Prayer of a Husband

By: Jenifer Metzger

Several years ago I spent two weeks battling a very painful headache. I don't really like taking medication but because of the intense pain I had tried several pain relievers. I used ice packs and a heating pad on my neck where the pain started. But nothing was giving me relief. Nothing. Then one Sunday, after two weeks of pain, we came home from church and the pain was so extreme I felt as though my eyes were bulging and I just couldn't take it anymore.

I went to my husband and asked him to pray for my headache to go away. He held my neck in his hands and prayed that God would take away the pain and give me relief. Within fifteen minutes my headache and neck pain was fifty percent better. And continued to get better as the evening went on.

Over those two weeks I prayed for my headache several times. God hears my prayers. My husband's prayers are not 'better' than mine. God doesn't listen to him and ignore me. God listens to all of His children when the pray to Him.

So why did God begin to relieve my pain after my husband prayed and not after I prayed?

My first response is that everything happens in God's timing, not ours. Maybe His perfect time was right then, not before. 

But even more so, I believe that God was teaching me to ask my husband for prayer. There is something so powerful when a wife prays for her husband and vice versa. We need to ask our spouse for prayer and we need to pray over our spouse.

By asking our husband to pray for us, we are:

•showing him that we respect him as the spiritual leader in our family.

•giving him the chance to be obedient by praying for others.

•creating a spiritual bond with him.

Whether we are in physical pain, struggling in a relationship, struggling in our walk with God, or tired, we need to ask our husband to pray for us. No matter what we are facing, we should seek our husband's prayers.

Discussion:
1. Do you find it difficult to ask your husband for prayer?
2. If your husband isn't far in his spiritual journey, he may not be comfortable praying out loud. Be his safe place. A place he knows that he can pray without judgement or being made fun of.

Names of God Series: Guarded and Protected by Jehovah Sabaoth

 By: Rebekah Hargraves 

Photo Courtesy of: mana5280

"There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim.His name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives, the first named Hannah and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. This man would go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests." 

~1 Samuel 1:1-3

Here in verse 3 of 1 Samuel 1, we come to another of our God's names - Jehovah Sabaoth, which literally means "The Lord of Armies" or "The Lord of Hosts", pointing to the fact that our God commands angelic armies on behalf of His people.

This is such a powerful, meaningful name of our great God, because infused into it is such a comforting hope and peace as we remember that we are guarded, protected, and hedged about on every side by the One Who not only commands all and works everything together for our good, but also goes so far as to command angel armies on our behalf!

I found myself in a scary situation with a couple friends several years ago and suddenly, in the midst of very much feeling as if we were in grave danger, I had the overwhelming urge to pray. Not only that, but I had these very words come pouring out of my mouth in prayer before I even had a chance to give a single thought to what exactly I was saying: "Lord, I pray You would send down Your scary angels to guard and protect us and to scare off whoever would seek to do us harm."

"Scary angels"??

Where had THAT phrase come from? I had never in my life used that phrase before or even thought it. I knew that the true biblical description of angels was certainly nothing like the cherubic presentations we are often given in our day and age, but I had never gone around actually thinking of angels as being deemed scary, particularly to those who would seek to do harm God's children. What a powerful moment that was!

Looking back now today as I write these words about our God being in charge of angel armies, those memories from that day come rushing back again in such a meaningful way. I may not have fully understood at the time all that the Spirit was inspiring me to pray for in that moment, but I understand it now. 

Our God has literally promised to command angel armies on our behalf! So much so that He even went so far as to take that job description He has and use it as one of His very names! That is incredible! 

The fact of the matter, friend, is that you are safe in the hands of your great God. He loves you so dearly, so tenderly, that He willingly, faithfully, and unendingly commands angel armies on your behalf! And He delights to do so! 

Praise God for that!

Reflection Questions: 

1) What stands out to you about the meaning behind this name of God?

2) How does this name and its meaning bring you peace in the midst of whatever scary situation you are facing?

3) How can you be diligent to remind yourself of this encouraging truth the next time you (or someone you love!) face a scary situation?

Open the Door

 By: Joanne Viola

 

The Scripture before me brought the beautiful reminder of the way Jesus stands at the doors of each of our hearts, knocking and waiting to be invited into our lives.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock;
 if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
 I will come in to him and will dine with him, 
and he with Me.” 
(Revelation 3:20, NASB) 

This verse is often used to describe the way in which Jesus calls us to Himself. A closer look reveals it is, more so, a call to believers.

John wrote these words of Christ to the Laodiceans, who were a wealthy church but lukewarm in their relationship with Christ. They had become self-sufficient, depending on their ability and resources to take care of themselves.

But God loved them too much to leave them in their complacency. He rebuked and called to them, inviting them to get nearer to Him.

