“I will give them a heart to know me,  that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”  Jeremiah 24:7

 G.R.A.C.E. - Gently Radiating A Christ-like Example

Grief(s):

Grief is a natural response to circumstances that tear at our hearts. "If God loves me, why won’t He save my husband so we can both serve Him and build a Christian home together? I have been living with my husband (?) years, and have lost all hope of him coming to Christ. I want to leave him so I can find a Christian man who will fulfill my dreams of a Christian marriage. Would God bless me if I did?"

Response:

On July 6, 1993, our son, Mark and his friend Kelly died in a car accident. Secular psychiatry has concluded that the sudden loss of a child is the worst trauma a parent can experience. After Mark’s death I felt vulnerable and lived in a circle of fear. Nothing in life was firm. ~ except God’s character and Word. So I soaked in His Word, longing for His comfort. My greatest comfort came from a new understanding of His covenantal promise of His presence...

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

(Deuteronomy 31:8)

No matter what the circumstances, I needed to know without a doubt that God is my God and that He will never leave or forsake me. As if to explain even more plainly, God moved a friend to send me a note that reminded me of His presence:

"Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money - including greed, avarice, lust and craving for earthly possessions - and be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what you have;"

for God Himself has said,

 "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor wil I forsake you, nor will I let you down, nor will I relax My hold on you. Assuredly not!"

(Hebrews 13:5 amplified)

Affirm:

Read Nehemiah 1-3. While the walls of Jerusalem fell and rendered the city defenseless, God placed Nehemiah in a unique position to prepare him to lead the way in rebuilding the walls of the city of God. As a member of the King’s court, he had access to the skills, abilities, experience, and knowledge of influential people in his life.  His position was orchestrated by God to accomplish the task to which God had called him. Like Nehemiah, God chose you for the specific task of demonstrating to your husband how God keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey His commands (Nehemiah 1:5).  He chose you to be the radiating light of God’s love to your husband.

Connect:

Read Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 29:11. God knew you in your mother’s womb and planned His purposes for you for your entire life, on this earth and in eternity with Him. His ways and thoughts are higher, better, and clearer than yours. His will at this time is for you to see your difficult, unique, undesired, position as a believing wife of an unbelieving husband in a spiritual way. God's will is for you to see your circumstances as a privileged place of fulfilling your piece of the puzzle in the kingdom of God.

If you know Jesus Christ as Savior, you are a daughter of the King. As His daughter, He has uniquely equipped you for marriage to an unbelieving husband. Your marriage is your platform for glorifying God. Like Nehemiah, prayerfully plead with God for wisdom each day to gently radiate a Christ-like example in your home. When you are discouraged and feel hopeless, take a step back and view your circumstances through the grid of scripture.

 "God is Sovereign and I can trust Him to work
not only in my life,
but in the life of my husband."

Equip:

When you read James 3:17-18, you will see life through a grid that determines your actions.  This grid is your worldview. As a daughter of the King, your worldview must be Scripture. God wants to encourage you to see your situation through the grid of the Holy Scriptures. He calls on you to embrace His precepts, laws, principles as your guideline for daily living. He promises to enable you through the power of the Holy Spirit to be with you as your struggle to apply spiritual wisdom to the difficult circumstances you encounter.

G.R.A.C.E. Gem:

You are God’s woman for this time, for this marriage. Surround your self with women of faith who will not allow you to feel sorry for yourself but will exhort you to walk in obedience to God’s Word and trust God’s covenant of love. When you are in a difficult place and do not know how to respond, quietly pray and ask God to put His words on your lips, His love in your heart.

*****
(1) MARKINC, 4 cassette tapes, “It Takes A Covenant” by Sharon Betters
(2) MARKINC, CD set, “Builder of the Wall, a study of Nehemiah” by Sharon Betters
(3) Book, “Treasures of Encouragement”, by Sharon Betters, P&R Publishing, pages 30-37.
(4) Bible Study, Paul’s Letters to Maturing Churches, CCE&P Publishers, Lesson 1, “A Covenantal Perspective”
(5) Book, “Heirs of the Covenant”, by Susan Hunt,
(6) Book, “When He Doesn’t Believe” by Nancy Kennedy