Contributed by Evangelist Joel Torres of J Torres Ministries
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I felt compelled by the Spirit of God to write a follow up to Family Covenant which posted August 12, 2019. In that blog I discussed the power behind marriage and family, a biblical perspective on the sacred institution in which a covenant is created providing blessings, benefits, divine protection and a sense of calling and purpose for each family member.

In this follow up, I want to discuss God’s heart concerning the family covenant after divorce. I felt as if some people wondered if their spiritual legacy, and the benefits a family covenant provides to their children, had been lost or forfeited, as a result of divorce.

I’m not here to sugar coat the issue, divorce is a departure from the original plan and purpose of God, he intended marriage to be a lifelong union of flesh and spirit. I understand that there are exceptions to the rule. For example, spousal abuse. There is no reason for you to stay in such a marriage, nor does God say you must stay in such a marriage. There are legitimate, biblical reasons to leave, but there are those who made the choice to divorce and later struggle with feelings of guilt, shame and regret.

The Word warns us that we have an advisory called the devil seeking whom he may devour. There is an all-out war against godly marriages right now, unlike I have ever seen before. Now with all that said, the question is, does God have a family covenant after divorce? Of course, it’s called redemption, restoration, and His loving mercy.

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The first step to restoration is to take a spiritual assessment of our actions and of our decisions. Decisions which have affected those we are in relationship with.

God loves you and no matter what choices you have made He says He will never forsake you nor leave you when confessing in truth from the heart, we have all fallen short of His glory.

In the verse below we see God compares Israel to a wayward wife and divorces himself from Israel. The prophet Jeremiah uses a harsh metaphor to illustrate God’s displeasure with His wayward nation, describing Israel’s disloyalty as an adulterous woman who has been left by the husband whom she betrayed.

Jeremiah 3:1 “If a man divorces his wife, and she goes from him and becomes another man’s, may he return to her again?” Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; “Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.

This verse and the sub sequential verses are harsh but are important as they demonstrate that we serve a God of love. No matter what the circumstances surrounding your divorce are, God is a God of reconciliation and of love, who as previously stated, He will never forsake you nor leave you.

Genesis 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”

God made an individual promise to Abraham concerning his family and future. As an individual, you can put your faith in his promises to be completely restored as a person, father, or mother. God has put a spiritual infrastructure of restoration in place to create wholeness.

Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the whole person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 

Jeremiah 3:14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord, “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”

Restoration is crucial, often the emotional state of our children who believed the family that prays together stays together, depends on it. Some adults that I have spoken to have confirmed struggling with their faith even into adulthood after their parents divorced. But many parents, staying faithful and steadfast in Christ, have seen God’s love bring restoration and healing to their children after divorce. God is a faithful God in whom you can rely and trust.