My Hope Is Built
Rebuilding Hope After a Broken Relationship, Separation or Divorce
by
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BROKEN PROMISES
O NO, THIS CANNOT BE
HE’S BREAKING ALL HIS PROMISES TO ME
O NO, THIS CANT BE TRUE
O LORD, WHAT WILL I DO
We make so many promises to one another before entering a marriage that when your spouse no longer cares enough to keep them or go out of his way to deliberately break them, the disappointment is numbing. It’s the feeling of everything reeling out of control and helplessness like watching grains of sand slip through your fingers. Every broken promise becomes another piece of your broken heart. There is that gasp of “oh no”, that suffocating feeling that you will never breathe again and if you do, perhaps you’ll not have enough strength to finish that breath. I remember that about the time my marriage started falling apart, the pop singer Toni Braxton released her hit song “Breathe Again” promising to never breathe again if the lover never came back to her arms. The hook of the song was catchy, seemed like she was “Singing my life with her words” and I found myself many time singing along. But one day the Spirit of God in me rebuked me, oh no, you can’t sing that song for you shall breathe again. And I did, sometimes one painful second at a time, but I kept on breathing for unlike man God does not lie, he is not human, so he does not change his mind ( See Numbers 23:19 NLT). Be strong my sister, you will not die; instead live. Breathe again; make up your mind to live to tell what the Lord has done. (Psalms 118:17)
Prayer: Father I thank you for every breath I breathe. I recognized that each one is a gift from you and it is not tempered by my circumstances. This will not suffocate me, this will not take my breath away, and this is not my last gasp. With your help Lord, I shall breathe again.
Numbers 23: (NLT)
19 God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
Psalm 118:17 (NLT)
17 I will not die; instead, I will live
to tell what the LORD has done.
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About the Book
You stand at the altar and repeat the wonderful words of the marriage vows. As you exit the church, a congregation of loved ones and friends send up cheers of congratulations. But now, the marriage has fallen apart; here you are separated, perhaps even divorced. And instead of applause, you hear the sound of your tears and the footsteps of fear. You feel hurt, broken, empty, abandoned. The shame of failing is so overwhelming that for a while, you do an Oscar-winning job of faking for the loved ones, even the congregation, that all is well. All the while, the enemy is grabbing at your self-esteem and grabbing at your hope. But with God, there is no faking it. He sees and knows it all, even the thoughts and feelings you would like to pretend you don’t have. The congregation may no longer be cheering for you, but God is. Rather than letting you spiral into hopelessness, he cheers you on to hope again. He heals, he fills up the empty places in your heart, and he comforts. He restores hope. No one rebuilds hope like God.
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God” (Psalms 42:11 KJV). This book includes poetry, devotionals, and encouragement to strengthen you as you partner with God in rebuilding your hope. Tears, fears, and jeers—he hears them all and responds with cheer.
About the Author
Within months of getting married, Lorna’s marriage was over. The pain, embarrassment and emptiness so overwhelming she thought she would not get through it. The lies of the enemy were constantly in her ears, particularly saying that she would lose her mind. But God gave a word that sustained her “ For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV). She is thankful for the nights she fell asleep because she knew he was holding her hand and she was resting on the breast of the EL Shaddai. Thankful for the many mornings He got her out of bed and took her through the day in his strength alone. Today she is called on to preach and teach the word at conferences, conventions, retreats and serves as an Associate Pastor. Her testimony is “I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.” (Psalms 71:2 KJV).