Congratulations you have completed one third of the book and you are still faithfully praying! Whether you are praying for one topic per week or praying for all of them, I commend you for your faithfulness. Don't forget to pray for some of the couples on the list. Remember this is not just about praying for your own marriage but for each others as well.

For a man his identity is tied to his work.  What he does and how he provides for his family is part of who he is. When introducing himself he says something like this, " Hello my name is Brian and I am the pastor of OTCF."  Our husbands are known as a policeman, plumber, pastor, fill in the blank. So this week we are praying for our husband's job. Elizabeth suggests using Colossians 3:17 "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." We are praying that our husbands would find purpose in what they do and that they would be led by God in their employment choices. We pray that how they perform at work will be a testimony to their boss and co-workers. 

This week we are praying for wisdom for our husbands. Elizabeth suggests praying Proverbs 16:23 or 2 Chronicles 1:9-10. I believe it would be wise (pardon the pun) to pray these verses for yourself as well. She defines wisdom as "the ability to think clearly and make good decisions even in the midst of difficult situations and emergencies". Who doesn't need this?  
Thankfully God promises to give us generous amounts of wisdom when we ask, see James 1:5. So pray that your husband will fear the Lord (Proverbs 9:10), walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), and desire wisdom (Proverbs 3:13-14). 

Elizabeth also gives a couple practical things you can do as a wife: worship with your husband, spend time in the Word with your husband, pray for a spiritual mentor for your husband. I would add be encouraging and supportive, not belittling or second guessing every decision he makes. You want him to be the spiritual leader of your family so be his helper not his mom! Most importantly keep on praying.  

This week we are praying for our husbands in their role as dads. Chapter three is one of the most important chapters in this book for those husbands who are dads or will be some day. Even if your children are grown it is important that men continue in their role as shepherd of their family. On page 54 Elizabeth shows us how to pray 1 Peter 5:2-3 by inserting the name of our spouse. "Heavenly Father, I come before You now to pray for _______ , the father of my children. I pray for _________ to see himself as the shepherd of the flock You have placed in his life - our children. Give ________  Your love and wisdom as he leads as a loving shepherd of our flock, not as a lord over them, and not because he has to, but willingly and joyfully. May  _________ set a godly example in our family. Amen."  Also Ephesians 6:4 "Help ________ to train and teach his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Enable him to do this without provoking them to anger."

We are praying specifically for our husbands to lead, protect, endure hardships, provide, and sacrifice for his family. Look at John 10 & I Peter 5 to see what a good shepherd does. Your role as his wife is to support him in his parenting. This will look different depending on your family dynamics and stage of life.  Remember you are a team ! Lean on each other, encourage each other, and most importantly PRAY!

This week we are reading chapter two and praying for our marriage. Based on 1 Peter 3:7, "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered." We are praying about five specific areas of your relationship with your husband. 

1. Pray for your husband's physical relationship with you - that he would want to "dwell" with you, that he would want to spend time with you. 2. Pray for your husband's intellectual relationship with you - that he would "dwell with you with understanding", that he would be sensitive to your challenges, burdens, fears, hopes and dreams. 3. Pray for husband's emotional relationship with you - "giving honor to the wife", that he would respect your thoughts and feelings, that he would not neglect you. 4. Pray for your husband's spiritual relationship with you - that he would acknowledge that you are "heirs together of the grace of life", you are a team encouraging, exhorting, and comforting one another. 5. Pray for your husband's priestly relationship with you - that he would take his role as the servant- leader of the home seriously. 

On page 34 she shows how to pray the verse by putting your husband's name in. You can also use Ephesians 5:25-31 to pray over these specific areas in your marriage. I am continuing to pray for each of you that you would not grow weary in the battle. I'm sure some of you have already experienced the fiery darts of the enemy. Be encouraged, that only means your prayers are making him nervous! 

This week read chapter one and pray for your husband's spiritual growth. Specifically pray that your husband will grow in the knowledge of God's will, that he will please God and that he would be strengthened by God. Elizabeth George suggests you pray Colossians 1:9-11, "We also...do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy." 
Know that I am praying for you, that God would give you the desire to pray for your husband every day. That the Holy Spirit would prompt you to go before the throne of God for your husband, your marriage, and your family. 

As you begin this journey, know that I am praying for you this week. Not only that God would teach us to pray but that He would place the desire in our hearts to be prayer warriors for our husbands. Psalm 37:4 tells us to "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". I am praying that as you spend time in God's presence that He will give you a passion for prayer, that you would determine in your heart to pray for your husband and your marriage like never before. Understand that as you take on this role, your enemy the devil will attack you. Continue praying. Every morning put on the full armor of God so you will be able to stand. (Ephesians 6) Elizabeth encourages us to "embrace your role as a prayer warrior. It's vital that you see yourself as a soldier doing battle when you pray for your beloved husband". These next few weeks will not be easy but worth it. Remember we are doing this together, we are praying for each other. The Holy Spirit  himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words and Almighty God is ready to move! 

