That’s a strange statement to make, isn’t it? Yes… but it’s true. To better understand what Stormie Omartian means when she compares your wife to an automobile, plus additional advice she has for you as a praying husband, please click onto the web site link below to read:

• THE POWER OF A PRAYING HUSBAND

In addition, the following is something that Stormie’s husband Michael Omartian has written on a husband praying for his wife and then you will find a written prayer afterward which you can use as an outline to pray for your own wife, if you choose. Michael writes:

“Prayer requires forgetting your own agenda and letting God set the agenda. Many times prayer would focus my attention away from the need to see Stormie change and become more accommodating to me, instead how I could change and be more accommodating to her. Scary stuff for the ego! But through prayer we have been able to make changes and work things out. Now we have been married for 28 years and I can’t imagine anyone else as my mate. but our problems only work themselves out when she and I join with God to solve them.”

PRAYER POWER:

“Lord, I pray that You would establish in me and (wife’s name) bonds of love that cannot be broken. Show me how to love my wife in an ever-deepening way that she can clearly perceive. May we have mutual respect and admiration for each other so that we become and remain one another’s greatest friend, champion, and unwavering support.

“Where love has been diminished, lost, destroyed, or buried under hurt and disappointment, put it back in our hearts. Give us strength to hold on to the good in our marriage, even in those times when one of us doesn’t feel love.

“Enable my wife and me to forgive each other quickly and completely. Specifically I lift up to You (name any area where forgiveness is needed). Help us to ‘be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving,’ the way You are to us (Ephesians 4:32).

“Teach us to overlook the faults and weaknesses of the other. Give us a sense of humor, especially as we deal with the hard issues of life.

“Unite us in faith, beliefs, standards of morality, and mutual trust. Help us to be of the same mind, to move together in harmony, and to quickly come to mutual agreements about our finances, our children, how we spend our time, and any other decisions that need to be made.

“Where we are in disagreement and this has caused strife, I pray You would draw us together on the issues. Adjust our perspectives to align with Yours. Make our communication open and honest so that we avoid misunderstandings.

“May we have the grace to be tolerant of each other’s faults and, at the same time, have the willingness to change. I pray that we will not live two separate lives, but will instead walk together as a team. Remind us to take time for one another so that our marriage will be a source of happiness, peace, and joy for us both.

“Lord, I pray that You would protect our marriage from anything that would destroy it. Take out of our lives anyone who would come between us or tempt us. Help us to immediately recognize and resist temptation when it presents itself.

“I pray that no other relationship either of us have, or have had in the past, will rob us of anything in our relationship now. Sever all unholy ties in both of our lives. May there never be any adultery or divorce in our future to destroy what You, Lord, have put together. Help because it has developed a non-working part. I pray that we will turn to You —the Designer —to fix it and get it operating the way it was intended.

“Teach us to seek each other’s well-being first, as You have commended in Your Word (1 Corinthians 10:24). We want to keep You at the center of our marriage and not expect from each other what only You can give.

“Where either of us have unrealistic expectations of the other, open our eyes to see it. May we never waver in our commitment and devotion to You and to one another, so that this marriage will become all You designed it to be.”

The above article and prayer came from the book, “The Power of a Praying Husband, written by Stormie Omartian and Michael Omartian (with additional contributors such as Neil Anderson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jack Hayford and others), published by Harvest House. “In 20 short, easy-to-read chapters, Stormie Omartian shares how you can intercede for your wife” in prayer in various areas “where she longs for your prayers” You’ll also receive “advice and personal stories from well-know Christian men, prayer ideas and words from Scripture.” Preview or Purchase this book now.

—ALSO—

Below you will find additional prayers you can pray for your wife, located at another web site location. Please click onto the link below to read:

• PRAYER PORTIONS: Praying for Your Wife

But on the other hand, I have to admit that my husband Steve and I didn’t pray together (except at meals) for several years after we committed our lives to the Lord Jesus. To be quite truthful, it never occurred to us to do so. That might sound strange, but we hadn’t given it thought. And even though we were members of a strong Bible-believing church, it was never talked about. Praying individually, yes, but praying together as a married couple wasn’t ever mentioned.

The subject came up, however, when I was attending a women’s Bible Study. One of the women shared that every morning, before she and her husband got into the busyness of the day, they prayed together. She told us how much this meant to each of them and how much it caused them to grow closer to God and to each other.

As I heard her talking about this I thought about asking my husband if we could do the same. It was funny. As soon as I brought it up, he said the same thing I did when I heard this woman share her story. He said, “I don’t know why, but it never occurred to me for us to do that. Let’s try it tomorrow morning, at the start of our day.” And so we did.

That was over 30 years ago. And we’ve very seldom missed praying together each morning since.

It’s difficult to describe the closeness I feel for my husband as we pray together. And it’s a wonderful way to begin our day to ask the Lord to guide us, protect us, and address the needs of those we love so much.

Now we pray together at other times as well. If one of us is troubled, or if someone asks us to pray for them, or during emergencies, and/or during times we just want to get on our knees and thank God for His blessings, we pray together. It’s been great.

But I’ve found out by talking with others and by reading, that some couples struggle with praying together. They may be self-conscious, or don’t feel close enough emotionally to do so, or for many other reasons.

Author David Stoop, in the book, When Couples Pray Together Buy this book now., disclosed the following about his struggle in praying with his wife Jan,

“Part of my reluctance was quite simply, ‘What’s the big deal about praying together?’ Just as long as I prayed personally, I couldn’t see why praying together was so important to Jan. Obviously, I never verbalized this, for somehow I knew that this was not the right attitude for a husband to share with his wife.”

