“Husbands, Love Your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” Ephesians 5:25 (NIV)
Husbands, the command is clear. Love your wife. You are the God-designated spiritual Priest of your home. Therefore, you are expected to listen to your wives’ fears, insecurities, and distress and be caring, compassionate, and understanding, offering encouragement, comfort, prayers, and Godly guidance. You are not to submit private, sensitive information about each other to anyone outside the marriage. This can bring about immeasurable pain and suffering and a feeling of betrayal.
Subtle entrances to secret divorce occur when we as husbands reduce or altogether stop complimenting our wives for the tasty meals that are prepared for us on a daily basis; stop complimenting their beauty and the attractive outfits that they wear to look good and catch our attention; stop taking them out to a romantic dinner or a place of relaxation; move out of the matrimonial room to live in some other part of the house as a show of force after an argument; and when we stop surprising them with impromptu gifts even although it is not their birthday. These behaviours allow the devil to win. How? God will cease answering our prayers (1 Peter 3:7).
John and Paula Sandford, authors of, ‘Restoring the Christian Family, informs that each time we discern signs of silent divorce, we need to battle and break it. Further, they added, the first rule of a good fight is to “be honest” and be willing to admit that it may be our fault and have the humility to listen even as our spouse may identify a flaw we see as a strength. We need to forego pride and make an adjustment.
After a good discussion, we might find ourselves tired, worn-out, hurt, but sweetly so, and more in appreciation of our spouse. Beloved, let’s stop making an outward show while inwardly dying. Pray for humility that will help you to grow and go through the healing process and ‘firewall’ every element of secret divorce in your marriage.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we lift marriages that are going through secret divorces, and we pray that You heal the division and restore the union in the mighty name of Jesus. We bind and destroy every spirit of pride and unforgiveness operating in married couples’ lives and replace it with a spirit of humility and forgiveness.
Wherever it is happening, we pray that both husband and wife return to the matrimonial bedroom now in the mighty name of Jesus. We bind that spirit of selfishness, separation, and divorce, casting it into outer darkness, and declare that marriages be restored right now in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Read: Deuteronomy 29:29; Judges 16:15
Bible Reading Guide: Proverbs 7:6-20; Luke 2:1-20; Numbers 5:11-31; Numbers 6
