like a BB in a boxcar.....

[Committed2Him]

Ok, we are in the same boat sort of. X swears God gave her permission to D me and marry X. Though he is not in ministry and I really don’t know what kind of relationship he does or does not have with God, X still pursues her relationship with God and I am glad for that.

As each of us looks, questions and wonders how this all fits in God's plan, the thought of David came to mind. Clearly the bible teaches that from his youth, David was anointed of God to be king. Though hed did nothing to provoke it, Saul was after him and David conducted himself with honor, even forgoing the opportunity to kill God's anointed (Saul) when he had the chance.

Fast forward to Bathsheba, adultery and the murder of her husband. Did David ever stop being called a man after "God's own heart?" I don't think so. Yet, David paid for his sins. He lost his child with Bathsheba shortly after birth. He had another son (Absalom) who caused him great distress, even to the point where that son died. He was prevented from building the temple for God because he had "blood on his hands" which was left for Solomon construct. I have no doubt David will be found to have been forgiven and to have made his way to heaven yet we see through the bible and in the psalms that David suffered.

My X, your X's, have paid, are paying and/or will pay for their choices. The more we can stay in a mode of prayer for them, in a mode of forgiveness (knowing that things will ALWAYS come at us to cause resentment and bitterness), the better our lives become.

Every time I drop my kids off in the front of X's house in the evening, Mr. X is the one who comes to open the door and I see him walk through their living room as he approaches the door. We have an exchange of waves once he lets my son enter the house. Up until now, I have not really dealt with that resentment but as I type this post, I believe God is directing me to pray for him each and every time I see him. Like king David, like anyone who has transgressed against God, Mr. X (and X) has to deal with the fact that he is in an adulterous relationship according to the bible (even though they are married). Chazz and LNF, the same holds true for your former spouses in that if they divorced you for unbiblical grounds, they are still considered married to you and their new marriages are acts of adultery. (their acts of adultery free us to remarry if we so choose).

All of this conceptual biblical references support a mindset that allows me (ideally) to pray for X and Mr. X, leave them in God's hands, not worry about what is or isn't fair, move forward with my life and falling into and staying in a pit of bitterness and resentment. Additionally, the provocations to drive us to resentment are spiritual in nature, regardless of whether others believe this or not therefore we need to fight these impulses with the ultimate spiritual weapon, prayer.

Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

The neat thing is that we can join the battle for one another by coming along side them in prayer, in their hour of need. I consider it a privilege to do this for another and I don't take the commitment to pray of another lightly for we are to let our yes be yes and our no be no so if we say we will pray, we better do it.

p.s. it is chilly today, I'll take that coffee you were offering