He went on to explain,

“Someone described the process of a couple praying together as two people suddenly becoming naked spiritually with each other, and I related to that. My impression was that what Jan wanted me to do was to bare my soul before God in her presence. Later, I found out that wasn’t her expectation at all, but when I wasn’t willing even to talk about it, how was I to know?”

He goes on to say the following about his struggle,

“Richard Foster describes my struggle well. He says, ‘We today yearn for prayer and hide from prayer. We are attracted to it and repelled by it. We believe prayer is something we should do, even something we want to do, but it seems like a chasm stands between us and actually praying.’

“In my case, not only was there a struggle within me, there was a struggle between Jan and me, with Jan representing the yearning and me representing the hiding. Perhaps, as Foster goes on to say, I was waiting for everything to be ‘just right.’ Or perhaps I was waiting to become better at praying, or more willing to ‘pray deep.’

“Whatever the reason, I do remember feeling like I just wasn’t ready to do this ‘praying together’ with Jan. I know now that part of my problem was that I was making everything too complicated. Neither Jan nor I knew how to get past the barriers until we just jumped in and began, with a few simple words.”

David’s wife said the following about their experience of starting to pray together:

“Once we started praying together, Dave’s objections simply went away. He found it wasn’t as scary as he had thought. The key for us was to begin in a very simple way. When we asked one couple how they got started praying together, they said, ‘We just opened our mouths and said, ‘Dear Heavenly Father…’ At first, it seemed like they had missed the point of our question, but as we reflected on their response, we realized they were right on: keep it simple —just open your mouth and start.”

And that’s what we found for us. Sometimes it is the anticipation of what is expected of each of us that can get in the way. Sometimes it’s just better to dive in and work the details out later (if there are any). If a husband and wife can’t risk being spiritually naked in front of each other, there’s a deeper marriage problem going. And in that case, they need prayer all the more!

“The old adage is true: ‘The couple who prays together stays together.’ That’s because prayer itself is such an intimate activity. When you pray not only for, but with someone, you’re agreeing to make yourself vulnerable. As you and your spouse pray together, concerns may arise that otherwise could become big issues and cause division in your relationship down the road.

“Natalia and Jamie discovered that truth when they decided to spend brief daily prayer times together. ‘Jamie and I always prayed over our food,’ Natalia admitted, ‘and sometimes we prayed together for other people’s needs. But it wasn’t until we began to pray directly for and with each other that I was able to reveal to my husband how I felt about myself. …and the past he knew nothing about. Praying together was the most important step we’ve taken in our marriage. It helped us work through our backgrounds and make us stronger as individuals and as a couple.’” (From the article “Making a Connection” by Ramona Cramer Tucker, as posted on Marriage Partnership.com)

In the book When Couples Pray Buy this book now., author Cheri Fuller, shares of a time when she and her husband had some very important decisions to make together that had previously caused problems in their relationship. They made a point of praying together over the matter. And God answered their prayers in some wonderful ways. She writes,

“But God’s direct answer to our prayer, wonderful as it was, was not the most important result of our praying together. Even more precious to us was that our hearts began to be knit together through the incredible closeness we felt as we prayed to our Father.

“Without a counselor to tell us what was wrong, God Himself began to heal our marriage. And with every prayer we prayed together, Jesus became that third strand of a braided cord, binding us tightly together and giving us strength. With this increased spiritual bonding came emotional intimacy. The heart-to-heart connection with my husband that I had desired for so long slowly began to become a reality.”

Cheri writes how, in the many years since their first times of praying together, God has knit their hearts together:

“My husband and I have discovered a special, heart-to-heart connection that is only available through prayer and spiritual interaction. When we’re fresh out of love and patience with each other, God has an inexhaustible supply of each, ready and waiting for us to ask.

“God has taught us a lot through simple prayers uttered over coffee or at our kids’ besides. and although we’ve seen Him work in our lives and our children’s lives over and over as we’ve prayed, we still have not arrived. We are still whispering, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ And we’re still finding that He loves to show us more!”

And that’s what my husband Steve and I have found as well. Praying together bonds us in ways that we might not normally have experienced any other way. For one, we’ve found that we can’t pray together and still be mad at each other. It doesn’t make for a very sincere time of petitioning the Lord when our own hearts are not united.

I’m reminded of the scripture that says, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). This is a principle that even applies to marriage.

So my husband and I know that if for no other reason, the next morning when we come together to pray, we need to have some sort of reconciling going on between us. It’s helped us in many ways (besides the Bible verse that tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger), to keep short accounts with each other in how we deal with our negative feelings towards each other.

To give you some further thoughts and ideas on praying together as husband and wife, we found some articles on the Internet that we would like to encourage you to read. To do so, please click onto the links provided below:

• NOT TONIGHT, HONEY
• SIMPLE WORDS
• SHARED PRAYER: Easier Than You Think
• PRAYER: The Secret to a Lasting Marriage
• MARRIAGE PERSPECTIVES: Pursuing God As a Couple
  

But above all, it’s like what Evelyn Christenson said, “Praying together is like riding a bike. You can read how to do it or have someone else tell you; but until you try it yourself, you’ll never learn how to do it.” We hope you will!

The following are some closing thoughts given by Kathleen Groom, which she gave in an article posted in Today’s Christian Woman May/June 2006 from the article, “What’s Your Best Advice for Newlyweds?”

“Nightly, I used to lie in bed waiting for my husband to initiate prayer. When he didn’t, I wrestled with whether or not I should do it, since I desired my husband to be our spiritual leader. A friend shared an idea that works beautifully, and we’ve been praying together regularly ever since. My husband initiates prayer on odd days of the month, and I begin our prayer times on the even days. Now when we crawl into bed, the first words we often speak are ‘What day is it?’ followed by ‘Dear Lord …’”

The above article is written by Cindy Wright of Marriage Missions International.

