In recent days I have heard the stories and watched first hand the devastation of people and families being ripped apart by a broken marriage. On top of that I heard a phenomenal message today from Pastor Dave Fry on the topic of divorce, an often controversial topic. The stories of these broken relationships have often left me feeling helpless because there is nothing I can do to make the situation better, other than pray (which is still very powerful).
Divorce causes a separation of a single unit. This does not mean two parting ways with a little residue of each other left over. It is a single unit ripped in half leaving massive scar tissue. Big scars are often numb, gaudy, protruding, and without medical help they never go away.
Going straight to the Bible is what I like to do when looking into the answers of my proactive nature. What hit me while looking was the bigger picture of what this painful situation called 'divorce' represents. When I was in the process of asking Elizabeth to marry me, people would ask why I wanted to get married. My answer was (and still is) because I love her and want to love her like Christ loved the church (in true union). The Bible refers to this parallel of marriage and the Christ to church relationship just like the old testament talks about the Israelites being God's chosen people, His bride. When Israel would often sin against God, He called them an "adulterous nation." That refers to having prior covenant that was broken.
When marriage is broken, BOTH parties are forever hurt. Our hurt comes in seeing and feeling the pains of this world like death, disease, hate, lies, among many others. After seeing the anguish from human divorce I realize that is exactly what God feels every time I ignore His commands and I sin. When sin first occurred in the Garden of Eden we asked God for a divorce. Ever since then He has been longing for the reconciliation of that union. He has given us every opportunity to do so through sending Christ to die for us. We are the great adulterers. And yet He wants us still. He never signed the papers.