Did you know there’s a connection between sex and worship?
Often times as wives (and husbands) we miss the deeper purpose for intimacy in marriage when we push it to the bottom of our to-do list.
Today, Tommy (my husband) looks at the interesting connections between sex and worship. I love his perspective and NEED the reminder! I hope you too are inspired to look sexual intimacy differently. Here’s Tommy;
There is something curiously powerful about sex. There’s a reason why even the most accomplished and affluent of men are undone by this physical and “natural” act.
Physical, yes, but with immense spiritual significance. Natural, yes, but with connection that is nothing short of the SUPERnatural.
Why does God guard sex so closely and allow it only in the boundaries of marriage? Why does the devil fight tooth and nail and marshal immense resources for sex outside marriage (and once married no sex inside of it)?
They say money makes the world go round but what of sex? This thing that drives men of means to “meaningless” flings, that causes them to destroy in 5 minutes what is built in a lifetime?
It’s so interwoven into the fabric of manhood that zeal for life is often diminished should a man become impotent. It’s a cause of great shame and feelings of unmatched inadequacy for many.
Sex in Marriage
Marriage in itself is really one of the most powerful things God created on earth. When God created the earth, He outdid Himself on a daily basis until the 6th day when all heaven must have been blown away; He created the Master’s masterpiece.
He created man. Surely there can be nothing higher than this. A creature made in His own Image, made alive by God’s own breath (Gen 2:7) but in Genesis 2:22, the LORD once again outdid Himself.
He created woman. Woman for man, and in effect, He created marriage in the most elaborate garden wedding of all time.
God hasn’t missed a wedding since. (Malachi 2:14-16). Since then, few things have drawn God’s presence quite so consistently as unity.
God’s heart is to have the earth filled with His sons and daughters and by His design, this can only be physically achieved through families, through marriage and yes, through sex.
But beyond the purpose of procreation, there is the unbelievable pleasure, and beyond that, is the incomparable unity that is achieved.
Becoming one-flesh
Becoming one-flesh (Gen 2:24) is prescribed in the Word, only in the context of marriage. God guarantees a commanded blessing in unity (Psalm 133) and He is unreservedly moved by unity.
He is attracted by it. It would follow, then that the higher the level of Godly unity, the more God is drawn and the more His blessing is released.
What, then happens when husband and wife connect, become one, become joined in sex?
What happens in the spiritual realm, not only for the two but for God Himself, who delights in unity, when husband and wife in desire to pleasure each other, give of themselves in love with all they are: body, mind, emotion and spirit to achieve the highest form of human pleasure and the highest form of human unity?
Why would God put this level of unity only in marriage?
Sex and Worship
More than the “act” of repentance, the LORD desires our hearts. That is the purpose of repentance. It’s not a ritual to fulfill empty requirements.
The purpose is to have God’s people’s hearts return to God’s desired state; communion with God. Repentance is the tool by which to return to heart-to-heart communion with God.
Worship is the state in which a human being comes in close communion with God.
Time and time again in the Bible, men fall on their faces in awe, at the presence of God before He speaks. Worship is intrinsic in man’s communion with God. It prepares our hearts to receive His Word, by the Spirit.
Change happens when the Word of God enters the heart that has been prepared by the Spirit of God.
But beyond individual worship is corporate worship. When two or three or more are gathered in the Lord’s Name, with one purpose, to meet with the LORD, He is drawn.
He shows up. Not only because He is attracted to worship, but also because He is attracted by unity.
Marriage mimics God’s relationship with mankind. So much so that God calls the Church, the Bride of Christ.
Just like worship ushers in the deepest form of communion with God, so does sex, create a platform for the same between a husband and a wife.
Communion
When God desires to birth something in the spirit of man, He requires intimacy; the physical is true for man and wife. God by the Spirit of God hovered over the deep in Genesis just before He started to form the earth.
The Hebrew word used for hover is the word, RACHAPH. This same word is used to denote the manner in which a husband hovers over his wife before sex.
For this intimacy to occur, between God and man, and between man and wife, communication is required. It must be seen that the heart of each one desires to connect with the other. This is especially important for the wife and especially important for God.
