Father,<P>we come humbly before you to love and thank You. Lord, be at the center of our lives and our marriages and our families. Lord let us seek You each day with all our hearts and not to nibble on the delicacies of this world, but to yearn for Your word seen in our lives. Lord, let our thirst be not for drink, or our hunger be for food, but rather a deep longing, a spiritual hunger that only Jesus can satisfy.<P>Lord , I lift up these ladies who know You and want so much for their husbands and children to have a saving relationship with Christ. Lord we pray confidently that this is Your will for these men. Lord, we place ourselves in the gap and ask this day that you remove the blinders from our hs' eyes that seek to keep them blinded from seeing God's presence in their lives, their need for Him and a need to repent and seek after the Lord's forgiveness and restoration.<P>Lord many of our hs' are involved with ows. Oh, Lord you hate adultry and divorce. Lord reveal to these hs' the betrayal and hurt they have caused on their families. Lord let the unfortunate killings by a teenager in San Diego be a reminder about the sanctity of family. That You, Lord desire that families stay together and provide a loving environment and a place where God's love can be demonstrated and nurtured in our children.<P>Lord, we also want to pray for the ows who have been taken in by the lie that they can provide what is missing from our husband's lives better than their wives and most importantly better than Jesus Himself. Lord, we pray for their salvation and the turning of their hearts. Lord, for by pursuing other wive's husbands they are missing out on Your gifts for them. Lord, let each ow hear over and over again these words, "God would never give you someone else's husband."<P>Lord, because of the broken families many are having to live with less. Lord, many here need jobs and provision. Lord let their congregations support them with emotional encouragement and material needs where needed. Knowing Lord, that all provisions come from You. Let those that can tithe and give God His share.<P>Lord, we ask that you give light for those that are either fasting or thinking about fasting. Lord work in their lives to show them that they are fasting not so much for an answer from God, but rather because they desire to hunger in a greater way for You alone. Lord reveal to them through their fasting those desires and good gifts that distract them from You. Lord show us their our strongholds and help us to see it is not the 'bad things'we do and have to give up but those 'good gifts' from You that we have let become so important that they control us. Lord let the time of fasting be a time of seeking You through Your word, prayer and praise. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.<P>Lord, heal those that are in need. We lift up Harlequin's health of her family, Sue's son and for S & L's son's cat scan. Lord, You are the great Creator and thus the great Healer. Lord, heal our loved ones both physical and emotional healing. Lord, heal those with depression, childhood wounds, betrayal wounds, and those well-meaning friend's words that discourage us from holding on to Your Truth, Lord and Your ways.<P>Lord, there is none like You. Your Glory shines and radiates through praise. Lord let us look around and see the beauty of Your creation in everything and everyday. Let us see others as You see them. Let us forgive those that have so badly hurt us, not just once but as many times as it takes. Lord let us remember to keep praying for our hs', if we do not, who will?<P>Lord, deliver those that are caught in addictions of various kinds. Let their hearts be enlightened to the fact that their addictions are poor substitutions for the satisfaction that comes with loving You, knowing You and having a relationship with Jesus. Lord meet them where they are but do not let them tarry there too long, but move their hearts to follow and seek after Your truth for their lives. Lord let them feel powerfully Your love for them through the spouses that are praying for them.<P>Lord, let those that have been betrayed gain trust toward their spouses through Your forgiveness and trust in You, Lord. Let those that have been betrayers seek to regain trust of their spouses by asking forgiveness from You, Lord and their spouses. Lord let them be dilligent to regain that trust by being open, willing to grow in Jesus, and by Your Spirit who guides them.<P>Lord there is so much to knowing You, that we on earth can only grasp in glimpses and small doses. Lord, we hunger for the day when we will stand face to face with Jesus and hear Him say well done my good and faithful servant. Lord in the words of Paul let the following be our prayer:<P> "But whatever was to my profit I now consider for the sake of Christ. hat is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him...I want to know Christ and the power of His resurection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead...Not that I have already obtained akll this, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me...Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:7-9a, 10-11, 12-14)<P>Lord, thank You for each lady or man that reads these threads on the POPW forum. Lord let Your word work powerfully within them, and let them seek to know You with all their hearts, souls, minds, hearts and bodies. In Jesus name, Amen.<P><BR>Ask yourself this week:<P> Do I really hunger for God?<BR> Do I miss Him?<BR> Do I long for Him?<P>Also a friend and I were discussing our various trials on Friday night and she pointed out something that we all know but I guess it sunk in for me in a different way. Essentially she said it is not about getting our h's back or in her case why such a fertile woman never had children and had a hysterectomy when there are so many young women who can not have children. It is about Christ. <P>In other words the trials we are all facing are in our lives because the Lord, our God wants to draw us to Him. He wants us to be posessed/controled by nothing other than a deep desire to know Him and to acknowledge our need for Him in every way and aspect of our lives. He is a jelous God and will stand for no other gods before Him.<P> I know that my marriage had become an idol after trying so hard to restore it. Fasting is helping me to see what other idols I hold dearer than the Lord Himself. And it is not sin necessarily but rather those gifts that God has given me Himself. However I have come to desire the gift more than the gift giver. <P>Remember God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only Son, a direct gift from God, to test Abraham's heart to see whether Abraham held his son dearer than He held the Lord Himself. Abraham passed this test and thus the Lord spared his son. Let us make the Lord and Savior the central focus of our longings and then wait to see what the Lord will do in our lives! He is present always, how much of Him will you choose to see and receive?<P>Have a great week everyone!<P>PS. I am reading a great book about fasting. It is not about the mechanics but rather about the Spiritual aspects of fasting. I have not seen a better book than this before on the subject. The title is:<BR> "A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through<BR> Fasting and Prayer," by John Piper.<BR>I recommend it highly!!!!!!!!!!!<P>[This message has been edited by hw (edited March 06, 2001).]<p>[This message has been edited by hw (edited March 06, 2001).]

Amen<P>I think I need to read that book! I've been struggling with apathy, depression and hopelessness lately. Starting with getting complacent, everything took a mad rush downhill.<P>Somebody posted, I think, a marvelous description of the importance of living in Christ at all times. Then I heard a radio spot describing hell as having to be immersed in your least favorite environment all the time. I wish I could find the original story! But I am resolving to live more in the Spirit and seek God and His will in all I do this week.<P>I love all the MB participants! Thank God for this wonderful place of healing and growth!<p>[This message has been edited by Karenna (edited March 07, 2001).]

Amen. Thank you hw.<P>HM