To put it simply… Man needs his companion/helpmate, then the two need God, and through the salvation of Christ, God provides the Holy Spirit. The man and woman become one flesh and being indwelt with the Holy Spirit, give us a glimpse of a Trinity...3 persons in one being. The majesty and power of the Trinity is not easily explained with earthly examples yet marriage is the closest I’ve found. There is a physical oneness in the creation of woman out of man and then the lifelong journey we are destined to make finding the emotional oneness, which requires nurturing and engaging relationship. The doctrine of the Trinity is a deep and wonderful mystery that even the greatest philosophers and theologians find themselves under equipped in eloquently explaining its complexity, diversity, and unity. I make no such attempt in this, yet I have faith God gives us bits of wisdom as we need them. We may not understand everything He has for us, but if we Trust in Him fully, He can enlighten our minds if the desire of our hearts align with his will.
Among many wonderful traits, God is a relational being and made us in His image. It should be of no surprise that we have a longing for community. We have a need to be loved by each other and God. The institution of marriage is a sacred gift and paints a beautiful picture of this.
When we create our own earthly ideas of our purpose based on our feelings, we are really making ourselves god of a universe we didn’t create. Satan cunningly appeals to our nature and his goal for all of us is to pull us away from our Creator, “surely you won’t die...you will be like God…”. Could it be that feelings of loneliness and depression are signals for us to seek Truth and simply results of us not living with the meaning and purpose for which we were created? I’m not suggesting we are all supposed to be married, but it does mean we need a relationship with our Creator and should be involved in the lives of others. God does not want us to be in this world alone. We were created to have an intimate and personal relationship with Him and the fruits of that relationship is to be shared with others.
My wife has an intrinsic value that I’m reminded of when I have stronger fellowship with God. When I live my life and carry burdens apart from my wife, I know I’m not fulfilling the purpose of marriage, plus I was purposefully created incomplete. I need her and must see her as part of me. Our nature is to serve ourselves, which doesn’t always manifest itself in obvious selfishness. Working against God's design yields sorrow, discontent, anger, bitterness, and everything Satan will fuel to drive us away from each other. It is critical that we are consistently re-centering our focus on Christ, his purpose for us, and our purpose for each other.