Standing With You – Defending and Building Marriage

Standing With You – Defending and Building Marriage

by Steve Watters

During the Jewish exile, Nehemiah, the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes, was distressed to hear that the wall of Jerusalem had been broken down and its gates burned. After gaining support from the king to rebuild the walls, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem and encouraged others to help.

Despite unrelenting criticism, they worked on the wall. Their opponents grew angry and stirred up trouble. The Jews prayed and posted guards, while their enemies threatened to kill them and put an end to their work.

So Nehemiah armed the Jews, encouraged them not to be afraid and said, “Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:14). ]

From that point on, they “did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other” (4:18). The image of “the sword and the trowel” has since served as a model for how God’s children can simultaneously defend and build.

Defending marriage
For decades, Focus on the Family has helped to restore marriage as the masterpiece God intended it to be. Unfortunately, the actions of activist judges and public officials to redefine marriage have pulled us again into the fight to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We are committed to this, as you have read in past issues of Focus on the Family magazine this year.

Building marriages
By God’s grace, we have been able to give help and hope to thousands of marriages over the years. Reports like this one motivate us:

I called Focus on the Family a few months ago — confused, devastated and defeated. I had just learned that my wife had been unfaithful, and I was desperate for help. You were kind, gentle and empathetic. I remember that the love of God flowed through you to me. We took your advice and confided in our pastor, and he has counseled us. He and you are the only ones who know, but you were our first step to recovery.

My wife and I are doing well and are working on the things that derailed our relationship. God has turned the most devastating incident in my life into something that is strengthening my marriage and my personal walk with Him.

Our counselors tell us that marriage problems are the No. 1 issue people call about. Marriage concerns are also among the top issues in letters and e-mails to the ministry as well the most popular searches on our Web sites. We know that the need to build marriages is great.

Steve Watters is director of Marriage and Family Formation Ministry at Focus on the Family.

"Standing with you." From the Oct/Nov 2004 issue of Focus on the Family magazine, a publication of Focus on the Family. Copyright © 2004, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.