I really will get to sharing about our time with my family and the birthday celebrations that took place in the Pichura Home the last couple of weeks...but, until then, I thought I would share with you my prayer for my husband today...a prayer that I probably wouldn't have prayed had it not been for the fact that it was already written down in "The Prayers of and Excellent Wife" (see blog post from yesterday).
Let me type it up for you and then I'll explain:
"O Lord God of heaven,
The great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, to hear the prayer of Your servant that I know pray before you day and night for my husband. Grant him continual patience and forbearance to live with me, a wicked wife. For I have sinned against You; I have acted very corruptly against You by forsaking my duty to help my husband lead our home in righteousness and the fear of You; I have not kept Your commandments, Your statues, or the rules that You commanded Your servant Moses.
Give him boldness and wisdom to rebuke and exhort me when I am unfaithful to Your Word, when I neglect prayer, fail to redeem the time, speak carelessly, walk foolishly, fail to hope in You, seek great things for myself, become anxious about tomorrow. Do not let him cease praying for me when I am beset with the fear of man, the cares of the world, or the love of money. May he never lose confidence that , in spite of my many iniquities and shortcomings, I am Your servant whom You have redeemed by Your great power and by Your strong hand.
O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayers of my husband who delights to fear Your name, and give success to him today, and grant him mercy." (Nehemiah 1)
Okay, so here is where the convicting chuckle came into play...here I am reading a prayer, praying for my husband...and I hear myself calling myself and "wicked wife". Praying that my husband will be given "patience and forbearance to live with me" because of my sin! Praying that God will give my husband "boldness and wisdom to rebuke me"!!!! Don't get me wrong...I know that I am a sinner...but, if I am being honest, many of my prayers in the past for my husband have been prayers asking the Lord to help me love him in spite of HIS sin...and change HIS heart on certain issues. My husband is an amazing wonderful man! He loves Jesus with all of his heart and is passionate about that love relationship...but that passion is still encased by a body of sin, just like the rest of us. Problem is, I am often quick to put the responsibility of change on HIM...instead of humbling myself and recognizing that I am a great sinner, sinning against Bryan in one way or another every day, and just as much in need of his forgiveness and forbearance, his rebuke and exhortation, his wisdom and his prayers!
I want him to lead me in the way of truth and the path of righteousness and I need to be praying that God would give him the strength, joy and patience to do that! I truly can be a stinker and a bit stubborn....sinful really!
So, I was thankful for the reminder that I need to pray just as much for my husband's responses to me...because He has to live with me...a wicked wife!:)
My husband is an amazing wonderful man! He loves Jesus with all of His heart and is passionate about that love relationship!
Comments
Ouch!--but in a GOOD way. Again, I think I need to get a copy of this prayer book!