“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints [which would include your wife]. (Ephesians 6:18)

“In order to become all she was created to be, your wife needs love, support, and encouragement from you more than anyone else on earth. The richest, most famous, beautiful, successful, talented, acclaimed, and seemingly independent woman on earth still wants to know that her husband loves and values her.

If she believes that he doesn’t, she dies inside, no matter who else is singing her praises. Your prayers, as well as your words spoken to her; can help her to know how valuable she is to you. And when she knows that you love and appreciate her, it will give her life purpose like nothing else can.” (Stormie Omartian, The Power of a Praying Husband)

Do you want to grow closer to your wife than you have ever felt either now or in the past? Pray for her. Nothing does more to minister to her needs than for you to join the Lord in praying for her. It also has the potential to draw the both of you closer together.

A great example of this is illustrated in an article written by David Clarke, which is posted on the web site for the Promise Keeper’s ministry. In it, he explains how you “tap into the power of God” when you pray for your wife.

Let’s face it, when God unites with you and your wife in agreement through prayer, as a “cord of three strands,” what greater power is there to unite and strengthen you?

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

To read this inspiring and helpful article, click onto the link below and then afterward arrow back to our web site to read, and pray through, the prayer posted below it:

•  GROWING CLOSER TO YOUR WIFE THROUGH PRAYER

We encourage you as your wife’s husband, to read through and then pray through the following prayer comes from the powerful book, The Power of a Praying Husband:

“Lord, I pray that you would establish in me and ________ bonds of love that cannot be broken. Show me how to love my wife in an ever-deepening way that she can clearly perceive. May we have mutual respect and admiration for each other so that we become and remain one another’s greatest friend, champion, and unwavering support. Where love has been diminished, lost, destroyed, or buried under hurt and disappointment, put it back in our hearts. Give us strength to hold on to the good in our marriage, even in those times when one of us doesn’t feel love.

Enable my wife and me to forgive each other quickly and completely. Specifically I lift up to You (name any area where forgiveness is needed). Help us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving.” the way You are to us (Ephesians 4:32). Teach us to overlook the faults and weaknesses of the other. Give us a sense of humor, especially as we deal with the hard issues of life.

Unite us in faith, beliefs, standards of morality, and mutual trust. Help us to be of the same mind, to move together in harmony, and to quickly come to mutual agreements about our finances, our children, how we spend our time, and any other decisions that need to be made. Where we are in disagreement and this has caused strife, I pray You would draw us together on the issues. Adjust our perspectives to align with Yours. Make our communication open and honest so that we avoid misunderstandings.

May we have the grace to be tolerant of each other’s faults and, at the same time, have the willingness to change. I pray that we will not live two separate lives, but will instead walk together as a team. Remind us to take time for one another so that our marriage will be a source of happiness, peace and joy for us both.

Lord, I pray that You would protect our marriage from anything that would destroy it. Take out of our lives anyone who would come between us or tempt us. Help us to immediately recognize and resist temptation when it presents itself. I pray that no other relationship either of us have, or have had in the past, will rob us of anything in our relationship now. Sever all unholy ties in both of our lives. May there never be any adultery or divorce in our future to destroy what You, Lord, have put together. Help us to never cast aside the whole relationship just because it has developed in a nonworking part. I pray that we will turn to You— the Designer —to fix it and get it operating the way it was intended.

Teach us to seek each other’s well-being first, as You have commanded in Your Word (1 Corinthians 10:24). We want to keep You at the center of our marriage and not expect from each other what only You can give. Where either of us have unrealistic expectations of the other, open our eyes to see it. May we never waver in our commitment and devotion to You and to one another, so that this marriage will become all You designed it to be.”

Also Read: Colossians 3:1-17

Valerie and John used to attend church together when they first married, but as the years went by, he found other things to do on Sundays and preferred to stay at home while she went alone.

This led to increasing friction between them, for while John became less and less interested in spiritual issues, Valerie found that her faith was growing and God was becoming more important to her. Their problems only got worse whenever they tried to discuss issues of significance.

One day it dawned on Valerie how much she resented and even disliked John. The more she thought about it, the more she worried as to where her feelings could lead. Wisely, she decided to talk to a church counselor, who showed her that, as far possible, she needed to understand, love, and respect her husband —despite their different priorities.

The counselor reminded Valerie that one of the great strengths of Christianity is that, with God’s help, Christians can display a tolerance and acceptance of those who irritate them. Jesus’ love is such a powerful resource that we can respond with dignity and respect —as Jesus did when he was opposed.

If there is one thing that eventually may bring John to Jesus Christ, it will be Valerie’s respect and love for him —especially when he least deserves it. However, in the meantime, Valerie needs to be patient and faithful for as long as it takes.

Suggested Prayer:

“Although I sometimes find it hard to be tolerant, Lord, help me today to appreciate the good things about my husband, and to respect his views —even if I cannot agree with them. Help me to become more like Jesus.”

A Question to Answer:

If Jesus lived in your house, how do you think he would handle your husband’s feelings about him and the church?

The above devotional thought came from the book, Praying for Your Unbelieving Husband …120 Reflections, Prayers, and Action Steps -by Michael and Diane Fanstone. Reverend Fandstone is senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Gravesend, England. He is the author of Unbelieving Husbands and the Wives Who Love Them and The Sheep That Got Away. Diane Fanstone is actively involved with her husband’s ministry. They have two children. This is their first book together. It was published by Servant Publications, PO Box 8617, Ann Arbor, MI 48107.

The Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

It then gives us a promise if we do that. It says in verse 7:

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

That’s a pretty difficult place to come to when you’re in the midst of a crisis. I know; I’ve been there! Yet when I’ve applied this principle and have prayed —especially if I’ve prayed through the scriptures, somehow God brings a peace which is hard to describe.

So how do you do that? What do you pray when you’re in a crisis and your mind is filled with anxious, racing thoughts? How do you pray through the scriptures?

I’ve found if I haven’t been able to quiet my mind enough to know how to pray and what to pray, I open the book of Psalms in the Bible. I then find a place to start and read a verse or so and pray for whatever and whomever comes to mind until I know it’s time to go on and read the next verse to do the same thing. Eventually, I find the Holy Spirit leading me through the process, bringing peace as I follow His leading in praying through the scriptures.

Sometimes I’ll just pray for a few minutes and sometimes for an hour or even several hours at a stretch. Sometimes I’ll pray through the whole evening into the morning until a sense of peace comes upon my heart and I know deep within that the Lord and I have connected somehow.

If you do this, you may find that sometimes the scripture you come across will bring to mind something else to pray for, other than the immediate crisis facing you. If that’s the case, pray for whatever comes to mind. Eventually, you’ll experience the peace God promises in the above scripture. (That’s not my promise — it’s God’s so I know it will happen!)

With that said, we’d like to lead you to an article which appears on the web site www.growthtrac.com titled, “How to Pray in the Midst of Crisis” by David Sanford. This article will lead you to pray in a specific way that you might also find helpful.

To go directly to the article:

CLICK HERE

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with bright light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This, the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down with his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s weary mind: “You’ve been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You’re never going to move it” —thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

“Why kill myself over this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that’ll be good enough.” And that’s just what he planned to do— until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord” he said, “I’ve labored long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You’ve asked. Yet, after all this time, I haven’t even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What’s wrong? Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately,

“My friend, when I asked you to serve Me— you accepted. I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength— which you’ve done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me— with your strength spent, thinking that you’ve failed. But is that really so?”

“Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscular. Your back sinew is mighty. Your hands are callused from the constant pressure;and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you’ve grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you’ve done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

At times, when we hear from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants. What God ACTUALLY wants is just simple OBEDIENCE and FAITH IN HIM. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it’s still God who moves the mountains.

P.U.S.H. = Pray Until Something Happens! When everything seems to go wrong, just P.U.S.H. … When the job gets you down, P.U.S.H. … When people don’t react the way you think they should, P.U.S.H. … When your money looks funny and the bills are due, P.U.S.H. … When people just don’t understand you, just P.U.S.H.

The next morning begins again with all sorts of things coming against you and again you realize at night that you didn’t pray. That can go on for days, weeks, months or even years. It can easily become a habit, which Satan desires because he has you right where he wants you—doing things under your strength and not the Lord’s.

“If Satan can’t get you to stop taking good care of your family altogether he’ll often help you put your foot more heavily on the accelerator so you’re racing through your day all the faster doing so many things that seem so necessary that you neglect that which is most important: encompassing your husband and family in prayer.” (Cindy Wright)

And when you actually do have your quiet time with the Lord to pray for your loved ones do you question whether prayer is really needed and does God really answer prayer? Do you question whether your prayers make a difference? Does God really care if you take the time to ask him for things that He’s probably already poised to do anyway?

So why DO we pray? It’s simply because God DOES answer prayer and He DOES care about us. Solomon’s prayer to the Lord written in the Bible in 1 King 8:28 states, “Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before you today.”

In 1 Kings 9:3 we read: “And the Lord said to him, ‘I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me.”

In John 17, Jesus prays, “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Jesus states in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches, if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” God desires intimacy with us, that we become one with Him. But this cannot be accomplished on our own, we must be willing to sacrifice our busyness and spend time with the King of Kings — not only so that we can be strengthened but also so that our husband and family will be strengthened also.

If we think our days are busy, let’s not forget to consider what our husbands’ encounter each day at work also. They’re in the “trenches” everyday. They get up early (most of them) and often have a full day of working with arrogant, selfish, self-centered people. (I’m generalizing.) They have deadlines to meet, appointments to make, perhaps driving around town, etc. With their busyness, they also have a hard time fitting in their quiet time with God.

A lot of husbands do spend time with the Lord before they go off to work, but many do not. We need to intercede for them because “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We must “stand before God in the gap on their (our husband’s) behalf” (Ezekiel 22:30) so that our prayers and supplications will be answered by our Father in heaven.

The enemy is all around us in subtle ways. We see that in the television shows which take up precious quality time between a husband and a wife. Movies, sports, sitcoms, reality shows, talk shows, news, anything and everything is available on television today—not to even mention how much more is available on the Internet—just a “click” away at any moment. It’s a subtle way the enemy uses to separate us not only from each other, but also from time with the Lord.

Another obstacle, which the enemy has so conveniently worded as “providing for my family”—is the problem of working more than necessary. In today’s work world, there’s so much pressure in deciding how many hours is really necessary to work each week. Men, especially, can so easily be lured into this trap because they seem to almost be pre-disposed to draw their identity from what they do and who they are when they’re at work. So they take on extra hours because they either feel pressure to do so from the organization they work for or from within themselves.

Is this necessary? Sometimes, perhaps, but more often than not, it’s the man wanting an escape from home or feeling a need to get praise from others. Men today work in what can be referred to as a “war zone.” And frankly, these men don’t want to come home to another “war zone.” They’ve already spent 8-10 hours in the “trenches.” What they want and feel they need is a peaceful atmosphere to come home to.

