A Marriage Saved Through Forgiveness

By Bruce Hebel –

Through an “out of the blue” circumstance, I was informed, just a few hours before I was scheduled to speak at a ministry center in North Atlanta, that the ministry leader and her husband were scheduled to finalize their divorce the very next day.  I did not view it as coincidental that I had received that information prior to speaking. After I finished my talk, I asked the receptionist if I could speak with her. She happened to be in the office and came out to meet with me. (It was interesting to hear later that this was her day off and she is rarely in the office on her day off.) It was a nice day, so we took a walk outside and sat on a short wall under the trees in the parking lot. I told her what I had heard and asked the question, “How can I help?”

We chatted for quite some time as she poured out her heart about the pain she was experiencing. As we talked, her husband happened to call. I heard her tell him, “I’m sitting here in the parking lot talking to Pastor Bruce trying to decide whether or not I’m going to divorce you tomorrow. Do you want to talk to him?” I’m thinking quietly, “God you are really good at this. Only you could set this up!”

As I began walking my friend through the protocols of forgiveness, her husband drove up with their son. She left with the boy while her husband and I began to talk. In the course of the conversation he was able to forgive several deep wounds from his past. The transformation in his eyes and in his countenance was remarkable. I was then able to help him see himself the way God sees him and to coach him on how to love his wife even if she chose to go through with the divorce. By this time the wife returned and the husband left for church. To make a long story short, when we finished our conversation, she forgave him, he forgave himself and she made a commitment not to divorce. She was free. They were reconciled. A marriage was saved.

There are situations like my friends’ around us every day. A large majority of these hurting people need help learning how to forgive. We can help them. Will you?

AUTHOR QUOTE: “God has given us the privilege of setting people free by helping them forgive!”

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted” (Galatians 6:1 NASB).

Today’s devotional is by Bruce Hebel, President of Regenerating Life Ministries (forgiving forward.com) and Adjunct Professor at Carver Bible College. Bruce is the author of the seminar and soon to be published book Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and, along with his wife Toni, has served in church ministry for over 35 years.