"But you are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love.
Therefore you did not desert them,"
Nehemiah 9:17b
Last week I shared about the Buckets of Hope our church provided for our local Public Safety Officers and their families. This week I wanted to share a little more about the gift of Forgiveness our Lord gives us in the Bucket of Hope for our marriages.
In Nehemiah 9:17b we see that God is a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love. The people of Israel turned away from God. They rebelled & forgot the many miracles He performed among them but he did not desert them. When they cried out to Him He had compassion for them and pardoned them.
In verse 30 we read where God gave them warnings through his prophets but they did not listen to His warnings so He handed them over to their "neighboring peoples". In verse 31 we read of God's great mercy, "But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God."
Sweet sisters, there are times where you or your husband may mess up. Things may be so bad that you feel like turning your back and abandoning your marriage. Please don't desert your marriage! Follow God's example and be merciful. Be slow to anger and abounding in love.
But you may say ~ "Mary you have no idea how bad it is. How could I ever forgive the way I have been hurt and overcome the pain I feel?"
My answer to that is go to God. Tell Him how much you've been hurt. He wants to know your pain and your sorrows. When you release it to Him then He can begin to heal your deepest hurts. God will help you forgive your husband. He will heal you inside so that you can begin to repair your marriage.
Forgiving your husband may not be easy. Here are a few other verses that may help you. Please know I am praying for you. I would love for you to leave a comment letting me know how I can pray for you.
"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" Matthew 18:21,22
"Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath." Psalm 78:38
"You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you." Psalm 86:5
"who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion," Psalm 103:3,4
"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18,19
Lord I thank you for the love & hope you give us. Thank you for not deserting us when we sin against you. Lord I pray that you will be in our marriages. Help us to stay true to our husbands. Lord where there is pain and hurt in our marriages give us the strength to forgive. Help us to restrain our anger instead showing love and mercy to our husbands. Thank you that you can redeem life in marriages that are deep in the pit. Thank you for breathing new life into marriages that need to be healed. In your name I pray, Amen.
In His Calm,
Mary
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