How are we able to help our husbands? It’s not by nagging, criticizing or talking. It’s mostly by praying for them as they need us to. In 1 Kings 9:49 it states, “then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.” We need to pray for our husbands as it says in 2 Chronicles 14:11.

“Then Asa (wives) called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you, to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on You and in Your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You… Then verse 12 states, “The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah.”

God heard their prayer and struck down the enemy. God answers prayer. And because of this we can boldly ask God to strike down the enemy in our husband’s lives also. Whether it’s asking God to defeat the enemy of non-belief, busyness, working too long and too hard, temptations at work, or anything else, we have the right and authority, as His children, because of Jesus Christ to “ask anything in His name and He will hear our prayers” (John 16).

The enemy wants to use anything he can to be a stumbling block between God and man (and a man and his wife). He wants us to give up on prayer. He doesn’t like it that we can go directly to the Father in heaven through Jesus Christ to ask intercession for our husbands. As a prayer warrior in God’s army, we can ask God to remove those stumbling blocks placed before our husbands and us and help us to be conformed to God’s image.

We can pray from Bible verses for our husbands. Psalm 91:9-16 is a good example of asking God to protect us and our husbands (and children) from the enemy. It states, “If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the Lord, who is my refuge —then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him with long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”

Prayer is so important; I sometimes think we forget how important it is. That is why I want to share with you how God has helped me with my prayer time.

In 1988, my husband and I took a Sunday School Class for adults. In this class, we were told how to pray for our spouses and families. The teacher said to get a 3-ring binder, notebook paper, and dividers. Use the dividers to write down the names of those you will be praying for. Then, put down your prayer requests as you pray for them. I have been praying for my family in this way ever since. I believe you, too, will be rewarded when you start praying with this type of prayer journal.

First, it is important to know some facts about prayer before we continue speaking on the prayer journal.

• Prayer is simply conversation with God—the interaction of the soul with God—not just in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to Him.

• Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, tossed up as an arrow prayer or formal. It is “beseeching the Lord” (Exodus 32:11); “pouring out the soul before the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:15); “praying and crying to heaven” (2 Chronicles 32:20); seeking unto God and making supplication” (Job 8:5); “drawing near to God” (Psalm 73:28); “bowing the knees” (Ephesians 3:14).

• Prayer accepts the belief in the personality of God, His ability and willingness to hold interaction with us; His personal control of all things and all His creatures and their actions.

• Our prayer must be sincere, offered with reverence with a humble sense of our own insignificance and our own unworthiness as sinners.

• We must come to him in total submission to His divine will.

• Prayer must also be offered in the faith that God hears our prayers and answers them according to His will. We shouldn’t pray that our husband changes, rather that God give us grace, peace of mind and to help our attitude to change. In other words, again conform us to Your image, Lord.

This prayer journal will have significant influence on you and your husband and your marriage. It is a legacy for him and for your children. You can show your husband the prayer requests that God had put on your heart as well as answered prayers. You can also have a time of sharing the Bible verses that God revealed to you.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not trying to change your husband into whom YOU’D like him to be, rather you’re lifting him up to our heavenly Father, asking Him to reveal to you what God wants you to pray. It is important to pray God’s will, as He knows what the future holds, we do not.

Remember, God is omniscient — all knowing. Matthew 6:8 says, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” and my favorite is Psalm 139:1-4 where David acknowledges God is all knowing. He says, “O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. God is AWESOME.”

These Bible Truths are important for us in our prayer journaling:

• THE PLACE FOR PRAYER — “EVERYWHERE.” 1 Timothy 2:8 says, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” Jonah 2:1, “From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.”

• THE TIME FOR PRAYER— “ALWAYS.” Luke 18:1 says, “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Verse 7 says, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?”

• SUBJECTS FOR PRAYER — “EVERYTHING.” Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

• ANSWERS TO PRAYER — “ALL THINGS.” 1 Chronicles 5:20 says, “They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to Him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted Him.” Jonah 2:2 says, “In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and You listened to my cry.”

As I stated previously our prayers should be specific. Moses had specific prayers. Joshua did; Ruth asked the Lord to glean and gather among the sheaves (Ruth 2:7). Samuel, Elisha and Elijah, David, and throughout the Old and New Testaments we see specific prayers to the Lord.

Make it a point to be alone with God while praying in this manner. Jesus went out to be alone. Moses was alone; and there are more examples in the Bible. We need to try to get away from distractions.

WHEN YOU’RE ALONE AND CAN SPEND TIME WITH HIM PRAY THE FOLLOWING WAY: A.C.T.S. Adore, Confess, Thanksgiving, Supplication. This has helped me to stay focused on God—to honor Him, to be clean before Him; to thank Him for His faithfulness and to request my supplications to Him.

PRAYING THE ACTS WAY:

ADORATION: Adore and praise God, not only for answered prayer, but also for who He is. You can use Bible verses to praise His name. Nehemiah 9:5b-7 says, “Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is in them. You give life to everything and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”

CONFESS: Confess your sins before Him. Timothy 2:8 says, “So I want men everywhere to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin and anger and resentment.” Psalm 32:6 says, “Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 and 15 says, “If my people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”

THANKSGIVING: Thank Him for all he has done for you. Be specific. Psalm 95:2 says, “Let us come before Him with thanksgiving.” It also says in Ephesians chapter 1, “I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for your constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that He has done for you. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future He has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because of we who are Christ’s have been given to him: I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him.”

SUPPLICATION: Pray to Him—let Him know your requests. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” 1 Timothy 2:2 says, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for every one…”

PRAYER NOTEBOOK:
Try to find a specific place and time to pray when you use your prayer notebook. I pray on Monday mornings every week. Sometimes more, but I pray for my husband daily no matter what. Psalm 5:3 says, “Each morning I will look to you in heaven and lay my requests before you, praying earnestly.”

