The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional (30 page)

L
ORD
, I pray You will show me whenever I need to apologize to my husband for anything. Open my eyes to see where I have been insensitive, dismissive, uninterested, or uncaring in my words or actions. Take away any pride in me that would cause me to hesitate to apologize, because then I would have to admit I was wrong about something. Take away all pettiness from me because I want to live Your way. I don’t want to give You any reason to wait to hear my offering of worship (Matthew 5:23-24). I also don’t want my husband to have anything against me that stirs up feelings of hurt or resentment, or causes him to withdraw from me for any reason.

Give me the desire to do what’s right. Help me to quickly say “I’m sorry” for anything I have done wrong so that we can be reconciled and all uneasy feelings between us can be dissolved. Enable me to have a right spirit so that I don’t do anything I need to apologize for in the future. I pray that my actions, thoughts, and words will be pleasing to You, and my offering of worship will always be acceptable in Your sight.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

56

Let nothing be done
through selfish ambition or conceit,
but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out
not only for his own interests,
but also for the interests of others.

P
HILIPPIANS
2:3-4

W
E CAN ALL BE SELFISH
from time to time, but when you believe selfishness is your husband’s standard mode of operation, that is definitely something to pray about. God’s Word says that
nothing
should be done out of selfish ambition or conceit. In a marriage, how can we be sure we will do that unless God enables us? What God wants is that both people in a marriage esteem their spouse more than themselves. But how well can this work in a marriage if only one person is selfless? It takes two. Both of you have to be looking out for each other’s interests and not just your own.

If you believe your husband is selfish, you have to decide that no matter what he does, you will do what is right. You will be unselfish toward him. Ask God to help you with that. But pray for your husband to do that as well. It may seem selfish to you to be praying that your husband think more of you than he does of himself, but it’s not. It is God’s will for his life. It is to his advantage that he does so. And besides, God is requiring the same of you.

Looking out for each other like this promises the greatest success in your marriage, but it only
truly
works when you
both
are taking this step of obedience. This can be nearly impossible without God’s help—because we all have a tendency toward self-focus—but it is well worth the effort to seek God’s enablement. It will do wonders for your marriage.

My Prayer to God

L
ORD
, I pray You would enable my husband to do nothing through selfish ambition or conceit, but rather to be humble and esteem others in higher regard than himself. I pray the same for myself, as well. Help us especially to relate that way toward each other. Give him a heart to always look out for me. Help me to do the same for him. Take away any selfishness in our hearts that would cause us to neglect each other in that way. Take away any conceit in us that would motivate us to keep score and think
I deserve better.
Enable us to be more like You, Jesus, who laid down Your life for us. Teach us to lay down our lives for You and serve You in our marriage by serving each other.

I know that when my husband and I live the way You want us to, we will be walking in Your perfect will. But I also know what we are made of, and even though we try, we too often fail. Only by the miracle-working power of Your Spirit enabling us can this be walked out in our lives. You have already convicted me of the need for selflessness in our marriage. I pray You would convict my husband of that as well, and enable him to do it.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

57

Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and
there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by
its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram,
and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his
son. And Abraham called the name of the place,
The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day,
“In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

G
ENESIS
22:13-14

W
HEN
A
BRAHAM OBEYED
G
OD
and took his only son, Isaac, to Mount Moriah to offer him to the Lord as a burnt offering, he trusted that God would provide another offering. But if He didn’t, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son. He did not withhold his most valuable possession from God. Even though Abraham and Sarah had waited so long to have their only son, he was willing to give that dream to God. And because of that, God promised to provide bountifully for him.

God promises to provide for us too, but He wants us to give Him our all and not put anything else before Him. We have to be willing to let go of everything—even our dreams. If you are in special need of provision right now, ask God if there is anything you need to submit to Him and release into His hands. This doesn’t mean you will have to give your house away, destroy your business, or give up your children for adoption. It means surrendering all of that to God and not putting anything before Him. Dedicate your children to the Lord, and pray that He will use them for His plans. Dedicate your house to God, and ask Him to use it for His purposes. Dedicate your work or business and all you have to your heavenly Father, and ask Him to show you how to use it all for His glory. When you want provision, surrender all you have to God, and see how He blesses you with all that you need and more.

My Prayer to God