THE MARRIAGE FAST -- Devotional for October 4, from "Good Seeds"

Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then, come together again, lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control (I Corinthians 7:5).

The practice of fasting – giving up food for a period of time – has long been practiced for the benefit of both body and soul. As a spiritual discipline its purpose is to draw you closer to God: intentional deprivation brings on the pain of hunger, which then has a way of deliberately putting your mind on one thing (God) because you are reminded every moment of another thing (food). But there are other fasts that food fasts, achieving similar positive results. Today’s Scripture speaks of a marriage fast, where a husband and wife separate from each other for a time. When Christians marry it is “under God,” which means their first allegiance remains to God. They know, or will soon learn, that when they keep God Number One, even before one another, He will maintain the health of that marriage where nothing and no one else can come between. But just as people get sick sometimes, so marriages can get terribly sick. It happens when the basic rules of marriage (Genesis 2:24-25) are violated. Maybe the glue bonding the two of them together is losing its stickiness and they begin to feel strangely independent of one another. Or maybe other people – relatives, friends, even those they are ministering to – begin to take precedence over their mate in thoughts, feelings and activities. Or maybe the two of them have allowed differences and disagreements to drive a wedge between them, and they’ve let many a sun go down “on their wrath.” The Bible tells us what to do in such cases. It’s a surprisingly unlikely prescription, for you’d think He would recommend coming together to practice oneness, but instead He recommends a temporary separation. This separation will be a fast from the full spectrum of intimacy: conversation, meals, fellowship and especially the marriage bed, which is specifically what Paul had in mind here. Separate living quarters will have to be arranged. This is all to be done by mutual consent: partners agree to separate, and they also agree to pray. They will ask for a closer walk with their Lord, for a listening ear to His voice, and for a revealing of His plan for the healing their marriage. This isn’t the time for marriage counseling (that may yet be necessary), or for crying on others' shoulders – or for taking action of any kind. Remember, the very nature of prayer is that you stop doing: you let go - you let God! Most important of all, you also plan beforehand to come together again at an agreed upon time. The difference between a fast and a strike is HOPE. You’re not holding out until you get your way. You’re waiting, rather, for God to show both of you His way!