This is the only thing in my life that I have been disciplined with. I’m not a very disciplined person. (Just ask my husband.) I usually just “go with the flow”, but God has shown me how important this prayer notebook is. I’m now on my second prayer notebook and should start a third soon. I also use the same Bible when I pray, so I can write answers to prayers or Bible verses God has shown me to pray.

Then I cross-reference it to my prayer notebook. Your prayer time can take as long or as short as you want. It’s your time alone with the Lord. Listen to the Spirit and be obedient to Him. If for a season you can only spend 10 minutes with the Lord then start with that. God will show you if he wants you to spend more time with Him.

This prayer journal is your legacy to your husband and children. God instilled on my heart how important this is to our family. He had me give these notebooks to my family the Christmas of 2002. I made them into books for each person in my family. My husband’s book was 50 pages of prayer requests, answered prayer and Bible verses. I added pictures with his favorite scripture verses. I then had it bound.

I did the same for our 3 children. It was made the same way as my husband using pictures and Bible verses they liked. This is an irreplaceable treasure for our loved ones. It is a treasure especially for our husbands. It tells them how much we love them. We’re all busy, yet when we take the time to be alone with the Lord, we’re so greatly rewarded, as are those whom we’re praying for.

In looking back over the years of my prayer journaling, I’ve found so many answers to prayer. Some were to my liking and some were not, but I know God, who is faithful, answered the according to His will. Through our quiet times, as we pray to God and draw closer to Him, we also learn to trust Him completely with everything. God does indeed answer our prayers. He is concerned with our everyday lives. He loves us unconditionally and forever.

I pray you will live according to Colossians 4:2 which states:
“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Have you ever been so mad at your husband that the last thing you wanted to do was pray for him? So have I. It’s hard to pray for someone when you’re angry or he’s hurt you. But that’s exactly what God wants us to do. If He asks us to pray for our enemies, how much more should we be praying for the person with whom we have become one and are supposed to love? But how do we get past the unforgiveness and critical attitude?

The first thing to do is be completely honest with God. In order to break down the walls in our hearts and smash the barriers that stop communication, we have to be totally up front with the Lord about our feelings. We don’t have to “pretty it up” for Him. He already knows the truth. He just wants to see if we’re willing to admit it and confess it as disobedience to His ways. If so, He then has a heart with which He can work.

If you’re angry at your husband, tell God. Don’t let it become a cancer that grows with each passing day. Don’t say, “I’m going to live my life and let him live his.” There’s a price to pay when we act entirely independently of one another. “Neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11). Instead say,

“Lord, nothing in me wants to pray for this man. I confess my anger, hurt, unforgiveness, disappointment, resentment, and hardness of heart toward him. Forgive me and create in me a clean heart and right spirit before You. Give me a new, positive, joyful, loving, forgiving attitude toward him. Where he has erred, reveal it to him and convict his heart about it. Lead him through the paths of repentance and deliverance. Help me not to hold myself apart from him emotionally, mentally, or physically because of unforgiveness.

Where either of us needs to ask forgiveness of the other, help us to do so. If there is something I’m not seeing that’s adding to this problem, reveal it to me and help me to understand it. Remove any wedge of confusion that has created misunderstanding or miscommunication. Where there is behavior that needs to change in either of us, I pray You would enable that change to happen. As much as I want to hang on to my anger toward him because I feel it’s justified, I want to do what You want. I release all those feelings to You. Give me a renewed sense of love for him and words to heal this situation.”

If you feel you’re able, try this little experiment and see what happens. Pray for your husband every day for a month using each one of the 30 areas of prayer I’ve included in this book. Pray a chapter a day. Ask God to pour out His blessings on him and fill you both with His love. See if your heart doesn’t soften toward him. Notice if his attitude toward you doesn’t change as well. Observe whether your relationship isn’t running more smoothly.

If you have trouble making that kind of prayer commitment, think of it from the Lord’s perspective. Seeing your husband through God’s eyes—not just as your husband, but as God’s child, a son whom the Lord loves—can be a great revelation. If someone called and asked you to pray for his or her son, you would do it, wouldn’t you? Well, God is asking.

There is a time for everything, it says in the Bible. and it ’s never more true than in marriage, especially when it comes to the words we say. There is a time to speak and a time not to speak, and happy is the man whose wife can discern between the two. Anyone who has been married for any length of time realizes that there are things that are better left unsaid.

A wife has the ability to hurt her husband more deeply than anyone else can, and he can do the same to her. No matter how much apology, the words can not be erased. They can only be forgiven and that’s not always easy. Sometimes anything we say will only hinder the flow of what God wants to do, so it’s best to, well, shut up and pray.

Father, we come to You as children who aren’t very good
at this prayer thing
We feel awkward, self-conscious, and inadequate
to talk to You aloud together.
So we ask You: Please teach us to pray!
Help us to open our hearts to You and each other.
Give us grace to be honest and transparent.
Dissolve our fears and insecurities with Your love.
Most of all,help us get our focus off of ourselves
and onto You when we pray.
Show us Scriptures we can pray back to You
so we’ll be praying in Your will.
And help us make prayer a natural part of our lives
like eating, breathing, and talking.
Amen.

When Charlie Shedd, beloved Christian author and his wife, Martha, were a newly married couple — one of the first lessons they learned was that there are some things you just can’t express in words.

Charlie was studying to be a pastor, and he knew how important prayer and God’s word were for the spiritual bonding he and his young wife desired. But in their first times of prayer together, Martha said that she was afraid that what she said to God would embarrass Charlie.

