The title might seem like an oxymoron since the Bible clearly states that God hates divorce in Malachi 2:16. How can God use something so wounding and gut-wrenching as divorce and bring redemption? Or similarly, separation can tear families apart before a divorce happens. Christians may wonder where God is during challenging situations like this. However, God can work through complicated situations like divorce and separation, redeeming wounding problems and making everything alright.
Can God heal all wounds?
Divorce leaves behind damage that effectively makes a new normal. So is it possible for God to heal wounds left behind after a divorce? Some parts of the Bible remind us of God’s ability to heal all wounds, even those left after decades of pain. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that God gives us strength and sustains His righteous hand. Another reminder in Isaiah chapter 53 tells us that God carries our suffering and that if anyone understands how we feel, He does so that we can go to Him for all our pain.
Psalm 147:3 tells us that God will heal our broken hearts and fix our wounds, which divorce leaves both in its wake. Still, there’s no power on earth strong enough to stop God from working. In Psalm 107:19, we’re reminded that God will save us from distress. Divorce brings a sense of the unknown and anxiety but also a significant transition in a family’s life. However, God brings us peace and helps us when we need it most. In the end, Revelation 21:4 says that God will wipe every tear from our eyes and make every sad thing untrue. Luckily, the pain and suffering we go through are only temporary.
Biblical examples of God turning evil into good.
Divorce isn’t from God. It’s an unfortunate sign of the broken world and our need for a savior. Hebrews 9:15 tells us that God despises breaking apart families, division, and tearing the bond that unites a husband and wife. Still, in that heartbreak, God can take something terrible, like divorce, and redeem it. There aren’t many people in the Bible who experience separation or divorce, but some people have dire circumstances in their lives, and God transformed them to be good.
The first biblical example is Joseph. Known for saying, “what you intended for evil, God used for good,” in Genesis 50:20; Joseph personified the essence of unfortunate situations. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery after he shared his dreams they didn’t like. He ultimately ended up in prison when his master’s wife said he tried to rape her. Still, God didn’t forget about Joseph. He used Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams to help him assist the Pharaoh and get on his good side, becoming the second-highest ruler in Egypt, and saving thousands from a famine that spread throughout the land. If his brothers hadn’t intended a bad situation when selling him into slavery, people who have died years later.
Another biblical example comes with Paul and Silas. When Silas and Paul drew out a demon from a slave girl who told prophecies and her owners couldn’t make money from her, they were wrongly imprisoned and severely beaten. They’d endured much persecution, but one of the worst moments included flogging and beating with rods, as described in Acts 16:16-40. When an earthquake hits the prison and breaks open the doors, Paul and Silas stay, even stopping the jailer from committing suicide. It was a death sentence if prisoners escaped on the guard’s watch. Seeing they didn’t move, the jailer asked Silas and Paul how he could be saved, and his entire family accepted Christ that night. If Paul and Silas hadn’t been mistreated and imprisoned, a family would’ve missed out on their salvation.
The final example comes with the Samaritan woman. She may have been familiar with divorce because she married five different men. The Bible doesn’t say if these marriages ended in death or divorce, but we know she lived with a man she wasn’t married to. Jesus spends time with and discusses how He has come as the Messiah, a social pariah from every angle. Overjoyed by the news, she tells everyone in town about Him, and many Samaritans know about Christ because of her. If the Samaritan woman hadn’t gone through five agonizing divorces and become an outcast in society, she wouldn’t have encountered Jesus at the well. The Bible notes that she was at the well in the heat of the day when no one else would be there to get water. When Jesus came at the same time she did, they had a discussion that instantly changed the lives of people in her town.
How God can use divorce for good.
Perhaps your parents divorced and remarried, and you didn’t see how God could put a redemption plan into their story. In your opinion, they remarried too quickly after a 24-year marriage and questioned their decision to marry people who lived out of the state and country, respectively. Now, in your new normal, you only get to see your father three months out of the year due to him living in another state with his new wife, and your mother is back and forth between the states and a new country with her new husband.
You feel like your family has been ripped apart and didn’t see the possibility of redemption. However, you started to see how God worked amid the disappointment and heartbreak. You realize that with this divorce, God gave you more people to love, support, and love on. God also brought you closer to Him during the process. Dealing with divorce can also bring you to other Christians who went through the same thing. Because divorce rates are so high, even in the Christian community, churches don’t like to discuss divorce.
A divorce is a tragic event that can break families apart. However, it can also bring about new changes that can positively impact your life. Even though divorce can break up families, it can also create new ones.
