Prayer Is Our Responsibility
Author and speaker Evelyn Christenson understands that it is often easier to pray about our mates than it is to pray for them. "Praying for spouses," she advised a group of women, "has nothing to do with rights, how we are treated, or what the other person may be doing. It is our responsibility, no matter the circumstances."
We need to be in the spirit of prayer at all times, so that prayer becomes part of our relationship with the Lord rather than a ritual. We pray for our husband because we love him and want to lift all that he is and does to the throne of God.
Like a number of the men interviewed, my own husband did battle with his soul when faced with financial success in a relatively short time. Because his character had always been as steady as the seasons, his struggle blindsided me. At first I wasn’t even sure how to pray. I believed the ultimate success of my prayers hinged on my feelings for him. And, quite honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to pray for the man who had crushed my spirit. But an extraordinary thing happened when I began seeing him—and praying for him—as a favored son of God.
It is a good thing I began to do so, for Bob was fighting for his soul and losing ground. Taking his eyes off God for even a brief time caused him to question the truths in which he had been so firmly rooted. I wasn’t capable of fixing him—not that he wanted my kind of "help." Finger pointing and hand wringing, I have learned, are not the most effective agents for change. Prayer is. When I began to pray, and traded fear for faith, I drew solace and strength from Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
For further insight and instruction into becoming a more effective praying wife, read Stormie Omartian’s The Power of a Praying Wife (Eugene, Ore.Harvest House, 1997)
Through this time, I learned to love Bob enough to listen when he asks me to pray for him as well as when he doesn’t ask. Sometimes when our husbands experience times of spiritual battle, they may not even recognize that they are in a battle. At such times, we need to listen closely to their silence and pray. (Listening may mean less sleep on a night when you are already bleary eyed.) While we may expect to hear a clear and unmistakable cry for help, they may be too spiritually battered and bruised to manage anything more than a whimper.
Running to the Lord
I find great solace in knowing that even though my flesh and heart will sometimes fail Bob in times of trouble, God’s perfect strength and heart will not. Now when I beseech the Lord on behalf of my beloved, I no longer crawl to Him with hand outstretched holding an empty cup. I run to Him with a bucket!
