YOU AND GOD ALONE
This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’†Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)
Each morning as a new day starts, I can often tell where my wife has been in our home by the location of three old, crumbling pages. If they are in the kitchen, Charlyne has been there. If they are by her hair curler, I know that she has done her hair.
Almost a quarter of a century ago, when Charlyne began her stand, one of the many ways my wife prayed was by using a verse by verse breakdown of the scripture passage we know as, The Lord’s Prayer. Her three typed pages give prayer guides for each phrase of those verses, including personalization with our names. After we were remarried in 1987, she continued to pray those passages which include the Names of God each day. Several years ago I laminated them for her because they were literally falling apart from use.
May I give you an inside look at my wife’s stand for a restored marriage, and for my coming back to the Lord? Everything was centered around prayer and fasting. She had no Internet, received no email devotionals, could afford to purchase only a minimal amount of what stander’s material was even available back then, and could count on one hand the number of times she met with other standers. She had one prayer partner, an older woman, with whom she shared details of our relationship. What she told Vera went to God’s ears alone.
I am thankful my prodigal days were back then, because I do not know where Charlyne and I would be today, considering what some people now call standing for marriage restoration. There were no chat rooms for SOS (soap opera standing) “prayer requests†that are often nothing more than plain old gossip. Even though my parents lived only half a block from Charlyne, they went to their graves not knowing a lot of details about what I put my wife through. Charlyne did not “post†my activities with other women. The times when the circumstances had almost pushed her to give up were known by God alone and not detailed to half a dozen ministries and thousands of people.
Frequently we will be contacted by a new person who reports, “I know what God has called me to do, but did not know it was called ‘standing’ or that anyone else was even praying and waiting for a wayward spouse.†That, my friend, is a strong stander. The ministry may be able to add some octane to the fuel that keeps them going, but such people are standing because God told them to, not because of something discovered or recommended online.
Do you get it? It has to be you and God alone, without other people helping you make your decisions. If you will allow the Lord to be all you have, He will be all you need. What brought me home? The Holy Spirit, in response to a wife’s prayers, regardless of good or bad decisions she might have made when she did not hear God. It was not programs, people, pushing, pleading, or persuasion. It was a wife alone on her knees, in the presence of a Holy God, crying out and pleading for my soul to be saved from Hell.
Do you feel God cannot lead you in every situation? The Bible promises that He can.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies - make straight your way before me. Psalm 5:8
Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Psalm 27:11
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2
Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you, who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth... Psalm 80:1
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10
I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. Proverbs 4:11
“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.†Exodus 15:13
“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.†Nehemiah 9:19
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 25:9
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Psalm 43:3
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah Psalm 67:4
“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.†Isaiah 58:11
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.†Isaiah 42:16
If you are having trouble hearing God and then trusting Him and Him alone for every decision, please do a word study in your Bible on the word “trust.†It is not that God can be trusted; God MUST be trusted to see marriages healed, people changed and families restored.
Don’t take another step in your stand without the net of our Lord Jesus and God’s Word in place to give you support. If you are depending on people and programs to order your steps, there is a fall ahead. People may attempt to tell you where to place your foot, but only God can place it there for you.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Because He lives,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’†Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)
Each morning as a new day starts, I can often tell where my wife has been in our home by the location of three old, crumbling pages. If they are in the kitchen, Charlyne has been there. If they are by her hair curler, I know that she has done her hair.
Almost a quarter of a century ago, when Charlyne began her stand, one of the many ways my wife prayed was by using a verse by verse breakdown of the scripture passage we know as, The Lord’s Prayer. Her three typed pages give prayer guides for each phrase of those verses, including personalization with our names. After we were remarried in 1987, she continued to pray those passages which include the Names of God each day. Several years ago I laminated them for her because they were literally falling apart from use.
May I give you an inside look at my wife’s stand for a restored marriage, and for my coming back to the Lord? Everything was centered around prayer and fasting. She had no Internet, received no email devotionals, could afford to purchase only a minimal amount of what stander’s material was even available back then, and could count on one hand the number of times she met with other standers. She had one prayer partner, an older woman, with whom she shared details of our relationship. What she told Vera went to God’s ears alone.
I am thankful my prodigal days were back then, because I do not know where Charlyne and I would be today, considering what some people now call standing for marriage restoration. There were no chat rooms for SOS (soap opera standing) “prayer requests†that are often nothing more than plain old gossip. Even though my parents lived only half a block from Charlyne, they went to their graves not knowing a lot of details about what I put my wife through. Charlyne did not “post†my activities with other women. The times when the circumstances had almost pushed her to give up were known by God alone and not detailed to half a dozen ministries and thousands of people.
Frequently we will be contacted by a new person who reports, “I know what God has called me to do, but did not know it was called ‘standing’ or that anyone else was even praying and waiting for a wayward spouse.†That, my friend, is a strong stander. The ministry may be able to add some octane to the fuel that keeps them going, but such people are standing because God told them to, not because of something discovered or recommended online.
Do you get it? It has to be you and God alone, without other people helping you make your decisions. If you will allow the Lord to be all you have, He will be all you need. What brought me home? The Holy Spirit, in response to a wife’s prayers, regardless of good or bad decisions she might have made when she did not hear God. It was not programs, people, pushing, pleading, or persuasion. It was a wife alone on her knees, in the presence of a Holy God, crying out and pleading for my soul to be saved from Hell.
Do you feel God cannot lead you in every situation? The Bible promises that He can.
Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies - make straight your way before me. Psalm 5:8
Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Psalm 27:11
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3
From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2
Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you, who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth... Psalm 80:1
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10
I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. Proverbs 4:11
“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.†Exodus 15:13
“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take.†Nehemiah 9:19
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5
He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 25:9
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. Psalm 31:3
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Psalm 43:3
For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah Psalm 67:4
“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.†Isaiah 58:11
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.†Isaiah 42:16
If you are having trouble hearing God and then trusting Him and Him alone for every decision, please do a word study in your Bible on the word “trust.†It is not that God can be trusted; God MUST be trusted to see marriages healed, people changed and families restored.
Don’t take another step in your stand without the net of our Lord Jesus and God’s Word in place to give you support. If you are depending on people and programs to order your steps, there is a fall ahead. People may attempt to tell you where to place your foot, but only God can place it there for you.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Because He lives,
Bob Steinkamp
Rejoice Marriage Ministries, Inc.
