The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional (46 page)

L
ORD
, I thank You that because I love and serve You and pray about all things—and because I desire Your will to be done in my husband’s and my life together—that You will work all things out for good. The situation in our lives that seems insurmountable to us today is not too hard for You. Even though we cannot see a way out of that problem, I know
You
can. While we alone don’t have what it takes to rise above the difficulty, I know You have everything needed to lift us above it or carry us through it. Even when a situation may be a tragedy to us, You can still bring good out of it. Even though we cannot imagine what good can possibly come from it, we can trust Your miracle-working power to transform the situation.

I pray You will bring restoration where there has been loss. Give us peace when, without You, we would have none. Teach us to pray first, instead of being overtaken by discouragement or fear. Enable us to learn from every problem so that we can be a help to others in the same situation. Most of all, give us great faith to firmly trust You and Your Word in the midst of the storm, knowing You are bringing a bright tomorrow, even as we pray.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

88

Do not let your adornment be
merely outward—arranging the hair,
wearing gold, or putting on
fine apparel—rather let it be
the hidden person of the heart,
with the incorruptible beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
very precious in the sight of God.

1 P
ETER
3:3-4

I
T
’
S GOOD TO TAKE CARE
of yourself and make a consistent effort to always look good for your husband. But while you tend to your health and do what you should to stay attractive to him in what you wear and how you care for your skin and hair, you cannot neglect your inner self, where your lasting and ever-increasing beauty is found. The Bible says that the beauty of a gentle and quite spirit cannot be lost and is always pleasing to God.

Having a quiet spirit doesn’t mean you barely talk above a whisper. God has given you a voice, and He intends for you to use it. But it is the quiet and peaceful spirit
behind
your voice that communicates you are not in an internal uproar. A gentle spirit doesn’t mean you are weak. It means that you aren’t brash, obnoxious, or rude. It means you are godly in nature and have love and respect for the people around you. What is in your heart shows on your face. The attractiveness of inner peace and gentleness
in
you will always manifest as beauty externally as well. And that is appealing to everyone—especially your husband.

Pray that God’s Spirit in you will be the most important part of who you are, and that you will reflect the beauty of the Lord, which is beyond compare. His gentle and quiet Spirit in you will be more attractive to others than anything else.

My Prayer to God

L
ORD
, I pray You would give me a gentle and quiet spirit, which I know is precious in Your sight. Enable me to have the inner beauty that is incorruptible, which comes from Your Spirit of peace dwelling in me. Only You can fill me with all I need in order to become as You want me to be. Show me how to always be attractive to my husband in the way I dress and look, but more importantly, help me to remember and understand where true and lasting beauty comes from. Enable me to be perceived by him and others as beautiful because of Your beautiful reflection in me. Help me to never be offensive or undesirable to be around. Keep me from allowing anyone to bring out the worst in me.

Let the beauty of Your Spirit in me shine through and above all the fleshly parts of me that I am still dealing with and trying to allow You to perfect. Fill my heart with Your love, peace, and joy so that they are what always show on my face. Pour Your Spirit
over
me and
in
me so that what is seen on my face is not anger, concern, worry, or sadness, but rather contentment, calm, peace, and happiness. I depend on You to accomplish this in me because I know I cannot achieve this on my own. I worship You, Lord, as the Savior, Restorer, and Beautifier of my life.

In Jesus’ name I pray.

89

If anyone does not provide for his own,
and especially for those of his household,
he has denied the faith and is
worse than an unbeliever.

1 T
IMOTHY
5:8

E
VERY NORMAL, LOVING HUSBAND
and father wants to provide well for his family. So does every normal, loving wife and mother. But the rebuke is strong in this Scripture, saying that if a
man
doesn’t provide for
his
family and household,
he
is worse than an unbeliever. This doesn’t mean if he goes through tough times in his work and loses his job, or has financial difficulties, that he has deserted the faith. It means if a man is careless or unconcerned about providing for his family, or if he goes off and spends money only on himself and not on his wife and children, he is in no way following the Lord.

God expects a man to work hard in order to be a good provider. And when he does, God blesses his work with success. But this doesn’t happen automatically. A husband and wife must pray for it. The Bible says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2). However, if your husband won’t ask, you can ask for him. You can pray that he will follow the Lord in all he does—every aspect of it.

Ask God to help your husband provide for his family. And if your husband goes through a time where he is unable to provide, pray that God will help him get back on his feet again. Pray that the Lord will enable you to help provide as well, in any way you can. Keep praying, because your prayers for your husband have more power than you know.

My Prayer to God