Charlie understood why she might feel that way. As a seminary student, he was articulate, whether speaking to a group or telling God his thoughts. He sensed that Martha was more than a little intimidated by his verbal skills. So instead of praying aloud, they decided to take a different approach —they began to ask each other about their biggest concerns, listen as each shared, and then pray about them together silently.

Charlie might say, “I’m worried about where our money is going to come from.” Martha might add, “I’m worried about our child.” Charlie might admit, “I’m concerned that I’ve been difficult to live with lately.” Once they had expressed their concerns, they would hold hands and pray silently for the other person, and then pray the Lord’s Prayer together or read Psalm 23 aloud together.

Real life gave this couple many opportunities to join together and pray—when they had a problem they couldn’t solve, whey they were angry with each other, when they faced financial stresses, or when Charlie wanted to go one direction and Martha wanted to go another.

Another thing that helped their prayer life and brought a closer spiritual bond was their weekly drive. Almost every week, Charlie and Martha would leave the kids with their grandparents or a sitter for an hour or two so they could take a drive together. They’d take along a Bible, and the spouse who wasn’t driving would read aloud from a passage they were studying. Then they would talk, share prayer concerns, and pray silently.

They found other ways to share God’s Word together. Sometimes they chose one verse of the bible as their verse for the day and “wrote it on their hearts” in the morning. That night before going to bed, they told each other what their verse was and what it meant to them. In forty-eight years of marriage they read through the Bible twenty-two times, discussing their questions and insights along the way.

As the Shedds grew in their marriage and in Christ, Martha’s self-consciousness gradually melted away, and they were able to pray aloud together. Like all of us, at times they had needs that they didn’t know how to verbalize—so they would go back to praying together silently. But whether praying aloud or silently, they treasured their prayer times together and the “soul harmony” that resulted.

Couples around them were so struck by the happiness in the Shedds’ marriage that they asked if Charlie and Martha could help them deal with their problems and develop better marriages. And so began their marriage ministry, which eventually blessed thousands and thousands of families around the world.

The above thoughts came from the book, “When Couples Pray“…The Little Known Secret to Lifelong happiness in Marriage -by Cheri Fuller. Cheri is an inspirational speaker and the author of more than twenty-five books, including bestselling When Mothers Pray, and When Families Pray. She is a contributing editor for Today’s Christian Woman and writes regularly for Focus on the Family magazine. This book was published by Multnomah Publishers www.multnomahbooks.com.

Something that should inspire us from what Cheri says is: “The reality is that half of all marriages today end in divorce, both for Christians and non-Christians. Studies show that simply attending church does not guarantee a happy marriage or divorce-proof a relationship. However, couples who pray together regularly report enjoying the most satisfying marriages of all — and the divorce rate for praying couples is less than 1 percent!” This should give us all the more incentive to bond together as a family unit in prayer.

“Dearest sister of perseverance and patience, may you find the strength to wait. Whether you are waiting for resolutions to annoying small things, stressful important issues, or the anxiety-laden challenges of life, know that your own personal courage and endurance will carry you through and that God will give you wings to soar above the storm” (Ginnie Mesibov). 

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:13-14).

The LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! (Isaiah 30:18)

For those of you who are going through a time of waiting for answers that are delayed for some reason there are guidelines listed below written by someone who God has inspired to help and comfort you. The Bible says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can COMFORT THOSE IN ANY TROUBLE WITH THE COMFORT WE OURSELVES HAVE RECEIVED FROM GOD” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

That’s what we see Ginnie Mesibov doing in her book, “Outer Strength, Inner Strength.” In it she gives us some great tips on waiting that she “learned through” as she and her husband went through several times of having to wait for important life-changing answers in their lives.

The following is a “program” she eventually developed that helped get them through the waiting times she and her husband encountered that you could also benefit from as you apply these principles while you are in those “waiting room” periods of life.

As Ginnie said: I called my program, “What to Do While Waiting Instead of Worrying.” Here’s what I tried to do:

• Focus out. It was natural for me to focus inward. Sometimes I was so preoccupied with my problems that I didn’t hear what someone was saying to me. Listening became a conscious effort. I also became distracted when working. Consequently, I forced myself to become absorbed in my job.

• Breathe. Several times a day, I stopped what I was doing and breathed deeply from my diaphragm. I slowly inhaled through my nose to the count of four and exhaled through my mouth to the count of eight. The last four count of breathing out emptied my body of stress.

• Relax. In the evening, I found a comfortable spot and lay on my back. I tightened—and then released —each group of muscles one by one, starting with my facial muscles and working down through my neck, arms, back, stomach, thighs, calves, and ending with my feet. This progressive exercise released any tension from each set of muscles.

• Take it one day at a time. I tried to live in the present and reminded myself that I can get through this day—or this morning—or this moment. Why should I borrow trouble from either the past of the future? I focused on today.

• Increase physical exercise. I increased my morning exercise time by doing a few more limbering stretches. When I went to the gym, I took a brisk walk on the treadmill and made my feet skip for 40 minutes instead of the usual 30.

• Get immersed in a good book. There’s nothing like the loves and hates and the tragedies and triumphs of a revered but flawed heroine to take one’s mind off one’s problems. My favorite novels are filled with gems of wisdom:

“As long as things happen to you, you’ll be all right… You’re strong enough to take them, and you’ll learn … no matter how dreadful things may see … what does happen to you penetrates… It goes into you, and if there are for you to make use of when you’re ready for it” (from: Madeleine L’Engle, The Small Rain).

• Do happy or special things . Fine art nourishes my soul. So, Harold and I went to an exhibit of landscapes and seascapes by nineteenth century artists who were brilliantly skilled at putting the majesty of nature on canvas. It was an exhilarating experience.