Praise is crucial, for both husband and wife to feel desirable in each others eyes, and adoration for each other creates the atmosphere for the most fulfilling of sexual union.
Their spirits connect, their souls connect and what is spoken has a lasting impact on the other.
~
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Thank you for sharing this Tommy. Sex is the most sacred act we do with our bodies. And it pays to remember that we did not originate the idea, God did. So it is interesting that we would want to toy with it as if we came up with it. One way the human body gets desecrated is to have sex without the commitment and love that exists in marriage. Another way desecration occurs is a marriage without sex and I thank you for mentioning it because it is not talked about much.
Yes it is much more than a physical act. It is worship and I agree @Lawrence it is spiritual warfare and that is so deep it deserves books written on it. It is deep deep heart to heart communion between a man and a woman committed to each other. It is a physical union that mirrors spiritual union which God celebrates and the devil hates with passion and so he encourages sex without that union or the form of a union without sex. And if we allow ourselves to reflect on it, sex outside marriage is unnatural and deeply offensive to how we were made. Our bodies were never meant to be joined to people our hearts are not joined to. So we offend our own bodies when we engage in it. That is hell.
On the other side, marriage without the deep communion and intercourse and worship and celebration that is sex is deeply offensive to what it means to be one. Sexless marriage is often a symptom of lack of intimacy which is a result of lack of heart to heart union and where there is no union there is no marriage, there must be strife and where there is strife there is confusion and (not some but) every evil work. That is hell on earth rather than the heaven on earth marriage was designed to be.
Marriage without sex is having a form of marriage but denying the power thereof.
Both sex outside marriage and marriage without sex lead to hell on earth.
Sorry to write a mini blog post here. It is an issue I feel deeply about. Thanks again for sharing sir.
You went totally deep, bro.
Amazing
I appreciate this post alot, Ngina! A couple years ago I wrote a post on our blog (as a worship leader) that talked about corporate worship. As I was writing it, it began to click in my mind about how closely my words were coming to the relationship between a husband and wife in a Godly marriage. It was not my original intention to write about marriage in that post, but as I wrapped up the post I couldn’t help but bring it all together. Thanks for this article, I really appreciate it! ~Jason
Great post my friend, I have always wanted to comment when this post came up but for some reason my browser was not giving me the comment section. But thank God we are here. Now, in a nutshell, worship is CREATIVE. All true worship always gives birth to something or grows an existing thing.
Now, another thing that I have noticed in my worshiping experiences with God (even before marriage), is that it creates such a pliable, pure and tender heart that SEEKS to love, embrace and enjoy the company of another person. Now that is my personal experience. It made me give advice to some friends of mine who were getting married almost 15 years ago that the best that they could do as individuals and as as couple was to get in the PRESENCE of God…that is where they would LEARN to love. I still stand by that advice.
Just one more thing…I also think that SEX IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE. Can I hear an Amen?
I don’t think often enough about the connection between sex and worship, Tommy. But it truly is a picture of God’s heart for His bride. You have shared in such a profound and eloquent way. I think that you and Ngina make a powerful team–both of you are gifted communicators and writers. I pray for Ngina’s ministry daily, so maybe I should add your name beside hers! 😉 You’re probably thinking, it’s about time! ha! Love your honesty and insight, my friend!
Yes, it really is all about intimacy and connectedness in a committed relationship founded on mutual trust and respect.
In that sense, sex and worship are very similar. Completely different responses to completely different relationships…but similar in purpose and design.
Thanks for sharing! Good post!
Tommy, this is an important connection to make, unfortunately worship is probably one of the furthest things from our minds when we think about sex, mainly this is because of our culture’s rape of true sexuality, turning it into something more than a raw physical act.
There’s another aspect to worship and sex that I’d like to add. What I’ve noticed is that the more intune and inline a husband and wife are in their individual and corporate worship of Jesus the more intune their sex life will be. Ultimately God created sex to be of far deeper value in a couple’s relationship than simply providing physcial pleasure.
Thanks Caleb, what you’ve shared is so profound. I’ve seen it to be true in my own life.
Tommy.