March 2015 - Sharing Redemption's Stories

Pray for Reconciliation

March 28, 2025 By Rebekah 16

“Pray for reconciliation,” she asked.

And my heart immediately felt drawn to this dear woman, treading through waters that are not unfamiliar to me.

But it wasn’t just that she asked, it was the day she asked.

You see, I mark time on a few different dates each year, for reasons directly related to my marriage. There is a special date in March, an anniversary in July, and an October date, all of which I hold close so that I can remember that God works - God restores - God provides reconciliation.

Her request that I pray for reconciliation came today, the day I mark my own relationship in March. The first anniversary of a very difficult year.

Only God.

As I stepped into the hallway after replying to her message, one of my kids was playing the piano just for fun.

“For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth…”

The “Hallelujah Chorus”.

And I’m undone.

My heart, once broken, is starting to heal.

The grace of God allows me to pray for my friend - to approach the throne of grace with all the boldness in my heart that I use to pray for my own marriage.

And I picture us - 2 women, wanting what is right, wanting wholeness, restoration, the redemption of our marriages.

“Hallelujah, hallelujah…”

Could it be that the angels were echoing our prayers with their hallelujahs?

I shared this today -

And the Hallelujah Chorus plays in my home, and between failed marriages looking for renewal, thoughts of life on a special day, and the goodness of the joy of the Lord, I stand amazed! God is able - and I know it because I’ve lived it!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth…!

Oh, how I love the Lord!

Only God can use the garbage that comes into our lives to help us learn and grow, to mold us into what He would have for us, and then

- and then -

lets us share the blessing with others.

None of this is lost on me today, Lord!

I pray for marriages that are hurting, stressed, broken. We are hurt people, in a world that has taken their eyes off of you, Lord. I pray for my sister who is approaching you on behalf of her marriage. I pray for wives who want to stay, for husbands who want to go home. Would you grow love in their hearts, in our hearts, Lord? Would you restore the joy that was once there and provide the unity that we used to know?

Lord, I’m watching you restore in my home. I have been through this for a time now, and I have seen your mercy and grace poured out in abundance. The good news I’ve learned? Your mercy is limitless. Your grace knows no end. We need you in our lives, in our home, in our love. As we lay aside our interests and hand the relationships to you, would you restore us?

And would you heal the broken-hearted, Father? Where hope is lost, would you be the Hope? Where there are hearts crying out to you, would you gather up the tears? (Psalm 56:8)

I have seen you do this, Lord.

For those who are hurting, for those who seek reconciliation, for those praying faithfully for their spouse, Father, I stand with them.

I stand for redemption.

If you are struggling with your marriage, please know that this is a safe place for you to share your heart. If you don’t want to publicly comment, I understand. Email is more private and you can find my contact information in the Contact tab at the top.

Marriage is messy, but as my dear friend says, “Only God can turn that mess into a message, that test into a testimony.”

He can do it.

He may choose to restore and provide healing in ways that He deems best, but please know - He is always at work on your behalf. He is the loving Father to us, and He will not leave us.

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.”
- Psalm 116:1

Sharing at Grace & Truth

Filed Under: marriage, Redemption

Worry {Grace & Truth linkup}

March 27, 2025 By Rebekah 3

Worry. I’ve read this quote a time or two: “Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but never gets you anywhere.” {Erma Bombeck} And when things are going well, it’s so easy to agree with that quote. But when the hard times come, I go back to the “rocking chair” and feel like I’m making progress through the situation. But I know the worry isn’t really doing much.

This week I’m sharing a post from Dawn about worry. She shares Trusting God in the Everyday and talks about how we should be trusting God with the seemingly-small things in our daily lives so that when the big things come, we have a solid foundation of the knowledge of God’s faithfulness that we can fall back on.

Dawn shares, “I don’t want to be distracted from what God has for me. I don’t want to waste my energy worrying about what I can’t control. Do you? Sometimes, God teaches us to rely on him through the big stuff, but even more often, he uses the everyday little things.”

I’ve shared in my own life how there have been situations where I can do nothing but have faith in God. They have been some big struggles, hard issues. There has been no way - utterly no way - that I could alter circumstances, and so all I could do was trust in the faithfulness of God. I was glad for a strong foundation of trust in all the small things, so that when the big things came, I could know in my heart that God was in control. I did not have to worry.

