By: Cris Corzine-McCloskey
Perhaps it is an occupation hazard, but I have never met a couple who has not felt, at times, that their marriage was too hard. This is normal, and the feeling usually passes quickly. Yet, there are some problems couples hit that seem impossible, and can lead to divorce. While some issues are, indeed, potential deal breakers (more on that next week), often divorce could have been avoided had they just seen things from God’s perspective.
To take a peek at God’s view on a good challenge, let’s go back to the Israelite’s the first time they reached the border of their Promised Land. To catch you up with what led them there I will give you a recap. The Israelite’s left the slavery of Egypt on a journey to the Promised Land. This involved a trek through the wilderness, where God continually showed His faithfulness. Sadly, each time they would hit an obstacle, they would freak out and forget to trust God, and He would, time after time, give them another miracle to show His faithfulness. Throughout the journey He kept promising them good things, and that the land He was bringing them to was flowing with milk and honey…the Promised Land! So, here they are, at the border of the famed land that God has promised.
We pick this story up in the book of Numbers 13:17-14:23. The Israelite’s sent 12 spies to check out the land, and they brought back their reports. Each spy agreed that the land was all that had been promised, except for one problem…it was occupied by giants! No kidding, giants lived there. Huge people called ‘the descendants of Anak’ occupied the land, and as soon as the Israelite’s heard about that, they freaked out and wanted to go back to Egypt. Out of all of the spies only 2, Joshua and Caleb, had good things to say. They said, in effect, ‘heck yeah there’s giants, but if God is with us, we can take ’em.’ The peoples response? They tried to stone Joshua and Caleb. As a result they got their wish, and did not have to enter the Promised Land and face those giants. Instead, they wandered around in the wilderness until they died…all except Joshua and Caleb, that is. Forty years later they led the new generation across that border and kicked some (pardon the pun) giant behinds! God was with them.
So, what does that have to do with marriage? Just as the Israelite’s were offered a Promised Land by their faithful God, so are we. Only our promised land is referred to in the New Testament as the Kingdom of God and/or the Abundant Life. It is all that Christ died to give us, and it includes right relationship with God, joy and peace (Romans 14:17). Translated, that means, among other things, we should have peace and joy in our marriages. But guess what, just like the Israelite’s had to face down some giants to enjoy the land God had given them, so do we.
Typical giants I see in our Promised Land called marriage; communication problems, financial issues, arguments over how to raise the children, in-law issues, and problems with sex. Those are just to name a few, but that gives you an idea of what I’m talking about. These problems seem huge and insurmountable, like the Israelite’s saw the ‘descendants of Anak,’ and often make people want to turn tail and head for divorce court. God’s got a better idea for you, though. Remember, there are always giants standing on our stuff in the Promised Land. If it wasn’t worth having the enemy wouldn’t be fighting you for it. Don’t lose heart, God is with you. So, next time you are facing a giant in your marriage, I want you to repeat after me, ‘Mountain, meet my God!’ That will shrink that giant down to size!
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