Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Marriage's Death Certificate

I came across these words while reading some Max Lucado yesterday and he is right on the money. 

When one or both people in a marriage stop trusting God to save it, they sign its death certificate.  They reject the very One who can help them.

As we Lutherans would say, "This is most certainly true."  When married couples ask to meet in my office to counsel and pray about their marriage, within the first few minutes I can usually tell whether there is hope or not.  It comes down to whether or not the couple are willing to let the Lord do His healing work and put His Word to work in their lives.  Sure, there are always problems, many of them serious, that cause a marriage to begin to come apart at the seams, so to speak.  Relationships generally do not fray over night but over time.  So, it only stands to reason, that mending the relationship will also take time.  But when a husband and wife are willing to trust God, listen to Him speak to them through His Word, put that Word to practice in their lives, practice repentance and reconciliation, and learn to love one another as the Lord has first loved them, the Lord can do a marvelous work.  Nothing is impossible for God.  Nothing.