Wang Guiying is 107 years old and looking for love. Born in the southern Guizhou province of China, she steered clear of marriage until this point because she grew up watching her uncles criticize and abuse their wives. According to the centenarian, “All the married people . . . lived like that. Getting married was too frightening.”  Like this woman, the idea of commitment is enough to make many of us cower. God’s ideas about marriage, however, make us brave when we hear wedding bells.

A big part of this courage comes from remembering that God is our ultimate source of love, provision, and protection—even within marriage. Due to our humanness, we will inevitably disappoint our spouse and our spouse will disappoint us, but God will never let us down. Maybe that’s why Peter praised women who “trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands” (1 Peter 3:5).

If you’re a woman, that “male authority” thing might have you running scared. Fortunately, God’s plan for marriage includes mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21). Building on that foundation, Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord” (v.22). Guys are supposed to honor their wives, to love them (vv.28-29), and “never treat them harshly” (Colossians 3:19). And all believers in Jesus are supposed to “be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude” (1 Peter 3:8).

Still, many of us have witnessed just the opposite within marriage. Bad marital behavior, however, carries consequences.

God takes marriage seriously. With His help, we can fight the fear that makes us too worried to wed.