“If he hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice, says the Lord of Hosts. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously. Malachi 2:16 HCSB
I do not know of any family that has not been touched in some way by the repercussions of divorce. The covenant relationship created between a man and woman to become one flesh is torn apart. Any time flesh is torn, it is painful and it takes time to heal. Divorce also affects children and other family members. As a former youth pastor, I have seen many teenagers who have changed as a result of the divorce of their parents. Some who were friendly and outgoing become shy and withdrawn. Others who were making good grades become poor students. I have even observed teenagers who have become suicidal and have participated in deviant behaviors. Many times teens blame themselves for the divorce of their parents.
God knows the devastating results of divorce and encourages people to avoid divorce except for certain reasons. God does not expect a person to stay in an abusive relationship, but too often people get divorced just because they are not willing to work on restoring the marriage. The world paints the picture that a couple gets married and lives happily ever after, but the reality is that marriage takes work. It is a commitment. There will certainly be hard times, but the commitment is to work through the difficult times with the Lord’s help.
Challenge: God says, “Watch yourselves carefully.” Another way to say that is, “Be on your guard.” Satan roams around like a lion looking for who he can devour (see 1 Peter 5:8). Satan wants to destroy your marriage and will do whatever he can to create problems in your marriage relationship. He knows that if he destroys the family, that many times he can destroy godly offspring. Ask God to help you to keep your marriage strong so you can withstand the attacks of Satan.