“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? Matthew 19:4-5
Can you imagine an automobile safety defect being discovered that causes many of the cars on the road to crash? Not just minor fender-bender accidents but serious accidents, leaving the families that were riding in those automobiles hurting for years to come. Many never fully recover. The crashes bring about financial ruin. Future generations would be impacted by the crashes taking place in this generation. How quickly would friends and pastors warn us of the danger of those automobiles? Without question, the government would become involved.
There is an epidemic far more serious than car trouble that is causing many of our families to crash. It is the epidemic of divorce. God did not ordain automobiles. God did ordain marriage.
We are witnessing thousands of families falling apart daily in divorce court, yet some still choose not to deal with divorce. We overlook it, uncomfortable with the situation we see others facing. I have heard quotes from well-meaning friends and family (even pastors) who have advised couples in trouble to “do what you must do; get on with your life; God does not want you to hurt this way; you have grounds for divorce; your mate will never change, and divorce is a sin, but God can forgive sin.”
May God help us as we stand by and do nothing as families fall apart. Each time we speak, at least one or two couples seek us out privately. We hear their reports of divorce being considered an option in their homes. The same may be happening in your church or friend circle.
Contrary to the belief of many, divorcing couples are not only the unchurched. Satan, the enemy of the Christian home, is taking out families from within the church. He has targeted families who are about to accomplish something for the cause of Christ. Otherwise, their marriage is not a threat to the powers of darkness. I could take up an entire article discussing issues of exception clauses, innocent parties, and differing scriptures in the Bible. Those concepts are secondary. Divorce still destroys families and hurts the cause of Christ, regardless of who might be the innocent party. What is foremost is that God hates divorce and divorce is ruining families. It’s time that we just said NO to divorce. We must proclaim the damaging effects of divorce.
Satan will do everything possible to encourage divorce, but God can and will do everything possible to restore His families.
We each have a responsibility to pray for our pastors so that they might believe in marriage reconciliation. One divorce within the church signals to others that divorce is okay. One marriage restored within the church signals to others that nothing is impossible with God.
We pray that your church and your marriage might become the lighthouse in your community for saying NO to divorce and YES to allowing God to restore broken families.
Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:2-9
God bless,
