inclusive and God divine. He called on the new couple, Dr. and Mrs. Elijah Alhassan to serve the Lord with all their hearts and lean not to their own understanding.

Meanwhile, in his admonition to the newly wed, the former governor of Niger State and friend of the families, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu said life is about balancing the individual difference. According to him, the manifestation of individual differences must be managed in such a way that the third party is not allowed to truncate the sweetness that God has patterned for their marriage. He advised the couple to politely and with the fear of God manage their differences instead of rushing to their parents. He also harped on the efficacy of prayer and law of reciprocity. He said marriage is about give and take and prayer is the lubricant and not “Babalawo.” On a lighter note, he gave assignment to the newly wed to do a research for him on the meaning of Halleluyah.