Where Is God When Your Spouse Leaves?
Krista Ortiz
I’ve only cried in the closet a handful of times, but they’re among the darkest moments of my life.
It was after the terrifying diagnoses, after the lies surfaced in my marriage, and after God cruelly told me “no” — yet again — about having a child. It was there, weeping among the darkness and the denim, that I mourned the end of a dream. I wondered what (if anything) could be left to say when my life was so broken beyond repair.
The ancient city of Jerusalem — full of God’s people — wondered the same thing, doubting they could ever pick up the pieces again. They were a city in ruins; having been rebuilt over and over, only to be destroyed by enemies once again.
But what God said to them amid the ruins was surprising. God makes the same promises to you, no matter where you are today — even if your husband has left you, your body has betrayed you, and you’re crying in a heap in the closet.
4 Things Jesus Says to You When Your Life is Ruined
1. “You are a cause worth fighting for.”
Reeling over the heartbreak. Shaken by the test results. Unwound by the betrayal.
At one time or another, we’ve all thrown up our hands and proclaimed to the universe, This isn’t fair. And God agrees with you — it’s not!
Which is why In Isaiah 62:1 God says, “I will not keep silent…I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.”
We all have issues that get us fired up, topics we couldn’t keep silent about no matter how hard we tried. You are that cause to God!
He is not done fighting for you until you stand victorious over your darkest days.
2. “They may have rejected you, but I rejoice over you.”
Giddy and clammy-handed, a groom rejoices over his bride on their wedding day. She will never be more beautiful and their future never more promising than the day he proclaims his love to her, for all the world to see.
God rejoices over us as well (Isaiah 62:5). The only difference is, God does so even when we’re at our worst.
When we’re all alone, out of second chances, sitting in the wreckage of our dreams, and staring blankly at a future that has never felt more treacherous — that’s when God speaks. He takes hold of our tired hands and proclaims His love for us saying, You are lovely and you are Mine forever. I don't care where you have been or what they said, because now you are here with Me.
They may have rejected you in spite of your best, but God rejoices over you — even at your worst.
They may have rejected you in spite of your best, but God rejoices over you — even at your worst. Our future in Him has never been more promising.
3. “Don’t despair over what you once were; delight in who I promise you will be!”
Maybe like me, depression has ravaged your spirit like a merciless infection, and the storms of this life have tossed you mangled and lifeless onto the shore, as you desperately grasp for breath.
We’re not who we used to be, but we’re not yet who God promises we will be either. That should give us hope!
The Bible describes God as the One who holds the depths of the earth, the mountains, and the life of every creature. Even more astonishing, God says our beauty will surpass them all once He restores us (Isaiah 62:3)!
Our lives, no matter how shaken, are held in a mighty God’s hands — who in all His power promised to restore us! If He is able to cradle all that exists, then surely God can breathe life into our weary spirits and revive our dreams that feel impossibly out of reach.
Our lives are in good hands. So don’t despair over what you once were; delight in who God promises you will be.
4. “My daughter, I am coming to save you.”
God sees you: broken-hearted, hopeless, and weeping so hard on the floor of the closet you fear your heart might give out. But do you see Him?
Isaiah 62:11 says, ‘The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: ‘See your Savior comes! See, His reward is with Him.’”
If we could gather up the broken pieces of our lives and (somehow) muster up the strength to see beyond the ruins, we would discover we are sought after by a loving Savior and fought for by a mighty God. He’s on His way (in this very moment) and brings the reward of a life we had long-since given up believing could ever again be within our grasp.
Your husband may have left you, your body may have betrayed you — but your God is coming to save you!
If you need some company in the meantime, you know where to find me…crying in the closet.