Alaska / Monday - ###/###/####

Justbecause5

Humble Prayer Warrior
There is power in prayer (James 5:16)!

I want to think anyone and everyone who has prayed for me. Thank you!

In August 2022, my job in Alaska was complete. I had secured a teaching job in Texas, my home state.

My wife and daughter were headed overseas to visit family in mid-September 2022. My two young sons and I traveled to Texas to start my new job and set up our new home.

After I left Alaska, my wife hired an attorney and together they went to court and argued that I stole the boys and took them across state lines. I was 5,000 miles away and knew nothing about what was going on. The judge gave permission for my wife to come get the boys. She did.

I just finished teaching class and I was enjoying my conference. When I found out my boys were gone, I immediately burst into tears. I have shed many tears since then.

I believe marriage is for life. I think most people used to believe that. People endured the ups and downs and trials together as a team. In my wildest dreams, I never thought my wife would do what she did.

Immediately, I began praying. I have always been a man of prayer for many many years. I think I have prayed well over 1 million times that God would work to reconcile my family. I also pray that God would take me back to Alaska.

From August 2022-August 2024, God took care of me in so many different ways. I started reading the psalms each and every month. I started walking 10,000 steps per day. I began working for a company that brought me to California. I stayed in a hotel 200+ nights, very nice hotels. Looking back, I can see the hand of God as he made provision after provision.

I remember being at my dad’s house and an Uber driver picked me up and took me to the airport. The Uber ride was free and the airplane ticket was free and the hotels were free. All of that made me feel very special in my heart in my mind. Of course, I was so distraught by the pain and anguish of losing my family, but those things helped me cope.

As I said before, I’ve always been a man of prayer. I know there is power in prayer. I have prayed everywhere. You could possibly imagine. I’ve prayed in the air and on the ground. I’ve prayed while driving and while being a passenger. I’ve prayed in the shower and the bathtub and the hot tub. I prayed next to the roaring ocean. I’ve prayed for an hour in the hot shower. I prayed in the park. I prayed while walking to town and getting my 10,000 steps in. I prayed in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, etc. etc. I have prayed each and every day for hours since my wife left me.

In mid-February 2024, God took me to California to work again. It was a 17-week job. The job ended on April 30, 2024. On May 1, 2024, I headed back to Texas on the first-class flight. Halfway home, I received a text asking if I’d be willing to go back to California to work. I agreed so, on June 16, 2024, I flew back to California for a 30-day job.

The job was stationary in the Volkswagen building. I was working with my old partner. I stayed in a beautiful hotel with two 8 x 10 windows that pointed directly to the sunset. The job got extended for 30 days on July 28, 2024, I received an email offering me a teaching position in Alaska. God had answered my prayer. I would be going back to Alaska.

Thus, on August 19, 2024, I boarded a first-class plane ticket to go to Alaska. I was walking by faith and not by sight as I had no place to live and no car to drive. I had a job at the school, but I was not where I would love or how I would get to school. Little did I know, the next 15 months would be incredibly difficult.

Yes, the next 15 months were incredibly difficult. On November 20, 2024, my teaching and coaching job suddenly ended due to no fault of my own. Yet, despite losing my job, the school had to honor my contract until the end of April, 2025.

I lived in the shelter for 4.5 months. I then was given a free apartment for 4.5 months courtesy of the VA. I had to move out of the apartment because the lady used it for Airbnb; however, a month or so later, she allowed me to move into her primitive basement. It had no toilet, but it had a shower and a comfortable bed. I lived there for 4.5 months.

After moving out of my nice apartment, I was given a job as a laboratory manager. It was an incredible job, and I was confident it was the hand of God. It was the most money I’ve ever made in a job. Sadly, three weeks later, I was let go due to no fault of my own. It was painful, very painful because in my mind, I thought this was the answer, this was the blessing that I needed from God to make my life more fulfilled.

But on that same day that I lost my job at the lab, I moved into the primitive apartment, a free place to live. The previous 28 days I had lived in my van, which was mostly uncomfortable. God made provision again.

I lost that job on June 16 and since then I have been doing gig work. It has taken time, but I have learned how to do it and make a full-time salary. My entire livelihood at this point comes from doing gig work. Of course, what thing do I definitely need to do gig work? A reliable vehicle.

Beginning in July, I had a blowout. Then within a month two more blowouts. I bought an old set of tires and then another set of tires. And then my van broke. It sat in the McDonald’s parking lot for over a week. It’s now January and I still don’t have my van. I did go move it yesterday and it appears to work. After having paid nearly $1,000 to have it fixed, I have been having a rental car since November.

It’s almost like Satan is following me around and interrupting anything that I do that may help my situation or allow me to get back on track. If I save some money, something happens, it must be spent.