I love the quote in her image - another one of my favorites! Stop by to read Dawn’s post on trusting God - you’ll be blessed! Thank you for sharing with us, Dawn!

You can find Dawn on Pinterest, Twitter, and G+.

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Filed Under: Grace and Truth

The Best Thing I Can Do To Bless My Husband

March 24, 2025 By Rebekah 8

As wives, I imagine we all desire to be a blessing to our husbands, to encourage and support them. I have studied his love language in an attempt to bless my husband, and that always ministers to him. Sometimes, though, I feel I fall short in being a blessing with all that there is to do each day.

I’m sure your home is often as busy and chaotic as ours. As a wife, there are so many things I try to do to bless my husband – laundry, running errands, cooking favorite meals, spending time talking together. These are all good things, but after 15 years of marriage, I have come to realize the one thing that is the best thing I can do to bless my husband.

It may seem simple to you. It might not even seem like a very big deal, but it really is!

The best thing I can do to bless my husband is to pray.

We’ve been married for almost 16 years, and those years have not been free of struggle. Some years it was finances, other years it was the stress of moving, and there were the first few years of parenting a child with special needs.

All of those affected my husband (and me) very deeply.

Being in the trenches with him, I wasn’t always quite sure how to help. God kept bringing me back to just one word, though: pray.

Here is what I learned, all over again…

– PRAY FOR HIM –

God often tugs at my heart to pray for my husband.

Sometimes it is for work situations, other times it may be for areas of his life where I know he is struggling. Sometimes God has prompted me to pray for his role as a husband and father.

I try to be purposeful in my times of prayer for my husband. I ask him what needs I can pray for. I inquire about his work schedule and any meetings he has.

I try to be sure to let him know that I’m praying for him. Sometimes it’s by way of a note in his lunchbox, other times a text message or an email. When he comes home in the evenings, I try to be intentional in letting him know I prayed for him that day.

It isn’t always easy, but the habit of praying for him has grown into such a special love for him. I have such precious conversations with my heavenly Father about my very best friend and God uses those to grow roots of love that I need.

– PRAY WITH HIM –

We have always prayed together as a couple. We pray at meals, before we go to sleep, and often at other times as we’ve had need. I wouldn’t say, though, that praying together is something that has been the strongest part of our marriage.

When you pray with a person, there is a level of intimacy that you share – whether with a friend, a loved one, or a spouse. You are coming together to ask of the Father, and He promises to meet you.

For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.
Matthew 18:20

Our marriage has gone through another season of struggles recently, and praying together has been very difficult for me. God keeps nudging me to pray with my husband. Those roots of love that grow as I pray for my husband are the ones that hold strong in helping me pray with my husband.

When I try to encourage my husband and bless him with actions in my own strength, some good things do happen. He certainly appreciates clean clothes, a warm meal, thoughtful words.

But when I pray for my husband, I’m calling on God’s power to speak into my husband’s life, to encourage him, to minister to him in ways that I am not able to. I’m asking God to step in and be the friend, the encourager, the counselor that I cannot do in my human strength.

Have you prayed for your husband today? Can I challenge you to pray with your husband today? Ask what specific requests he may have, inquire about needs related to his job. Let him know you’ll be praying for him, but then take a moment to pray with him. I promise it will be a blessing to you both!

original photo source

This post originally appeared on Christian Wife University.

Filed Under: marriage

Give Me Jesus

March 22, 2025 By Rebekah 2

Every once in a while, there is a song, or a verse, or a quote that pushes through the noise caused by the world, and plants itself deep in my heart. I’m always grateful that God, in His wisdom, sends just the right message when I need to hear it. He continues to give me Jesus - whether in word or thought, through a verse or a song.

Over the past few years, I’ve logged countless hours driving one of our kids to and from therapy appointments. The place where he goes for therapy is about an hour away, so there is plenty of time to talk, listen to music and enjoy the scenery in various seasons. It’s only recently that we’ve had a contemporary Christian radio station to listen to, and it’s been a nice change of pace in terms of entertainment while we travel. Several songs have pushed their way past just being entertainment and have secured a special place in my heart.

