Dear Brides, do you wonder how you can ever be happy if the Lord chooses not to restore your marriage? I did, too. Let Him begin to show you that He is the only real and lasting source of happiness through this Chapter 1 "What Is the Abundant Life?".

"It never occurred to me that I could be happy (let alone joyful) if God did not restore my marriage." WOW. Lord, this line really hit home with me. I feel exactly that right now: I'm not sure how I could ever be truly happy should You decide not to restore my marriage to my EH. But God...I WANT to! I want to feel joyful in the now, in the midst of this trial. I want to feel joyful no matter how long restoration takes. I want to be SO joyful that I no longer care whether I am restored to my EH or not. I want the Abundant Life that You intend for me to live.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - I want this rest for my soul, so I am trying to fulfill the condition of this promise.

Explain what you understand that will help you with what you may have been struggling with?

I'm not sure exactly what this question in the journal is asking. But, here is my attempt to answer anyway:

I have been struggling with finding God as my Husband--knowing Him intimately--instead of just as some far-away Lord. Because of that, I have been too focused on restoration and too swayed by my earthly circumstances. I've struggled with double-mindedness and doubt. This chapter gave me a little light at the end of the tunnel, though. I want to have the same kind of loving relationship with Him that is described here.

I'm going to make an earnest effort to find Him as my Husband instead of "just" my God.

Let's pray and ask Him to help us to know Him in this special way: Beloved, I want You. I want to know You deeply, intimately; like a Bride knows her Husband. I want to come to a place where I am truly happy in Your presence and where You are all I desire. I want that rest and peace that You promise for Your children in the Bible. I want to be so enraptured with only You that I forget all about my restoration, God! Show me how I can find You like this. In Jesus' name, Amen.

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25)

How I have seen this come to pass! I wanted to save my "old life" and I indeed lost it. I am now learning how to live for Him and am finding a new (better) life...a life of abundance, hopefully. 😉

Dear Brides, Chapter 1 "What Is the Abundant Life?" gave me hope that I do not have to depend on the outcome of my circumstances for happiness. I do not have to wait until marriage restoration to be joyful! By taking Him as my Husband for this season (and for the rest of my life), I can be happy no matter what is happening in my life. If I can do it, you can too!

“For the LORD has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,’ Says your God… For your Husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth’” (Isaiah 54:6–5) - Since I am a wife of one's youth that has been rejected, I relate to this very much. In this season, I want to learn how to take Him as my Husband.

If you're feeling hopeless and depressed, rejected and grieved...this is what you need to read.