GOD ANSWERS PRAYER Burke

Mike & Cheryl Burke - I was searching on our old marriage group for testimonies for Sandy and found some that used to be on Dana Hartongs site. They are all covenant marriage testimonies. Dana and Val were also a covenant couple that were restored and I will send their testimony through also. Dana passed away a few years back so the site is no longer up, but I have these testimonies in the archives of our marriage group..Some of them are long, so grab a cup of coffee/tea and be prepared to sit for a little bit.. Mike & Cheryl Burke GOD ANSWERS PRAYER How long would You wait for your husband to come home? Would eleven years be too long? Could you still pray for your marriage to be healed if your husband had two children by another woman? Most people would give up hope long before the end of eleven years. Their friends and relatives would counsel them that their mate was never coming home, and they should get on with their life. But Cheryl never gave up hope as she stood for the restoration of her marriage. Here is her story . . . Mike and I were married January 3, 1970, in a small church in Michigan. We believed our marriage would last forever. Divorce was not going to be an option with us. Incredibly, after only six months of marriage, I had threatened to get a divorce twice. But, God blocked my efforts. What was the problem? We argued over everything. We had differences of opinion on almost every subject. Strife and unforgiveness entered into our marriage. This opened the door for the possibility of divorce later on. We really didnt want a divorce, so we worked at reconciling our differences. Our first baby, Kenny, was born four years later. At our babys six-month check-up, the doctor talked about the Lord and invited me to church. He recommended a book, which I purchased. After reading this book, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. That very night my husband asked me for a divorce and soon left me. I continued to read my Bible and pray for a miracle. After a few months, Mike did come home, and we moved into a new home together. It was wonderful to see Mike put his wedding ring back on. Our minister and an evangelist visited us in our home, and Mike accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized. Our second son, Ron was born in 1977 and our family was complete. But, I did not continue to depend on God after Mike and I reconciled, like I did before we reconciled. We attended church off and on, and I prayed off and on. Strife and unforgiveness slipped back into our relationship again, and three years later in 1980, Mike left. The children and I began to pray every night for Daddy to come home. I spent a lot of time praying, repenting of my part in the situation, and asking God what He wanted me to do. I called a Christian TV counselor who told me to pray, praise, and pray for my husbands salvation. He recommended reading Ephesians 1:3, 1:17, 18, 3:14-17 and 6:12. Good advice for the wife is given in Ephesians 5:33 in the amplified bible. There, the wife is told that she should respect and reverence her husband. She should notice him, regard him, honor him, prefer him, venerate and esteem him, defer to him, and love and admire him exceedingly. The Lord led me to a spirit-filled church where the Word came alive to me. I met Nancy there. Her husband had left her about the same time as mine and we had become prayer partners. We asked the Lord to first change us. Nancy and I met with others who also felt Gods will for them was to stand for reconciled and restored marriages. We began to meet together for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. As it says in Mark 11:24, we believed that we received when we prayed. We developed wonderful friendships that sustained us. I have to admit that I did get discouraged when year after year passed, and I didnt see any evidence of my prayers being answered. According to Matthew 19:4-6 my husband and I were permanently joined together in marriage by our vow, and no man may separate what God has joined together. So, I had no choice. I waited. The woman my husband was involved with became pregnant. Most people, including some Christians, discouraged me from continuing to stand and believe for my marriage. However, our prayer group remained steadfast and supportive. The Lord would encourage me with scripture like Isaiah 54:17. But, after a second child was born to the other woman, Mike divorced me, and made their relationship legal. Eventually, they left Ohio and moved to Minnesota. I continued to stand for my marriage. The next years were not easy, raising two little boys by myself. Kenny and Ronnie accepted Jesus as their Savior when they were very young. Although they did not have the blessing of their earthly Daddy during those years, their Heavenly Father was taking care of them and I had to trust He would restore what they were missing in His own way and in His own time. Many times I wanted to give up, but I had many encouragers; my prayer partners, my pastor, and Dana and Val Hartong who have a ministry called New Hope for Broken Marriages. A book that was a real help to me was by P.B. Wilson called Liberated through Submission - The Ultimate Paradox by Harvest House Publishers. We had not talked to each other for a year, when one night I received a phone call from Mike telling me, "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" He said he always felt like there was a cloud over him. Prayer is powerful and I know Mike could feel our prayers and he was under conviction. About six months later, Mike wrote me a letter telling me, "GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE! IM NEVER COMING HOME!!!" A few letters later, his letters had changed from, "IM NEVER COMING HOME," to "Shes moved out, can I please come and see our kids on their birthdays?" A month later on Kens 17th birthday, Mike got down on one knee and proposed marriage to me, quoting some of our marriage vows. He asked me to recommit to him and to our vows. I was ecstatic and eagerly agreed. Mike had to leave to wrap things up in Minnesota and as I walked through the house, I began to wonder if he had really been there and proposed, or if I had only dreamed it. I said to the Lord, "If only I had some tangible evidence that Mike was really here." I glanced at a small table, there I saw a note from Mike. "THE PRODIGAL HUSBAND HAS RETURNED! I LOVE YOU AND I AM TOTALLY COMMITTED TO YOU FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!!!" GOD HAD ANSWERED PRAYER. Eleven years after our separation, Mike and I were sitting in the judges chambers. Our sons, Ken and Ron, were with us. The judge asked why we came to him. Mike had a profound answer for him. "Our marriage was taken apart legally through the law of the land, and were here to have the law of the land put it back together legally." The judges final words were, "May God add His blessing and keep you to fulfill your covenant from this day forth." We had a wonderful honeymoon visiting Mikes children in Minnesota. We recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of our remarriage. Last spring, Mike was given custody of Justin and Crystal who are now 13 and 12. I love and admire my husband greatly and feel very blessed. Im grateful to God for His mercy, and grateful to Mike for his patience and love. It took a terrific guy to do what Mike did. Mike says to tell you he loves me; he loves all our kids; he loves all our pets; and he loves our old home. He is content. I want to tell you that there is no place like being in the will of God. There might be some who would question my remarrying my husband. They would quote Deut. 24:2-4. But Jeremiah 3:1 addresses the question of remarrying your mate. It says, "Though You have left ME and married many lovers, yet I have invited you to come to me again, the Lord declares!! We wanted you to hear a few words from our children. KEN: I remember praying for my dad to come home starting when I was very little. I believe God is responsible for restoring our family. I did miss a lot by my dad not being home while I was growing up. But, it was nice to have him around as I was finishing school. Im sure Im not aware of all the ways all this has affected me. One thing I do know, I am very cautious about relationships. I want to have a marriage someday that will last a lifetime because divorce is devastating. I am happy that my Dad will be around for holidays and hell be there when I do marry and have children. RON: I dont even remember my dad before he left us. My earliest memories are praying for him to come home. I do believe that God answered our prayers, I just wish God would have done it earlier. At first when my dad came back, I was very excited, then I resented the fact that he had not been there for me, and now he was telling me what to do. It was hard to accept his authority. My dad has really tried to be the best dad he could be, and Im happy that hes there for me now. I dont believe in divorce. I grew up with one parent and I dont want that for my children. I want my children to have both parents. I am glad that someday my kids will not only have a grandma, but they will also have a grandpa! JUSTIN: Of course it is hard not being with both of my parents. I am glad that I spent some years with my mom, but this is where I know I should be now. Ive been working on my grades and I even got to join wrestling this year. When my sister and I were with Dad and Cheryl a couple of years ago, we prayed and asked Jesus into our hearts. I get to go to church now, and I feel God is helping me deal with things. I believe in my heart that I am where I should be. CRYSTAL: Its hard not being with my mom. I miss her, but Im glad to be with my dad. My brother and I are making new friends, and I hope to be able to get into a sport. I think this is the best lifestyle for me. I feel we are open with each other, and I feel like I fit in here. God has turned my life around, and I have a brighter future. I feel Dad and my step-mom will guide me into a good relationship when I grow up. Cheryl talks a lot about marriage, and I want to have a good one. Basically, life is good! Was it worth it? I want to tell you that it WAS worth it! Everything starts with Jesus, He is The Way to God. Invite Him into your heart and give him your life. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS Cheryl Burke