May 27


The Call to Stronger Families


Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.

Proverbs 24:3 (NKJV)


Jason sat across from my desk. His clear blue eyes drilled into my own as his voice carried an intensity I rarely heard. “You can’t even imagine what it’s like.”

I shifted in my seat and focused on what he was saying. “I know every marriage has its rough spots, and I realize you’ve struggled some and been through marriage counseling, but it’s not the same. Not even close."

I stared at the wall as Jason continued, "If you’ve never been divorced, you just don’t understand. You can’t. There’s no way to describe the pain.”

I believed him. Jason went on to describe his life for the last year and a half following his own divorce, and I knew he was right. Listening to him gave me a sense of his emptiness, but I just couldn’t imagine the suffering.

Well, maybe I don’t understand, and perhaps you’ve never experienced divorce either, but it’s all around us, and it threatens every marriage. This is a battle we must win.

Billy Graham says the family is the most important institution in the world—God’s idea, not man’s. He points out this is where integrity and character are formed, values made clear and goals set. Billy goes on to say Satan is attacking the family as never before and then points out the best defense. Our best defense, he says, is the Word of God.

“Read the Bible together as a family. Have family devotions. Pray for one another daily by name. Be on guard against the forces that tend to pull families apart today. And most of all commit your marriage to Christ, and make Him the center of your home—and your life."

This morning three champions have spoken: Billy Graham, my friend Jason, and the author of Proverbs 24. Each of them a messenger to show God’s better way. Each encouraging us to live in His greater truth.


Father, help us to live in this truth, “It takes wisdom to have a good family, and it takes understanding to make it strong.” Proverbs 24:3 (NLT) Amen.