Jeremy Camp’s version of “Give Me Jesus” is one of those songs that has taken up residence in my heart.

I’ve written about the struggles of the past year or so, taking a stand for redemption despite the world’s opposite opinions, recognizing the spiritual warfare and kicking out the enemy. I’ve talked about hurt, pain, loss, frustration, fear, feeling the heavy weight of just not knowing what would happen next.

And I’ve shared before (maybe here, but I’m not completely sure) about marking time. About 6 months in to all of this, a friend reminded me that if I was able to trust God through the first 6 months, then I had enough knowledge of God’s faithfulness to trust Him for the next 6 months, and then I’d be a year in to the journey. If I could trust Him for the first year, I’d have a firm foundation to trust Him for the next year.

In this particular story, there are 2 times each year where I mark time. There’s an overall journey, which right now stands at almost 18 months. And there is a specific journey, which will hit the 1-year mark later this week.

God gave me the word redemption for this year. Maybe that’s why this song has been so dear to my heart.

(verse 1)
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
Give me Jesus

(verse 2)
When I am alone
When I am alone
Oh, when I am alone
Give me Jesus

(verse 3)
When I come to die
When I come to die
Oh, when I come to die
Give me Jesus

To me, this song illustrates a lifetime with Jesus - from the morning (the first time we meet Jesus) until our eyes close for the last time. It’s a lifetime of choosing Jesus, of understanding our need for Him, and experiencing His love and redemption each day.

Through the past 18 months, with all the loss, all the fear, all the frustration, the words of this song have come to mind.

With every negative experience, I have found myself talking to Jesus - yes, often to express my hurt and anger, but also, to thank Him for the constants in my life, with Jesus being at the top of the list.

A few mornings ago, I woke up with this song in my heart. I thought back about the many things that have happened, and God began to affirm the choices I have had to make.

No matter what has happened, God has provided peace.

For every fear, every frustration, every loss, every pain, the constant has been Jesus.

The only prayer I could pray in the most uncertain times was simply, “Jesus, mercy and grace.”

And when I called on the name of Jesus, He answered.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17

The verses of the song have meant a lot to me, but this week as I reflected on the song and on the past months, I realized it was the chorus that was truly on my heart.

(chorus)
Give me Jesus
Give me Jesus
You can have all this world
Just give me Jesus

While I have mourned the loss of many different aspects of the life I used to live, I believe the peace I have right now is worth more than anything I thought I had before.

Last night I shared that I was able to go to sleep in my bed, with my family all under one roof, in our own home - none of which was guaranteed to me about a year ago.

I don’t know what’s ahead, but I firmly believe the worst is behind us. I could tell you God-story after God-story about the mercy and grace that Jesus has poured out onto my family - into my heart. And maybe there will be a time where I can share more fully.

For now, though, please know that whatever road you’re walking, Jesus is there. Please know that while I can’t share all of my story (yet), it is big and it is ugly and it is nowhere that I would willingly go. But the story isn’t all about me. It’s about giving someone what is probably their last chance to really get their life together, - and seeing them succeed!

It wasn’t an easy choice to stand up for what I believe, and it has been lonely (and still is).

I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13,14

Friends, in this life, you may be called to take a stand when quitting, running away or hiding out in despair may be the easier choice. From walking this road, I can promise you that if you stay close to Jesus, if you listen carefully for His will, He will remain faithful.

“You can have all this world, just give me Jesus.”

Filed Under: having faith in God, Redemption

Can We Be Friends? {Grace & Truth linkup}

March 20, 2025 By Rebekah 8

Have you ever struggled with friendship? I don’t necessarily mean struggling with a particular friend, but with friendships in general - having friends, being a friend? There have been seasons in my life where friendships were very difficult for a variety of reasons. Megan shares about these thoughts in her post, “Let’s Be Friends“. As I read through her post, I found myself able to relate to so much of what she was sharing and would love to ask all of you - can we be friends?

Megan shares about her relationship with her best friend, her husband, and the fears and struggles that may hinder friendships for her. But, she goes beyond that and shares what God is having her focus on, regarding friendships. That was very challenging for me as I have recently gone through a time of struggles with various friendships.

You can find Megan on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for this encouragement, Megan!

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