What can these words speak to us today?

• Jesus longs to be with us.
• If we but open the door to our hearts, minds, and lives, Jesus will dwell with us.
• Yes, this is an invitation to salvation, but it is a daily call to live with devotion to Christ.

There is a dual action which must occur – we must hear and be moved to action. We must both hear Jesus knocking and then, open the door of our lives to Him. To do one without the other is pointless.

It is then a relationship of acceptance and friendship can be deeply forged. The reward of this relationship and faith is to share in Christ’s victorious reign over sin, evil, and death.

“We live in sobering times. The forces of hate, polarization, and discord are mounting. Those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ can no longer live their lives as chameleons, blending in with the culture. We can no longer live with ourselves as the axis by which our world turns. The radical call of Jesus Christ means our lives must be completely transformed. We can no longer love Christ with reservation. Being a follower of Christ can no longer be a badge we wear identifying ourselves as a political group. Nor can churches function as a country club with a “members only” sign posted out front. Our work and service for Christ can no longer be more important than our love and devotion for Christ. Our faith can no longer be primarily driven by our mastery of the Scripture, our identification with an organization, or our loyalty to our leaders. We must be known for a love wrapped in mercy. In our lives, Christ must remain preeminent.”

 

(from Stages of the Soul by Nancy Kane page 120)

 

Reflection:
What defines you today? How can we become known for our “love wrapped in mercy”?

 

Photo by Nikolay Loubet on Unsplash

 

Gospel Strength

By: Lauren Thomas 

Where do you need strength today? What if I told you that strength is available to you through the Gospel?

In Paul’s doxology at the end of Romans, he prays that his readers be given strength “according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ” (Romans 16:25). The gospel is able to strengthen us through Jesus. That’s because the gospel isn’t just a message of good news, it is power.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 ESV

 

The gospel is power for the believer. We often think of the gospel as the message that through Jesus we are saved. And while this is true, the gospel of grace isn’t just what saves us, it’s what trains us. It is by the gospel that we are forgiven, but also by the gospel that we are empowered to cease walking in sin. The gospel trains us for a life of righteousness (Titus 2:11-12).  It ignites the Christian life, and also sustains the Christian life. The gospel touches every moment of every day for the Christian, and losing sight of that causes us to lose sight of the power God offers to us. We are saved by the gospel, and we also stand in the gospel.

 

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 ESV

 

Do you need strength to die to self? Do you need strength to avoid temptation? Do you need strength to turn away from sin? That strength is available to you through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is power that will never run out. It is power that is available to you.

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9a

 

Reflection:

Where do you most need gospel strength in your life right now? Has there been a time God has given you strength through the gospel of grace?

In prayer, ask Jesus to strengthen you today in the areas that you feel weak. Make it a point to reflect on the gospel of grace throughout your day.

Lessons from Eyeshadow

By: Jenifer Metzger

When it comes to eye make up, I am a very simple, neutral girl. I wear light browns and light pinks. Once in a while I'll get brave and do a red lip, but mostly, I am very basic. And I like it. One day years ago, I decided to change it up and do a smoky eye. My husband loved it and said, "You look sexy." I did my typical eye roll and said, "Sure, whatever." It's what I always do when he gives me any kind of compliment. My then my twelve year old daughter said this, "Mommy, Daddy was just telling you how pretty you are. You should say 'thank you.'"

Ouch.

Yes, I should reply with a 'thank you.'

How many times do we scoff at our husband when he hands us a compliment? Why do we do that?

I often tell my husband how good I think he looks. Whether he is dressed up for church, in his sweats and tee after a shower, or in his stinky work clothes. I always think he looks incredible and tell him so. He replies with 'thank you.' Yet, I always tell him how wrong he is when he compliments me.

Where we may see less than perfection, he sees his beautiful bride. Where we see more flaws than we can count, he sees his sexy lady. When our husband hands us a compliment, whether he says you are beautiful, stunning, lovely, gorgeous, sexy, attractive, pretty, or even nice, we need to realize that is his way of saying he loves us and is still attracted to us. Our response should always be appreciation.

When we continually ignore his compliments, two things can happen. One, he will get tired of his words being met with eye rolls and negativity that he may just stop sharing compliments altogether. Two, he might begin to question his own choices. He choose you. He loves what he sees. Yet when you discredit his words, he may begin to question his choices.

The next time your husband gives you a compliment, respond in a loving and appreciative way.

Discussion:

1. Do you struggle with accepting compliments from your husband? It can be hard since we are trained by this world to see our flaws. But the next time your husband offers a compliment, don't overthink it. Simply say, "Thank you."
2. Men like to hear compliments too. Be intentional with telling your husband how attractive you find him.