Based on recent conversations with men and women standing for marriage restoration, considerable email, and search phrases bringing people to FAMM; it’s obvious that one of the most challenging issues for some standing for the restoration of their marriage is standing itself. And it’s not unusual to see a search phrase that likely expresses how many men and women feel, which is “how long should you stand for restoration of your marriage.” So I hope to address that and encourage anyone thinking about giving up their stand for marriage restoration by sharing just a few powerful Bible verses about standing.

First and foremost though, the answer to that question is that if we have to ask it, we probably need to seriously examine our reasons and motives for standing for marriage restoration in the first place; and more than likely they’re not what they should be. So please take the time to HONESTLY answer this question. Why are you standing for the restoration of your marriage? Since that’s something I often ask the men and women I talk to, I know what the usual answers are. And based on what James 4:3 tells us about why our prayers are not answered, they are considerable cause for concern, because it says When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

The ONLY answer to the “why” question that keeps us from asking the “how long” question is “in obedience and submission to the will and word of God.” And that’s why I tell everyone I speak to about marriage restoration that we MUST first determine the will of God for our situation through studying the Bible and prayer and fasting. That’s the ONLY way we can ever stand firm for the restoration of our marriages…NO MATTER WHAT. And as Isaiah 7:9 tells us …If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'” And when we stand for the restoration of our marriages in obedience and submission to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that makes Him the priority of our lives, and NOT our spouses and not our marriages. In fact, many of us made the mistake of putting our spouses and marriages above our walk and relationship with the Lord; yet the Bible is full of scripture verses clearly warning that God will take anything we place above Him away from us. After all, the very first commandment was that we should have no other gods before Him, and many of us are guilty of doing exactly that in terms of our husbands or wives and marriages. So don’t expect the Lord to restore a relationship that you want or think you need more than Him, because it won’t happen! However, we CAN rely on the promise found in Matthew 6:33, which says But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So our PRIMARY focus should be seeking the Lord and His righteousness, and then HE will give us the restoration of our marriages. And what an awesome promise we have in Psalm 37:4-6, which states Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Nothing but our obedience and submission to the will and word of Christ provides a foundation strong enough to withstand the storms and trials of marriage restoration, and then that’s the ONLY foundation strong enough to hold our marriages together once the Lord restores them. And Jesus gives us a very powerful illustration of that in the following verses from Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

So hearing the Word and knowing and understanding it without PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE is absolutely worthless and of no use to us as we stand for marriage restoration, because it’s what we DO with the Word of God that really matters and releases His supernatural power to work in our lives and marriages. So I hope and pray that the following verses will encourage you and remind you to stand firm in your faith and confidence in the will and word of God, and in the knowledge that HE is the one who CAN AND WILL restore your marriage.

Proverbs 10:25 – When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

Exodus 14:13 – Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

1 Samuel 12:16 – “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!

James 5:8 – You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

2 Corinthians 1:20-22 – For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Psalm 33:11 – But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Study and meditate on these verses, because when we TRULY understand and BELIEVE them, we will definitely be blessed and encouraged!

Posted Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 11:29 pm in Seeds Of Faith.