Why Some Marriages Fail
As shocking as this may sound, it is NOT automatic for marriages between
Christians to work out. Just the same way as it is not automatic for every
Christian to be prosperous or healthy etc though the provision has been
made so also with marriage.
The number one cause of distress in homes is ignorance – ignorance of the
Word of God. The Bible is the manual for life. You do not need books and
instructions on ‘How to make your marriage work’ as much as you need to
continuously deepen your knowledge of God’s Word – in all areas of life.
Marriage seminars are not the issue as much as Word seminars. That is why a
marriage in which one or both partners do not have time to attend services
will end up with problems. By the way, this is the reason for marriage
counselling classes.
These classes are to look at various aspects of the Word
of God and how to apply them in a marriage as well as other aspects of life.
Another related reason is that couples try to build their marriage solely on
the ‘love’ they feel for each other. They assume that such love transcends
spiritual authority so do not bother to involve the Church with their marriage
decisions. The Bible says that any foundation other than God’s Word will not
stand the test of time.
Yet another reason is that Marriage is Holy Ground. In Exodus 3:1-5, God
appeared to Moses in the burning bush and the very first thing God asked
him to do was to take off his shoes because he was (now) on Holy Ground.
A deeper revelation of this is that when you are dealing with God, you need to
be careful – you do not just walk (or behave) anyhow in a thing or a place
where God is. Marriage, since it was ordained of God, is Holy Ground and
you walk into it and behave in it very carefully.
An aspect of this is that you do not enter marriage with the attitude ‘if it does not work, I’ll get a divorce’. You are already on the wrong path! If you cannot have the attitude
that Ruth had towards her mother-in law Naomi in Ruth 1:16-18 then it
would be wise not to go ahead. And this attitude should be both ways.
As shocking as this may sound, it is NOT automatic for marriages between
Christians to work out. Just the same way as it is not automatic for every
Christian to be prosperous or healthy etc though the provision has been
made so also with marriage.
The number one cause of distress in homes is ignorance – ignorance of the
Word of God. The Bible is the manual for life. You do not need books and
instructions on ‘How to make your marriage work’ as much as you need to
continuously deepen your knowledge of God’s Word – in all areas of life.
Marriage seminars are not the issue as much as Word seminars. That is why a
marriage in which one or both partners do not have time to attend services
will end up with problems. By the way, this is the reason for marriage
counselling classes.
These classes are to look at various aspects of the Word
of God and how to apply them in a marriage as well as other aspects of life.
Another related reason is that couples try to build their marriage solely on
the ‘love’ they feel for each other. They assume that such love transcends
spiritual authority so do not bother to involve the Church with their marriage
decisions. The Bible says that any foundation other than God’s Word will not
stand the test of time.
Yet another reason is that Marriage is Holy Ground. In Exodus 3:1-5, God
appeared to Moses in the burning bush and the very first thing God asked
him to do was to take off his shoes because he was (now) on Holy Ground.
A deeper revelation of this is that when you are dealing with God, you need to
be careful – you do not just walk (or behave) anyhow in a thing or a place
where God is. Marriage, since it was ordained of God, is Holy Ground and
you walk into it and behave in it very carefully.
An aspect of this is that you do not enter marriage with the attitude ‘if it does not work, I’ll get a divorce’. You are already on the wrong path! If you cannot have the attitude
that Ruth had towards her mother-in law Naomi in Ruth 1:16-18 then it
would be wise not to go ahead. And this attitude should be both ways.