Lord, teach us to pray.....

I am so excited that you are joining me in praying for our husbands. I am expecting God to do great things in our marriages over the next few weeks! Since some of you are still waiting for your book to arrive, let's read "Answering God's Call to Pray" this week and we will begin chapter one next week. (August 21st) Please let me know if you are participating so I can pray alongside you for your husband. If you are just hearing about this now, the book we are using is 15 Verses to Pray For Your Husband by Elizabeth George. 

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer and its importance. We are told "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6 ESV). Many of us have experienced struggles in our marriages and instead of turning to God for help we worry, or complain to our friends. We hope that things will get better but get discouraged when they don't. Our enemy wants to destroy our marriage, family and testimony. Don't let him destroy yours.  God has given us a powerful tool that we don't use enough. That tool is prayer! 

I am inviting all wives to join me in praying for our husbands. I will be using the book, 15 Verses to Pray For Your Husband by Elizabeth George. I encourage you to buy a copy and follow along with me. Each week I will post a specific area of our husband's life to pray over. Let me know ([email protected]) if you are participating in this and we can pray for each other's husband. "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results" (James 5:16 NLT). 

Psalm 27:4 "One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."      

David asks God for one thing, to dwell in His presence. He doesn't ask for riches or fame or power but to be allowed to dwell, to enter into His presence and to remain there, to be able to have a close, intimate relationship with God. David loved God and He loved being with Him. He was taken with the beauty and majesty of Almighty God. 

This phrase, "one thing" should bring to remembrance a passage in Luke 10, where we have the story of Mary and Martha. They were sisters and friends of Jesus. One day He enters their village and goes to Martha's house. Beginning in verse 38 we read, "Jesus entered a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to Him and said, "Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." Mary chooses the one thing, the one good thing, the one thing that is necessary and that is to sit in the presence of the Lord, to sit at the feet of Jesus and take in what He is saying, to listen to His teaching, to hear the Word of God. 

Those of us that are older can remember a book called Having a Mary's Heart in a Martha's World. In this book women were divided into two groups, you were either a Mary or a Martha. Many women fall into the Martha group. She is a woman of action, a doer, she gets things done. If you want to have a food drive for the homeless...put a Martha in charge. Need someone to plan an event? Find a Martha. We see her in this story busy preparing for Jesus. She is cooking and cleaning and she is irritated with her sister who she sees as being lazy. Martha is serving which is commendable but she taken her focus from Jesus and instead is distracted by many things including her sister who isn't serving in the way Martha thinks she should. Mary is focused on Jesus, His presence and His teaching. She has focused on the one thing, she has chosen the good portion that will not be taken from her. The time that you and I spend in the presence of God, listening to Him, reading His Word, hearing His teachings, gazing upon His majesty, talking with Him, will not be wasted. 

Both David and Mary pursued the presence of God, they realized that the one thing is really the only thing that matters. Have we realized that or are we busy serving? Don't get me wrong serving is important, in fact the Bible is clear that Christians should be serving, but we also need to be fed. Servants need to sit at the feet of Jesus to be fed, encouraged, empowered, and filled up with Him. Otherwise we will be like Martha who was distracted by her service and anxious about many things.

Jesus said "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest."  Rest.  What does that little word mean to you?  A nap, a moment to yourself, a full nights sleep?  As women we are uncomfortable with rest, we are doers.  We don't have time to rest because we carry everyone else's burdens.  There is always too much to do and not enough time to get it all done!  Society tells us we have to do it all.  Have a career, a family, a ministry , "quiet time", date nights with your hubby.  Don't forget being your child's taxi,make time to go to the gym and volunteer for every school event.  Throw in home cooked meals, laundry, diapers....The list is endless!  

Martha fell into this trap.  You are familiar with the story.  Jesus comes to visit and Martha is busy with preparations while her sister Mary is sitting on her butt! (my interpretation) Martha is worried/concerned/bothered by many things.  She is on the hamster wheel running as fast as she can.  She is cooking and cleaning for company, and not just any company but God Himself.  Mary, on the other hand, is concerned with only one "thing", sitting at the feet of Jesus.  He has her full attention.  She is listening to Him, spending time with Him.  Now there is nothing wrong with serving others.  " ...but only a few things are necessary, really only one and Mary has chosen the good part..."  

So have you unplugged today from all your distractions?  Jesus wants you to sit at His feet, listen to His word and spend time with Him.  This needs to be at the top of your to-do list today and every day.