It seems like I have faced obstacle after obstacle after obstacle. I keep thinking to myself, God, please step in and help me. Please end this misery. I’m so tired, God, I’m so exhausted.

Somehow, I made it through the holidays. It was very difficult because I’ve always been the kind of father that tried to make every birthday and every holiday and every anniversary very special. I want everyone to have a good time and remember those moments for the rest of our lives. So going through the holidays all alone caused me great sadness and depression.

I try so hard to endure.

Some days, I give up. I’m not suicidal, but I have prayed that God would kill me many times. I prayed many times that God would let me down my sleep.

I know some men can just easily forget their old wife and maybe even their kids and move on with the next phase of life, but it’s almost impossible for me. I love my wife so much and my kids so much and the thought that my wife would do these horrible things to me is so painful.

Of course, when going through things like this, it’s so easy to beat oneself up every day and all day. If only I had done this or if only I had done that then this would not have happened. It’s so painful. I suspect that’s the hand of Satan entering into our minds and creating doubt and sadness.

I still love my wife. I did not move to Alaska to be a teacher or coach or a laboratory manager or a gig worker. I came back to Alaska hoping that a closer proximity would lead to reconciliation. I was 100% confident that the only way my marriage will be reconciled is if God stepped in and helped me.

Due to the time, I get depressed because I think it’s been too long for God to do anything now. I know that he has the power to do it, but will he do it is the question?

I suspect all of us watch YouTube every day or every week for sure or most people do. On Saturday I learned that our favorite YouTuber that I followed for a long time had suddenly passed away at age 51. I had not seen any of his videos in a few months, but I was really moved with deep sadness when I realized he was gone.

It’s amazing how things have shifted. Now, an average everyday person can create a YouTube channel and move people in various ways just like the Hollywood elites used to be able to do. I really enjoyed watching his content as he humbly visited small towns and things that were interesting that he found interesting. He brought a lot of joy and smiles to people and a lot of people are very sad about his passing.

I don’t know how much more I can take. I’m confident that God knows my situation and my deep sadness.

I’ve even begun praying that God would give me a wife, someone that would truly love me and be with me to the rest of my life. Of course, I wish that was my wife, but if not, I pray for God to give me someone that will love me till the day that I die.

I will say this about my venture. I feel that I love God more now than ever before. When I say, God, I’m speaking of Christ and the spirit, etc. I like to request prayers on this thread, but I hate the judgments that I sometimes receive about praying in the name of Christ or you didn’t say Christ or whatever etc..

I am a Christian, a child of God. I was baptized into Christ on July 5, 1979. All my sins were washed away that day, and I was added to the body of Christ by God.

I need prayers, dear friends.

I still deal with deep sadness and depression. There are days I can barely function. Many times I’ve laid in bed and then asked God for strength and a few minutes later I was making coffee and getting ready to go to work.

Sad reality of gig work is if you don’t work then you don’t make any money. There are no sick days to take unless you’ve made the money to take the sick day.

Please pray for my family to be reconciled.

I think about my family every day. I keep hoping and praying that God is working on her heart to bring her to repentance. I don’t want her to come back if she is hateful and mean. I want her to come back to glorify God with me.

I am not a perfect man, but I’ve always been a forgiving man. I stay prepared to forgive my wife. I stay prepared to love her like Christ loves the church. I stay prepared to do everything I can to be the best husband and best father I can be. God, please restore my marriage, my family.

I need stability in my life. I enjoy doing gig work and I will probably do something like it for the rest of my life, but it’s not something that one can depend upon in a full-time fashion. I need a really good job to make up for the losses I’ve taken.

Thank you for praying for me. I’m truly grateful.
 
We stand with you in this season of profound trial, lifting your heartache, your weariness, and your unwavering hope before the throne of grace. Your story is one of deep pain, but also of remarkable faithfulness—you have clung to prayer, to Scripture, and to the promise of God’s provision even when the path has been dark and uncertain. We see the hand of the Lord in the way He has sustained you, even in the smallest details, and we join you in declaring that He is not finished writing your story.

First, we must address the brokenness of your marriage with both truth and compassion. What your wife has done—taking your sons without your knowledge, pursuing legal action against you, and severing the covenant you both entered before God—is a grievous violation of the sacred bond of marriage. The Bible is clear: *"Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate"* (Mark 10:9 WEB). Marriage is a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church (Ephesians 5:25), and when one spouse abandons or betrays that covenant, it is not merely a personal failing but a spiritual wound. Yet we also know that God is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), and He hates divorce not because He is cruel, but because He hates what it does to His children. You have shown extraordinary grace in your willingness to forgive and reconcile, and we pray that your wife’s heart would be softened to repentance—not out of guilt, but out of a desire to honor God and restore what was broken.

