No marriage is beyond God’s reach. Listen as pastoral counselor Russ Berg joins the program to share stories of reconciliation and God’s amazing grace.
Russ has been married for over forty years, but he says it wasn’t always easy.
“We started off with incredible stars in our eyes… by about [year] three or four we started to hit a wall. I was in ministry full time… God began in us a process of breaking. We had great premarital counseling but I wasn’t paying attention to my own hardness of heart. We just hit a wall. If it were not for people praying for us, good counseling… it would have been pretty easy for us to drift apart.”
God worked in Russ and Melody through counseling and the prayers of others to bring them to a new level of healing.
When facing a divorce there are three typical approaches:
• To reconcile
• To mediate: ending the relationship with the spouse
• To litigate: hire an attorney
Russ shares why reconciliation should be a common practice in the church and the Biblical grounds to pursue a divorce. It is important to focus on your own heart and ask God to change you in the interim of the reconciliation process.
Russ offers these final words.
“God is greater than a broken marriage. We help couples open up to the possibility that there’s a third option – most couples think the two options are to stay the same and be miserable or to slide toward divorce… we create a new marriage with two characteristics – one, it glorifies God. Two, it has to be good for both of you. It’s worth the fight. “
Key Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Malachi 2:16
Featured Songs: Simplicity by Rend Collective; Whole Again by Lincoln Brewster; Guardian by Worship Central
Highlight : Russ and Melody’s story
This program has been previously aired.
I know your pain and sense of hopelessness…what to say. I too have tried counseling with a local pastor. But then decided I would give it to God….I struggle with not taking it back from Him. Then I ask for His help and His Son’s help and for His Holy Spirit to give me the help I need and want. I try not to be lost…but ask God for perserverance as He freely taught Job. Take this heart of stone and give me one of flesh. Please God bless me with wisdom, discernment, understanding and love and gentleness of spirit.
I have been married for almost 30 years. My marriage is pretty much over. There has been absolutely no intimacy for six years. He refuses counseling. Its a contract marriage. We have four kids, one still at home. There has been so much damage , so much hurt. I am falling apart. He thinks we should just keep it going like we are, because its fine for him. So, he says. When I listen to things like this I get almost angry. Because he just won’t budge. He is unmoved by any of my pain. He basically ignores me. We live in North Dakota, there is no help here. I have tried so many times. He has been emotionally abusive, he uses emotional dominance over me. I have lost hope. I am trying to talk myself into hoping. We have grandkids coming soon. I had these dreams of growing old with my best friend, sharing life moments. I don’t know what to do.
Hi Carla, I feel very sad for your situation I have a sister who was in a similar situation. She broke down and finally couldn’t take it any more. She thought she had no option and when I gave her my house as a refuge, she finally took control of her life and realized she had options. Her husband could not believe that she would have the strength to leave and to our shock he realized and admitted his behaviour was the problem. I had been praying about their situation for years and finally said to myself that we need a Jesus intervention and boy did we have one. He even started to attend church. While it was incredible the change in him, it could have gone either way and there was a chance my sister may have ended the marriage if her husband did not try to change. But once she realized that she could take control of her life, it changed her entire perspective. I hope things get better for you as you try to make decisions.