Husband and Wife - Faith Partners

As I thought ("mused") on the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, I couldn't help but wonder how the two of them "together" came to this place of "settled faith". What I mean is that their togetherness speaks loudly about a husband and wife being convinced as one, the way the scripture defines a marriage, about what God wants to do in their lives.
Here's the passage again, read it aloud and slowly, catch the togetherness:

Luke 1:57-66 (NIV)
1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.
58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,
60 but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."
61 They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.
63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John."
64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God.
65 The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.
66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.

Zechariah had been quiet - mute - throughout this whole period. Elizabeth and he spoke a language together of the Spirit of God. It came to them that God was at work in their marriage, in their family, in each of their lives - together.

My brothers and sisters, if you are married, can you believe that God has a work he wants to do through the two of you as a couple? Do we believe that the "one flesh" that God said would be a marriage is still the goal of striving "in" our marriage?

I am concerned as I see so many couples struggling to keep their marriage alive and with a desire to be a couple doing God's will together. It's become all to frequent that couples settle for being "married singles". Married? Yes, but only in ways that are legal and social...we live together, we share finances, we have a family to raise, we serve God, we even are intimate with each other...but, all of this is not leading to oneness and I've heard to many couples say "we're not together".

Elizabeth and Zechariah discover this oneness when they mutually together say "God has done this and therefore together we will walk this out in faith". Faith Partners - a couple who understand that God is at work in "them", to do and to will of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:12,13). Oh that we had churches full of faith partners.

If you're not married, and would like to be, this is the mate you're looking for. One who strives for oneness in God. One who wants God to be the Lord of the marriage and Lord of the direction of living that out in faith.

May Advent be for all of us who are married a time of renewal of being faith partners.