Devotion – d1894e3047.nxcli.net

Every pious Christian knows that prayer is an integral aspect of Christianity. Most of us are taught early on that prayer, in its simplest form, is just talking to God. As absolutely true as this is, I want to avoid approaching prayer too lightly. Prayer is a threshold. It is a conference table that we can initiate on-demand. And, our Father is instantaneously there in our midst.

“The family that prays together stays together” is an adage that most of have grown up with. Trite sayings abound on the issue, but I hope to unveil what happens in that secret place. Many of us entered into marriage with an understanding that it is a sacred covenant with God and each other.

What happens when couples pray together is that you, as a couple, are combining your will to align with His will. You invite Him into the day-to-day of your lives and seek His counsel—and fellowship. Together.

What unfolds in this holy conference is beautiful:

1. God’s will becomes clearer. On many occasions, my wife and I approach the Throne of grace together, but confused. Unsure of what to make of the situation, we go to Him and ask Him to intervene or show us what steps to take. In those moments where we do not know whether to turn left or right, the answer, sometimes even extremely practical, becomes abundantly clear to one or both of us and we come away with the peace that transcends understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

2. We begin to see things from God’s perspective. As the two of us submit our wills to His, our aim is that our will conforms to His will. Romans 12:2 talks about this process of conforming our will to His: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” When we come to Him with hungry hearts and humble submission, we see from His perspective! The goal is to be conformed into Christ’s image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

3. We’re unified in marriage. Praying as a couple joins us together. Nothing is more attractive to me than to see my wife on her knees, crying out to the Lord to intervene, to bless, to guide, or be present. When we see one another pray, we take one another’s heart cries as our own and contend for them together.

4. We prioritize correctly. When we enter into the secret place as a couple, we catch a glimpse of the fullness of Who He is. Everything comes into proper alignment when a husband and wife engage with the King of the universe. We are able to order our lives in agreement with God’s grandness and our reliance on His power.

5. We are bonded together with a purer bond. As we press more deeply into Him, we together witness the remarkable, unfolding saga of God’s faithfulness to our family in every season. Journal His workings as your family’s stories for generations to read! Also, simply hearing your spouse cry out to the Lord is one of the most beautiful insights into your spouse’s heart and needs.

6. We access Heaven’s resources. Jesus told us that we could ask anything in His name. (John 14:14) When a couple is devoted to Christ, there are no limits to what God avails to two burning hearts, united in love for Christ and one another. The power of agreement (Matthew 18:19) is an unstoppable weapon!

Heaven is eager to act on your behalf. Amazing things await you when you pray together!

3 Areas My Wife Needs Me to do Better In

It’s only April and that means that there are eight months ahead of us that are packed with promise! There’s still time to be creative and aggressive in my pursuit of Christ, and my role as a husband and father. On the downside, I still find myself looking back and cringing on some things that didn’t work for me as a husband. Some of 2014’s battles are still smoldering. There’s still time to cringe and wince in pain over what didn’t work out so well.

I’m not advocating living in the past, and yet, a crucial element of our faith depends upon gaining understanding from our missteps and pitfalls as we press ahead in Christ. We count the cost. Jesus said in Luke 14:28, “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”

I may not be building a tower, but my marriage is a monument to God and His love towards His Bride, so it merits careful and continuous reflection.

On that note, here are three things that backfired for me as a husband in 2014:

I became way too busy. I said “yes” when I should have said “no.” I charged ahead on projects that I should have waited on. I got distracted by people, events, and circumstances. Here’s a freebie, husbands: if your wife says “I miss you” multiple times in one week, and you are coming home to her every day, then chances are that you’re still not there, not really “present”.
I allowed other things to define me. I know who I am in Christ! Deep down inside, I walk with my head held high and my eyes on the prize….except when I don’t. When I let my job, circumstances, or bad days tell me who I am, then I begin to base who I believe myself to be off of circumstances. It’s okay to have a bad day, husbands, but if we really claim that “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul,” (Hebrews 6:19) then, even if we get bruises, we have to rise up and believe in who our Daddy is and who He says we are.
I didn’t cover my wife as her spiritual covering as much as I needed to. The concept of husbands covering their wives is in the Bible. Ephesians 5:25-26 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” This covering isn’t smothering. It’s protecting.I cringe as I think about things that my wife told me that really called for me to drop what I was doing and fight for her. (I want to slap myself upside the head when I think back on how impatient I was with my wife when she and the kids all had the flu. I was the lone survivor. This was prime time for me to rise to the occasion and serve my family without complaining, and instead demonstrate patience and compassion through support and servant hood!)

This list may have given the impression that I am beating myself up, but I’m not, I’m taking inventory. As a husband, I’m required to also be a steward. I’m taking care of a daughter of the King of Kings! And yes, although He’s extremely patient, it’s still my job to do well. He commissioned her to respect me, in spite of myself, and has commissioned me to love and honor her, in spite of my shortcomings.
Question: Husbands, what areas didn’t work out for you in 2014?
Challenge: Ask the Lord to show you what your wife needs from you this year. Champion her cause and be the man of her dreams and God’s choice for your marriage!

All Scriptures taken from New American Standard Bible