• Be positive. I tried to make the best interpretation of my situation. For example, most of my symptoms had stabilized. It wasn’t inevitable that they would increase over time. And, Harold had had arterial surgery before (quadruple bypass) and survived, showing he has good recuperative powers. There was every reason to hope for a good outcome.

• I thanked God every morning for my blessings. I had a loving husband and a delightful dog and everything I needed. As a woman of faith, I was fortified by the promise of the prophet Isaiah: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, KJV).

• Don’t put life on hold. I found myself saying, “Let’s not make a date to invite so-and-so to dinner,” or, “Let’s not go here,” or “Let’s not go there,” until we knew my test results or had talked to the doctor. This only made the waiting period more depressing. I decided instead to do what I wanted to do when I could do it.

• Don’t over-schedule. Since I decided not to put my life on hold, I was tempted to frantically do all the things I wanted to do before something terrible happened. Once I was worn to a frazzle, I realized that this wasn’t good either. I now strive for balance.

• Control highs and lows. Five months after my initial MRI, I had a follow-up MRI that revealed no tumor growth. I was elated! But two weeks later, I received another report. “Your brain wave tests are worse. They indicate early tumor growth.” I crashed. I concluded I had to control all my reactions —highs and lows —and strive to be emotionally even. Now, when I receive good news, I am simply grateful; when I receive bad news, I look at the whole picture and realize it isn’t totally grim.

• Try not to be angry. When I crashed, I was angry in addition to being depressed. I yelled at God, “Why do I have this tumor? Take it away.” After continuously sobbing and stomping around the house in a rage for a couple of days, I realized I was wasting a lot of energy. Throwing a fit didn’t help anything. It just made me more furious. So, I try to check my emotions when I start getting mad. As with dealing with bad news, I look at the big picture and see there’s nothing about which to get angry.

• Be aware of self-pity. It’s easy to feel sorry for myself. There are no two words that can get me down in the dumps more than “Why me?” When I first told a relative about my brain tumor, she said from the kindness of her heart, “It’s not fair,” But that’s not an appropriate attitude. It’s not positive and can make me feel like a victim and stimulate the angry feelings I am trying not to have.

• Enjoy nature. Whenever I need a lift, I head for the Jersey shore. I stroll on the beach and take deep breaths of refreshing salt air, carefully stepping over beautifully shaped seashells that grace the sand. I splash in the ocean, or in cooler weather, sit at the surf’s edge and watch the waves gently caress the shoreline and the elegant seagulls with their white breasts and pearl gray feathers glide through the air. God’s creation nourishes my soul.

• Be grateful. If anyone should be grateful, it is me. There are so many people with problems much worse than mine. I am thankful that my Acourstic Neuroma is small and benign. As tumors go, it’s a good one to have.

• Read or sing a song every day. Some of the tunes from musicals are inspiring such as “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music. We can climb every mountain, and we can forge every stream. I also enjoy the old hymns. A favorite of mine is, “How Firm a Foundation:”

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my gracious omnipotent hand.

• Laugh. Man is the only animal who can have a real belly laugh. Laughing is beneficial; it’s good for the lungs, diaphragm, digestion, blood pressure, and immune system. It helps to put a humorous spin on a serious situation. The brain tumor I have is small, so I call it a “tumorette.” I can deal with a tumorette.

• Watch that diet! I really made myself sick during one particularly stressful waiting period, gorging myself with huge amounts of ice cream, pretzels, and cake. Then I became weak because I couldn’t keep anything in my stomach. All that comfort food didn’t help. I ended up finding comfort in Pepto-Bismol and Imodium! That wasn’t smart behavior. The best diet is three square meals a day with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. And go easy on the snacks. I need strength to cope with waiting.

• Research the problem. Researching acoustic neuromas gives me valuable information. Through the Internet, and not from my doctor, I learned that radiation, rather than surgery, is an option I have should I need treatment. Radiation has fewer side effects than surgery. I also learn how other patients deal with their tumors and the treatments they choose.

• Practice objectivity. This is difficult when the tumor is in your own head. But the information I get from researching acoustic neuromas helps me look at my problems more objectively. I am able to look at my situation at a distance, which lessens my emotional involvement and therefore reduces stress.

• Accept life as it comes. I have never accepted negative things very well. I always tended to think, “Bad things should not happen.” Not to me. Not to my husband. Not to my dog. Not to my friends. Not to anybody. They should not happen.” That was not realistic. I finally said to myself, “Ginnie, grow up.” It is a sign of maturity to accept what happens to us. Life is difficult. It’s not easy. Bad things do happen. They happen to everybody. But Romans 8:28 is true: “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”

The more I accept what comes into my life as being there with God’s permission, the less angry, full of self-pity, and frightened I am and the more peaceful and contended I am during my waiting periods.

• Meditate. I set aside a certain time each day to quiet myself, meditate, and pray. Doing this always calms my soul. One time when I was particularly upset and wondering what was going to happen to me, I thought of one of God’s promises: “I know the plans I have for you… plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Dear courageous sister, things will—or have already have —come into your life that are hard to bear. Waiting for information or solutions can cause stress. But knowing that God cares for us and promises hope and a future makes our waiting periods tolerable. During these times, we grow. Our confidence in our own strength increases, as does our trust in our Heavenly Father who works all things out for our good.

To read another message by Ginnie or to obtain the book this article came from or to contact Ginnie Mesibov herself, you can go to her web site at www.outerstrengthinnerstrength.com.

• WHEN LIFE IS ON HOLD

To read scriptures on the subject of waiting, please click onto the link below:

• WAITING UPON GOD