"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalms 27:14
It is natural for us to think of ourselves, wondering if our husband will ever pray for us in the same way we are praying for him.
Praying for our husband will be an act of unselfish, unconditional love and sacrifice on our part. We must be willing to make this commitment knowing it is quite possible that he will never pray for us in the same way.
In my own experience over these years when I began to really pray for Dana the way this book suggests, I had no expectations of him. Over time I noticed more of a change in me. My mindset on our marriage, my relationship with the Lord and my tenderness toward Dana; my patience and contentment on situations we faced together. Over time I believe Dana noticed a change in me; my actions and reactions were softened (I regret to say, I had a temper).
Can you imagine praying for the right side of your body and not your left? If we pray only for ourselves we will never find the blessings we want in our marriage. Through me praying for Dana, I was seeing changes in me, and over time I truly witnessed changes taking place in him.
Our happiness and fulfillment does not rely on whether they pray for us, it depends on our relationship with the Lord. We cannot be impatient with our prayers. Seeing answers to our prayers will take time. Be patient, persevere and wait for God. We have to keep in mind that we are both imperfect people. Only the Lord is perfect. Look to God as the source of all we want to see happen in our marriage and don't worry about how or when it will happen. We need to just enjoy this journey and be excited that we get a front row seat to watch God work.
It's our responsibility to pray. It's God's job to answer in His time and in His way (2 Sam. 22:31), we must leave it in His hands. The most effective tool in transforming him may be your own transformation (Psalms 66:18-20). You cannot go into your prayers for him with the mindset that he is the only one that needs changing. God can change that mindset in us.
*It takes humbling ourselves before God and desiring to live His way in forgiveness, kindness, compassion and love.
*It means letting go of the past hurts that stem from disagreements and arguments. It means being willing to lose the argument in order to win the battle.
*It doesn't mean we have to let go of our own thoughts and feelings or be a doormat for our husband, God doesn't require or want that from us. Submission is something we give from our heart, not something demanded of us (Matt. 10:39).
We must first take on the attitude of, "Whatever You want, Lord, show me and I'll do it." It means being willing to die to yourself and say, "Change me, Lord" (Psalms 26:2).
I love you & He loves you more!
Lord, Thank You for this chance to come into Your presence and pray for this man that you have given to me for my lifetime here on earth. May I be humbled as I walk with You, seeking Your blessings for our marriage. Whatever You want, Lord, show me and I will do it. Change me, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Be mindful of praying for:
His Health
His Protection
His Trials
His Integrity