Touchy subject I know.
But the Wife and I were watching a documentary not long ago of an incredibly talented man we both admire, and one of the sound bites of him was talking about how he, now in the latter part of his career, wanted to contribute to world peace.
The Wife, always the fount of common sense, said, “How about start by learning to get along with your wife?” You see, this man, we had learned in the documentary, had been married and divorced three times.
Look, I get it. It takes two to tango, and you can’t control what your spouse does. My best friend’s wife backslid and divorced him; not much he could have done about that and he tried everything. But I don’t think this is the norm. The typical divorce is more consensual, or it is made that way through infidelity.
I’ve counseled Christians contemplating divorce, and it’s easy to see how they get deceived into thinking it’s okay for them to divorce. They are unhappy in their marriage, and begin thinking they might be happier divorced. They start praying, asking for guidance, but they hear nothing, and hearing nothing they decide it’s okay.
They get deceived by asking for a word from God in prayer when He has already given it in the Bible. The Bible couldn’t be clearer. Jesus couldn’t have been clearer. Divorce is permitted only the narrowest of circumstances, and “irreconcilable differences” and “mental cruelty” aren’t two of them.
God doesn’t tell Christians “No” in prayer because He has already spoken in His Word. To repeat Himself would be to undermine the authority of his written Word. So, don’t ask and don’t be deceived. GS