Daily Devotional for Saturday May 20, 2000

Marriage Is God's Plan

(Genesis 2:24, Mark 10:9)

I have written past Devotionals on this subject and will continue from time to time to address this most sacred and divine institution. For most, marriage is God's plan for how a man and woman are to live their adult life, have and raise children, and find that close, intimate companionship we all desire to have during our years here on earth. God's plan as laid out in the Bible is for one man, one woman, one lifetime. As I have stressed before, that should be what we all strive to achieve. Having said that, reality is that most of us have failed to meet that perfect standard for any number of reasons. However, what is important is where we are at today, and that is what I want to focus on.

As I write this, my heart is breaking because I know that many of you are in the midst of very severe problems in your marriage, or the marriage of your parents, a child, a family member, or close friend, and are looking at a possible divorce. God says in Malachi 2:16, "I hate divorce." After spending the bulk of today fasting and praying about the marriage of a dear friend that is in trouble, I want to share this special word with you today. I have counseled many couples over my years in ministry who were having problems in their marriage. I want to encourage you today that I am a firm believer in counseling as a critical piece to seeing a relationship reconciled. Lack of communication is the number one reason most marriages end up in divorce, and counseling often starts for the first time as productive dialog to focus on the real root issues.

While that is an important element, the ultimate weapon is prayer. The potential breakup of a marriage is one of those catastrophic events in a person's life that can bring them closer to the Lord, can soften a hardened heart to lead a person to Christ, and can be used by God in a very positive way. Over the course of my ministry and in the 8-1/2 months of Liveprayer, I have had the pleasure of seeing God work miracles and reconcile marriages that were heading straight for divorce court.

Let me encourage you today. My Bible says that God is no respecter of persons...that ALL things are possible with God. That means He does not discriminate in handing out His blessings. The same God that has healed someone else's marriage can heal your marriage or the marriage of someone you deeply care about. No matter what it may look like in the natural, God will ALWAYS have the last word. I don't care what you say, what a lawyer may say, what a judge may say, what anyone says...I only care what God says. God says He hates divorce. That means He is going to do His part in keeping a dying marriage alive. I am always very practical and very realistic in regard to how we must handle the problems in our life. But I never, ever leave out the most important element..God.

I will be in prayer for God to supernaturally restore marriages. I believe in going to war with the devil. My Bible says that "greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world". That means God wins. So what am I afraid of? Nothing. I am tired of seeing people's lives in ruins and living in defeat. We are children of a King and will one day soon rule and reign with Him. It is time to start winning and living in the victory Christ won for us on Calvary!!!!