“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Matthew 5:31–32, ESV
Marriage has always been under attack. Nothing is more dangerous to the work of the Devil than a strong marriage with a father and mother raising their children to fear, love, and trust in God above all else. A healthy marriage with God in the center is a wonderful thing of the faith, but something that sets people apart in the world. Growing up, the healthy family dynamic was often given in shows like The Cosby Show or Family Ties, but one aspect that was left out was the faith aspect, which is vital for healthy marriages. More often, we find marriages represented by either a misogynistic husband who dominates over his wife and is lustful for other women or a weak husband who is dominated and disrespected by his wife. Neither of these is what God desired in the greatest relationship that God ever set apart. This is nothing new. As Jesus walked on earth, we find Him addressing the reality that He saw. Divorce was not uncommon and was there weakening the strength of the relationship that God had originally intended. This weakening has continued to the point that marriage has become to be defined by alternative relationships that appear nothing like what was originally intended in Genesis 2. We see the struggles of this early with God’s chosen people, and Jesus was trying to bring a return to the original form among His chosen people like the Father was seeking from the people of Israel. God can restore people in alternative relationships, but that restoration does not come without pain. God’s desire is for marriage to return to being the greatest relationship that gives all people a symbol to look at as a representation of the love that He has for all of us as His people.
Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.