Post by Eric W. on Mar 5, 2016 10:58:39 GMT -5
The following is from the Rejoice Marriage Ministries weekly men's devotional email.
IN THE MEANTIME
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spears in two; He burns the chariots in the fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:9-11 (NKJV)
What is God trying to teach us when He does not deliver our spouse back to us right away? We've all heard and known that it is in God’s timing that reconciliation takes place. So what is it that God is trying to get across to us in the meantime as we wait on His timing? My wife left years ago and in this time, this time of being alone, I have had moments questioning my stand. My questioning always comes from selfishness and temptations. “I deserve to be happy, I deserve a woman who loves me, I'm a good guy, and I love God”.
Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)
Truth tells me that I still place my selfish desires before God. We know that He tells us in scripture that He gives us the desires of our hearts. I believe first and foremost the desire of our heart is the longing for true love. I have come to learn, in the meantime, that true love comes from Him first. In my marriage, I idolized my wife. I put her on a pedestal, everything she wanted was important to me. In some light I still do that with regard to wanting reconciliation and a restored marriage. I believe that we can create an idol of our stand out of wanting our wives home.
“You shall have no other Gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
I think sometimes His timing for us, in the meantime, is to continue to ask us to look and seek only Him, to lean and cleave to Him during this time that we wait. We shouldn’t make an idol of anything before God including our stand.
Jesus left us two commands. We are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Mathew 22: 37-40 (NKJV)
I recognize that the first command IS the first command; to love God before all. I still fall short daily because I think of my wife every day and the moments that we are not having together. Monumental things like our 25th wedding anniversary and our 50th birthdays. But I don't think of God in the same vein, even though the gifts that He's given me, in the meantime, are staggering and numerous. Like the salvation of our 23-year-old son, the turning of our 26-year-old daughter back to church. And I still question whether He'll restore and reconcile our family?
What I am learning in the meantime, is that He wants purity in our relationship, His and mine. And the only way that I am learning to have that type of purity is to go before Him with all my questions, all my sin and my doubts. To go to His Word and be still and allow Him to speak to my heart. To pray to Him and not go to another broken human being for answers or opinions.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
There will never be a replacement for my wife and the only way she will ever return, is for the transformation of her heart to take place. That can only happen with salvation and understanding who Jesus was and why He came for us, forgiveness and reconciliation. When that happens, as has happened to me, you yearn for transformation.
So men, that is my prayer for all our prodigal wives. And if you have not yet experienced this type of transformation that is my prayer for you as well.
Continuing to be transformed by renewing of my mind through the love of Christ and praying this daily for our prodigals in the mean time.
Jim in North Carolina
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
IN THE MEANTIME
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spears in two; He burns the chariots in the fire. Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:9-11 (NKJV)
What is God trying to teach us when He does not deliver our spouse back to us right away? We've all heard and known that it is in God’s timing that reconciliation takes place. So what is it that God is trying to get across to us in the meantime as we wait on His timing? My wife left years ago and in this time, this time of being alone, I have had moments questioning my stand. My questioning always comes from selfishness and temptations. “I deserve to be happy, I deserve a woman who loves me, I'm a good guy, and I love God”.
Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)
Truth tells me that I still place my selfish desires before God. We know that He tells us in scripture that He gives us the desires of our hearts. I believe first and foremost the desire of our heart is the longing for true love. I have come to learn, in the meantime, that true love comes from Him first. In my marriage, I idolized my wife. I put her on a pedestal, everything she wanted was important to me. In some light I still do that with regard to wanting reconciliation and a restored marriage. I believe that we can create an idol of our stand out of wanting our wives home.
“You shall have no other Gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)
I think sometimes His timing for us, in the meantime, is to continue to ask us to look and seek only Him, to lean and cleave to Him during this time that we wait. We shouldn’t make an idol of anything before God including our stand.
Jesus left us two commands. We are to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Mathew 22: 37-40 (NKJV)
I recognize that the first command IS the first command; to love God before all. I still fall short daily because I think of my wife every day and the moments that we are not having together. Monumental things like our 25th wedding anniversary and our 50th birthdays. But I don't think of God in the same vein, even though the gifts that He's given me, in the meantime, are staggering and numerous. Like the salvation of our 23-year-old son, the turning of our 26-year-old daughter back to church. And I still question whether He'll restore and reconcile our family?
What I am learning in the meantime, is that He wants purity in our relationship, His and mine. And the only way that I am learning to have that type of purity is to go before Him with all my questions, all my sin and my doubts. To go to His Word and be still and allow Him to speak to my heart. To pray to Him and not go to another broken human being for answers or opinions.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
There will never be a replacement for my wife and the only way she will ever return, is for the transformation of her heart to take place. That can only happen with salvation and understanding who Jesus was and why He came for us, forgiveness and reconciliation. When that happens, as has happened to me, you yearn for transformation.
So men, that is my prayer for all our prodigal wives. And if you have not yet experienced this type of transformation that is my prayer for you as well.
Continuing to be transformed by renewing of my mind through the love of Christ and praying this daily for our prodigals in the mean time.
Jim in North Carolina
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
