Please, dear friends, lift me and my situation up to the Lord. This past Easter weekend my prodigal husband took his new friend and her daughter to meet three of my<BR>children in Tennessee. I don't know if this was to gain their approval of his new relationship ... I just don't know. I only feel hurt and disappointment, but through this God has a plan for this. Just encourage me to continue to stand<BR>and know that God is in control. It is so hard and I feel like giving up, but something tells me to hold on. Am I hoping for things that are out of the will<BR>of God? Am I desiring things out of the will of God?<P>I don't want to fail God now because of my heavy heart and disappointment. Everyone tells me I should move on, but I want to be in God's will, not my own. I have been reading the comments on this site for over a year now and now I was directed specifically to the prayer group for a reason. Your prayers and encouragement to those of us who are standing for their marriages has been strengthening me for several months. <P>God bless and keep you all ever in his care!<P>Hopeful Heart<P><BR>

In Jeremiah 29:11-14 it says: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile."<P>Dont let dispair in. Don't let hopeless in. Be steadfast in your belief that God WILL do it in HIS time and if it's HIS will.<P>I will pray for you and your family. Many of us are in the same place as you Hopeful Heart. We are here for you in your journey and we will help you to try and find the "treasure" or "blessing" in everything that you are going through. Beleive it or not, there are MANY.<P>XXOO BabyDoll

I know that God is in control, not me! He knows what I don't know; sees what I can't see. BabyDoll, thank you for your words. They have helped more than you will ever know.<P>Always,<P>Hopeful Heart

Hopeful Heart, bless you, we understand how you are feeling. There's quite a few of us that have heard the same thing "move on, get over it, someone better will come along, etc", from family and friends, and feel the same as you, standing for your marriage is what you want to do. <P>I've felt like you many many times, thinking I'm ready to throw in the towel. I come to this website and vent, and we pray, then my head clears and the pain subsides. Only you and God know what is right for you. He will work all things out for the good. <P>Your desire to restore your marriage is certainly within the will of God, because we know from his Word that he hates divorce. Is your husband a Christian? <P>I love the verse BabyDoll quoted. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope". Our Lord will take care of us, he will reward us for continuing to do good, and not giving up hope. You and your H will be in my thoughts and prayers, HH.<P>Blessings,<BR>AW

This devotional was very uplifting to me. <P>In the Bible, our walk of faith is often compared to military service. Gods army has a unique advantage, however. Although we will certainly be involved in ongoing struggles, the battle has already been won. And in the<BR>moments when we are overwhelmed by impossible odds, we find that our God is on our side, guiding us, protecting us, and doing the impossible on our behalf.<P>We may lose our way from time to time, but we cannot lose the battle if God is on our side.<BR> <BR>2 Chronicles 10:4 "[We don't] fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God's power."

AW, thanks for your kind words of encouragement. This saga with my husband has been going on for close to three years now. He moved out Oct '98 and filed for divorce in September '99. I have tried to remain hopeful for a reconciliation, but when I last talked to him he said that he had a dream and it was revealed that he should go ahead with the divorce. I know the Lord speaks to many through dreams and I believe it was Satan versus the Lord speaking to him. The Lord would not advise a person to leave their family for another woman.<P>He has a very closed, cold heart at the moment. It is so sad because when Christ was the center of our home, we were doing so much better. Our first date was at a church program 32 years ago (I was 14 and he was 18). I know the Lord has been dealing with him on our situation and the guilt he is feeling has probably overwhelmed him at times. But he gives into the OW and to what satisfies the flesh rather than the soul. My desire for him is to have a renewed relationship with Jesus Christ and our heavenly Father. Let him know the Lord's voice when He calls. Let my husband know that whatever his heart desires will be from the Lord ... but he must first seek the kingdom of God and all His righteousness.<P>I know he is a good man--deep down inside. He has all the qualities I was attracted to when I first met him. But after the loss of his oldest brother to a massive heart attack (Jan '98), he told me he was not happy and was going to leave to have peace of mind and happiness.<P>So much has happened to me during this time also. I know God has been working on me also -- to get me to be the person I should be. I never valued myself as an individual so whatever my husband did I accepted it without question ... I didn't deserve to be treated that way. Now as I look back, God was trying to tell me what to do, but I couldn't hear His voice through all of my pain and disappointment. Now it is so different as I know His voice and know with an assured confidence that He will not direct my path without preparing a way for me.<P>All I can say is God is Good ... the new mercies I receive daily lets me know that He is in control ... not me, not my husband, not my family. Although the divorce will be final sometime this summer, I will continue to trust God for the outcome. He will prepare me to accept whatever lies ahead.<P>Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. I know God's hand is making a way for one of His children! Continue to bless others with your wonderful encouragement and prayers! I will keep you and yours in my prayers also.<P>Always,<P>Hopeful Heart

Hi Hopeful Heart!<BR>Will you be joining us in the bible study that we will be starting soon? Sounds like it is time for all out war here! We would be honored to pray for you and I do hope you join us.<P>Father, for three years now, this daughter has been patiently waitng for her husband to come home and yet the evil one abounds with this lost son. Father, like the prodigal son, let him come to the end of his resources and see that his life is less that what the pigs receive, that this relationship is not in your will for him and that he needs to turn back to his wife. <P>Let this trip become a disaster Father, let nothing good come from it. Give the children a boldness to speak to their father. Let this man see himself through his children's eyes. Let the reflection bring disgust to his heart and then call him back to You Father, the gentle whisper that offers unconditional forgiveness for confessed sin. Unleash the chains that binds him to this woman. <P>Give Hopeful Heart Your infinite wisdom and let her rest in Your mighty strengh. Help her to be bold where You would have her be bold and to hold her tongue as You direct. Let her confidence be in You and let her senses be filled with the world beyond her. Help her to see where You would have her go, touch who You direct and be both a blessing and in turn be blessed, knowing You will take care of the matter with her husband. IJN, Amen.

SueB, thank you so much for your prayer. It has encouraged my heart and soul.<P>I do have the book and have started to read it. It is a powerful word from God, sometime forcing us to examine ourselves and our motives unselfishly.<P>Again, thank you for your words. I will participate as much as I can.<P>HH