Divorce-Proof Your Marriage: A Strong Spiritual Foundation

Where I live in Texas, a home’s foundation is a pretty big deal because the soil is full of clay. When heavy rains come, the clay fills with water and expands. During a dry period, the clay contracts. Without a strong foundation, the house will expand and contract along with the ground beneath it. You end up with cracks in the walls, cracks in the ceiling, and cracks in the floor — an unstable home.

Jesus memorably said that a wise man will build his house on the rock, rather than the sand, because such a home is better equipped to weather the storm (Matthew 7:24-25). We’ve seen this time and time again in our ministry: When marriages fail, it’s often because of a weak spiritual foundation.

John 4 tells us the story of when Jesus met the woman at the well of Samaria. He talked to her about how he could provide living water so she’d never thirst again (John 4:13).

Jesus knew right away what the Samaritan woman’s needs were. They were the same needs all of us have — the need for acceptance, identity, security, and purpose. This woman had tried to get her needs met by various men. In fact, she’d been married five times and was now living with another guy.

The problem is that no man can meet those needs. No woman can meet them either. The deepest needs in our lives are needs that no human being can meet. Only God can give us security, identity, purpose, and unconditional acceptance, and he does it through Jesus.

Trying to have a successful marriage without a foundation built on an active, on-going relationship with Jesus Christ is like trying to build on the clay soil of Texas. You might be able to weather a storm or two, but eventually the cracks will appear.

Jesus must be the foundation of your marriage — not your husband and not your wife. People are notoriously unreliable. We have mood swings. We get stressed. We have good days and bad days, or sometimes even good months and bad months. We’re not that dependable. Our wells run dry

But that’s not the case with Christ. He doesn’t have bad days. Every time you go to Jesus, He’ll be there. He’ll fill you up with living water. His well doesn’t run dry.

“I lay a stone in Zion,” the Lord told Isaiah in a prophecy about Jesus, “a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed” (Isaiah 28:16).

I want you to make sure you know two things when it comes to divorce-proofing your marriage. Number one, don’t try to build your marriage on an insufficient foundation. Number two, realize that the only sufficient foundation is a relationship with Jesus Christ.