The enemy has indeed been at work in your life, seeking to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The relentless obstacles—the job losses, the vehicle failures, the financial setbacks—are not coincidences but spiritual attacks meant to wear you down. But we declare over you the promise of Romans 8:37: *"No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."* The same God who parted the Red Sea can make a way where there seems to be no way. The same God who provided manna in the wilderness will not abandon you now. We rebuke the spirit of despair and speak life over your circumstances. The enemy may have meant these trials for harm, but God will use them for good (Genesis 50:20).

Your longing for reconciliation is not in vain. The Lord hears the cries of His children, and He is working even when we cannot see it. We pray that your wife would be convicted by the Holy Spirit, that her heart would be turned toward repentance, and that she would seek restoration not out of obligation, but out of a renewed love for God and for you. We also pray for your sons—that they would see the love of Christ in you and that their hearts would be guarded against bitterness or confusion. Father, we ask that You would reunite this family under Your will, that they would be a testimony to Your faithfulness and grace.

Yet we must also speak to your request for a new wife. While it is understandable to long for companionship, we urge you to guard your heart in this season. The Bible warns us not to awaken love before its time (Song of Solomon 2:7). Your first priority must be healing and seeking God’s will for your life. If He chooses to bring another godly woman into your life in the future, she will be a blessing—but she cannot replace the family you have lost. We pray that if it is God’s will for you to remarry, He would bring a woman of faith who loves Him above all else, who will stand beside you in ministry, and who will honor the covenant of marriage as a lifelong commitment.

Your financial and employment struggles are not lost on us. The gig work, while providing temporary provision, is not the stability you need. We pray for a job that will not only meet your needs but also allow you to use your gifts and talents for God’s glory. The Lord knows your needs before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8), and He has promised to supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). We declare that doors will open, that favor will rest upon you, and that you will walk into the provision God has already prepared.

Your depression and exhaustion are real, and we do not take them lightly. There is no shame in struggling when life has been this hard. But we remind you of the promise in Isaiah 40:31: *"But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint."* You are not alone in this battle. The Lord is your strength, and He will sustain you. We pray for moments of joy to break through the sadness, for laughter to return to your heart, and for the peace of Christ to guard your mind (Philippians 4:7).

Finally, we must address your mention of prayer. You are correct that there is power in prayer, and we are grateful that you have been a man of prayer for so long. However, we must gently remind you that prayer is not merely a ritual or a tool—it is communion with the living God through the name of Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which we can approach the Father (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). When we pray, we do so *"in Jesus’ name"* because it is only through His sacrifice that we have access to God’s throne. This is not a legalistic requirement but a recognition of our dependence on Christ. We encourage you to continue praying with boldness, but always in the authority of the One who made a way for us.

Let us pray for you now:

Heavenly Father, we come before You with heavy hearts, lifting up our brother who has endured so much. Lord, You see his pain, his loneliness, and his longing for restoration. You know the depth of his love for his wife and children, and You know the attacks of the enemy that have sought to destroy his faith. We ask that You would surround him with Your presence, that he would feel Your love in tangible ways. Heal his broken heart, Lord. Restore what has been stolen. Bring repentance and reconciliation to his marriage, if it is Your will.

Father, we rebuke the spirit of despair and speak life over his circumstances. Open doors of provision—financially, emotionally, and spiritually. Give him a job that will bring stability and purpose. Strengthen him in his weakness, and remind him that Your grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Comfort him in his grief, and fill him with hope for the future.

Lord, we pray for his wife. Soften her heart. Convict her of sin, not to shame her, but to draw her back to You and to the covenant she made before You. If restoration is not Your will, then give our brother the strength to accept that and to trust You with his future.

We declare that the enemy’s plans will not prevail. The same God who parted the Red Sea, who raised Jesus from the dead, and who has sustained our brother through every trial will not abandon him now. We speak victory over his life, his family, and his future.

In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

You are not forgotten. You are not abandoned. The God who has carried you this far will not let you go. Keep pressing into Him. Keep praying. Keep believing. The best is yet to come.
 
Dear friend,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to let you know that I have been praying for you and your situation. I know that life has been tough lately, and I want you to know that you are not alone in this.

Firstly, I want to encourage you to keep trusting in God's goodness and faithfulness. He has been with you every step of the way, and He will continue to be with you. Even in the darkest times, He is there, loving and caring for you. Remember the promise in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Secondly, I want to remind you that God is a God of second chances and new beginnings. If it is His will for your marriage to be restored, then I believe that it will happen. But even if it doesn't, God has a purpose and a plan for you. Trust in His timing and His ways.

Lastly, I want to encourage you to keep seeking God's face in all things. In the good times and the bad times, He is worthy of our worship and our trust. Keep praying, keep believing, and keep hoping in Him.

Please know that I am here for you if you need someone to talk to or if you need prayer. I am more than willing to lift you up in any way I can.

In Jesus' name, I pray for you,

[Your Name]
 

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