 Every once in awhile I encounter a couple that simply refuses to repair their marriage. They've had enough of the pain and the lies, and one (or both) of them wants out. They feel justified in their actions, and often, abandoned by God. Or, they believe that God would never ask them to stay in a relationship that has made them unhappy with no end in sight.
But, what is the heart of God concerning painful marriages? Does He expect us to just keep taking the pain? Does He expect us to just keep forgiving? Many broken couples have left the Church because they feel that the pastor and/or the people just don't understand and are too legalistic. But, what has God Himself shown us in His relationship with His Bride?
It all started so full of promise. He had created Adam & Eve in His own image, and He met daily with them in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the morning. This honeymoon full of bliss may have gone on for a long, long time; we just don't know. But then, one day when God came down to be with His bride, she was gone. Adam & Eve were hiding from their Lord, because they had sinned, and they knew He was coming. The rich intimacy was now suddenly broken, and pain set in. This relationship began to go sour.
And as time went on the people of Israel seemed prone to committing vile acts that thoroughly angered the Lord. The most offensive was idolatry, which is nothing short of adultery against God. And you'd think that God, whose heart was full of pain, would have said: "That's it. I quit. You guys make Me sick. This marriage is over. You'll never see or hear from Me again. I'll just go and start over with some other creation somewhere else."
But, amazingly, that didn't happen. God kept forgiving them again and again, even though they strayed again and again and again.
Maybe you're in this kind of painful relationship with your spouse. You've been faithful to God as best as you can, but he/she just doesn't seem to get it. She flirts on you all the time. He never shows you any love or respect. And your relationship is like a teeter-totter -- sometimes up, sometimes down. And you're just not sure you can take it anymore.
May I encourage you to ask God to give you His strength? He knows exactly what you're feeling and going through. And He knows how important it is to forgive "70 times 7", even though it hurts so much. Don't ever forget that your marriage relationship IS NOT about being committed to the marriage; IT IS about being committed to the person you married, no matter what.
God was committed to Israel through hell and high water. Yes, He was often frustrated. Yes, He often complained. And yes, He sometimes threatened to leave. And even when He finally issued her a writ of divorce, it was with a view to shocking her into repentance and receiving her back into His loving arms. He had no intention of marrying anyone else. He was committed to His wayward bride.
May God give you the same strength of character and hope that He has demonstrated toward His own spouse. Labels: faithfulness, marriage |
Actually, God did give up on His creation; remember the flood? Now, granted, Noah found favour in God's eyes and was spared, but God was determined to start again, destroying all but a handful of mankind and animalkind. Unfortunately it didn't really work did it? It's almost like God didn't know how things would turn out. I've never been able to figure that one out. It makes me wonder if the flood story really is just a fable.