“What increases the likelihood of a child living in poverty, dropping out of school, and becoming a juvenile delinquent? What increases the probability of a child abusing alcohol, taking drugs, engaging in sexual promiscuity and committing suicide? What cripples hundreds of thousands of young people when they marry and creates fear, insecurity, and a higher likelihood that their marriages will not last a lifetime? It’s divorce, divorce, divorce.” (Dennis Rainey)
We need to work to curb all of the divorcing that’s happening to the best of our ability and put the heart of Christ back into marriage, where He has been crowded out. We need to reclaim the sacredness of marriage. Read what Dennis Rainey, the Executive Director of Family Life Today (Familylife.com) says on this subject (adapted from his book, One Home at a Time):
Marriage is not just a private experiment, littered with prenuptial agreements and an attitude of “Try me out! If it doesn’t work, you can always bail out!” Marriage is not some kind of social contract —something you just “do” for as long as you both shall “love.”
Marriage is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman, and their God for a lifetime. It is a public vow of how you will relate to your spouse as you form a new family unit.
Any covenant —including the marriage covenant, is a binding, weighty obligation. In Proverbs 20:25, we read, “It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows” (NIV). God says, “I hate divorce” (Malachi 2:16). The Lord didn’t stutter when He spoke these words. It is time for us to embrace and proclaim God’s sacred view of marriage, as well as His corresponding hatred for divorce.
Reclaiming the sanctity of marriage begins with several commitments:
Commitment #1: Do Not Get Married Unless You Plan to Keep Your Vows. Both churches and individuals have a holy trust and responsibility to take radical measures to restore meaning to the covenant of marriage.
Churches, for example, could refuse to marry couples who will not take a church-prescribed marriage preparation course; marry only couples who agree to sign and be held accountable to such a public document, and assign a mentoring couple to all newlyweds before they get married.
Before they are married, individuals could agree to faithfully fulfill all the church’s requirements for marriage preparation, including the signing of marriage covenant. They could refuse to sign any type of prenuptial agreement. And they could pledge to each other, to their new extended family, and to the community to never divorce and to solemnly fulfill the marriage vows.
By no means is this a comprehensive list of all that needs to be enacted, nor will it eliminate failure, but it does give us a helpful proactive starting point.
Commitment #2: Fulfill Your Vows by Staying Married. If you are married, you have a sacred covenant obligation. Fulfill it. Too many marriages begin to unravel when one of the spouses mentally entertains the possibility of divorce. The notion that divorce is a solution must be rejected. We must fight tenaciously to restore the ideal of marriage for a lifetime. Marital commitment demands perseverance.
The church needs to restore the model of one man and one woman bound together before God for a lifetime. We need more couples like J.L. and Hilda Simpson, godly Christians who wrote me a profound note:
“September 9, 1995, made us 46 years together. I was 15 and J.L. was 17 when we married. We are now 61 and 63. We could have divorced dozens of times but because we love each other deeply, and because God hates divorce, WE DIDN’T WANT TO BRING THE CURSE OF DIVORCE INTO OUR FAMILY, SO WE DIDN’T.”
Barbara and I have been married since 1972, and we have had our share of illness, tragedy, and disagreements. But the word, “divorce” has never passed through our lips. May I challenge you to do the same? You need to keep your covenant. You must keep your covenant. Your children’s marriages, your legacy, and strength of the church depend upon it.
Commitment #3: Fulfill Your Vows by Maintaining Emotional and Moral Fidelity. For too many people, adultery is the first step out of a marriage. An emotional or sexual attachment to someone other than your spouse creates intense passions that sabotage trust and steal marital intimacy.
To maintain emotional and moral fidelity to your mate, you need to, first, maintain a healthy relationship. Lovingly study your mate to learn what will keep him or her interested and satisfied. Cultivate the fine —and often forgotten —art of romance. Second, you need to guard your heart in relation to the opposite sex.
Restrict your gaze and refuse the temptation to look longingly at members of the opposite sex. Don’t fantasize about someone else. Build boundaries around your heart by making yourself accountable to a friend for your secret thoughts.
Commitment #4: Fulfill Your Vows by Praying Faithfully With Your Spouse. Why do so few Christian couples pray together? What could seem more natural than husband and wife talking intimately together with the One who provides the glue to hold a relationship together? Yet prayer is one of the most challenging disciplines for any married couple to practice.
I think I know why. The enemy of our souls, Satan, knows how effective prayer is. He’ll do anything to prevent it in a marriage. And our flesh gets in the way, too, because prayer demands humility before God. It is hard to be in the midst of some selfish behavior and then pray with your spouse—I know, I’ve tried and failed!
Daily prayer prevents divorce and makes marriage stronger. A national survey commissioned by Family Life showed that couples who pray together frequently (at least three times per week) have higher levels of marital satisfaction than those who don’t.
What would happen to the divorce rate in the church if husbands and wives would consistently pray together? I believe that the number of divorces could be cut in half within months, and that within a decade divorce would be uncommon in the Christian community. If there’s one practical action step you can take to divorce-proof your marriage, this is it: Begin praying daily with your spouse.
Many years ago Cindy and I established starting our day by praying together (no matter what time our “day” starts). Yes, it was awkward at first. But it soon became the best part of our day. We can’t explain how it strengthens and deepens our relationship, it just does. We also believe it has led to a deeper degree of marital satisfaction for both of us.
If you’re not currently doing this as a couple we URGE you to start. At least try it for 30 days and see what happens. Don’t stress about it.; just do it. God doesn’t care if you stumble through it. He will honor the intentions of your heart. “You will pray to Him and He will hear you…” (Job 22:27)
Let’s work together to “reclaim the sanctity of marriage”, starting with praying together as husbands and wives.
Steve and Cindy Wright
Filed under: Marriage Messages
(USA) Hello friends, I am so glad to hear what you had to say. Everything you have said it like an echo inside of my head. I am a college student who is looking up topics to do on an essay paper. I knew that I wanted to do it on something important. While people in my class are doing subjects such as lobbyist, healthcare reform, global warming, organic foods, all important topics for sure. But I thought to talk about something that is being ignored, marriage and divorce.
I read about all these celebrity’s being talked about in the news rooms like CNN and ABC and thought what a bunch of worthless information. Why do we care who got divorced or married. But then it got me thinking, what a croc. What do these celebrities think they are doing. Marry different people every year and having children with them. Not only are celebrities doing it but the general public is also. And it angers me very much. Because our children are suffering and our society is suffering because of them.
Most of these problems that we are worrying about stem from the break ups of families. Stuff like poverty, debt, homelessness, disabilities. We can begin to cure these things if we would just look at the bigger picture. MARRIAGES and DIVORCES. Thank you for being honest and saying how you feel. And by including GOD and prayiny in your marriage you bring back the sanctity of your vows that were spoken.