The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional (2 page)

86. When He Needs to Know His Heavenly Father

87. When We Must Trust God to Work Everything Out for Good

88. When I Want a Gentle and Quiet Spirit

89. When He Needs to Provide for His Family

90. When We Are Imprisoned by Our Own Contention

91. When I Want to Be a “Virtuous Wife”

92. When He Needs to Speak Well-Chosen Words

93. When We Must Stand Strong

94. When I Have Anger in My Heart

95. When He Has Temptation Invading His Mind

96. When We Desire the Crown of Life

97. When I Want God’s Love to Be Seen in Me

98. When He Needs Healing

99. When We Must Become Like-Minded

100. When I Need to Know Good Things Are Ahead

Other Books by Stormie Omartian

About the Publisher

About the Author

I
F
I
HAD IT TO DO ALL OVER AGAIN
, I would not write
The Power of a Praying
^®
Wife
any differently than I did. However, in this new
The Power of a Praying
^®
Wife Devotional,
I am sharing what the Lord has taught me about being a praying wife in the years since writing the earlier book.

First of all, I have included much more prayer in this book for you as a wife. In fact, one-third of the book consists of devotions and prayers for you to pray for
yourself.
A second third includes devotions and prayers for you to pray for your
husband,
and a last third has devotions and prayers for you to pray for your
marriage.
But I have not grouped these thirds separately into “me,” “him, and “us” sections. I have, instead, alternated prayers for wife, husband, and marriage throughout the book so that every three devotions includes one of each—that is, one for you, one for your husband, and one for your marriage. The reason for that is I believe all three types of prayer are crucial to sustaining a solid marriage.

What you might not realize is how extremely important it is to pray for yourself as a wife. Women tend to neglect themselves in this way, and it is vital to your marriage not to do so. When you pray for yourself, you affect your spirit, soul, body, wholeness, insight, understanding, strength, and freedom in Christ more than you think. Personal prayer increases your ability to receive revelation from God. That’s because, as you pray, God gives you the ability to see what is really going on in your own world and in the spirit realm. For example, you become aware of when your flesh may be dominating your spirit, or when the enemy of your soul is attempting to stir up strife and present his lies as truth. These things are crucial to you as a wife in being able to maintain a good, strong marriage—at least, as much as is dependent upon you.

All of this means you must still pray the “Change me, Lord” prayer. (I know that is not as much fun as praying the “Change
him,
Lord” prayer, but, unfortunately, that one seldom, if ever, is answered.) But now you have to take the “Change me, Lord” prayer to the next level and pray that God will show you everything you need to see about yourself. You must ask God to reveal what you should know and help you do what you need to do. For example, you can pray that God will enable you to keep worry, fear, doubt, and unclear thinking from getting in the way of your life and affecting what you do and say. God wants you to give
Him
control over your mind and heart. While He gave you the ability to feel, He doesn’t want your feelings or emotions to rule you in a way that makes both you and your husband miserable. He wants you to bring all your feelings and emotions to Him—your Lord and confidant—and put them in the hands and under the control of the Holy Spirit. The devotions and prayers in this book will help you do that.

Another reason praying for yourself is important is because, as you grow older, you especially need the beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit. In order for that to happen, you must have the beauty of the Lord
in
you, beautifying every part of your inner-self—which affects the beauty of your outer-self more than anything else. A woman with a beautiful heart, soul, and mind is more attractive to everyone, but most importantly to her husband. Part of being attractive is exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. In order to do that, you must surrender your heart and soul to the Holy Spirit more and more. Every day you can say, “Lord, fill me afresh with the fruit of Your Spirit. Overflow me with Your love, joy, and peace. Teach me to be patient, kind, and good by growing in me Your longsuffering, kindness, and goodness. Help me to exhibit Your faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

This book will also help you truly understand that you belong to Jesus and that “those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). This doesn’t mean you are passionless toward your husband. It means that the “I want what I want” in the way of expectations of him doesn’t supersede the importance of “I want what
God
wants” in your attitude and mind. In order to want what God wants, you must walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). When we live controlled by the flesh and not the Holy Spirit, nothing good comes of it. We end up thinking about ourselves and what
we
want and not what
God
wants. When we crucify our fleshly desires—and live in the Spirit so that we walk in the Spirit—we don’t “become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:26). We become more like the Lord instead. And that’s what we all want.

These devotions and prayers will also help your husband to better hear from God, to increase his understanding of God’s truth, to grow in strength and peace, and to gain proper perspective on various situations and challenges he may be facing. I have included many of the common attitudes and struggles found in most marriages. Each prayer for the two of you will help you both be more and more led by the Holy Spirit so that you can do what’s right without allowing such things as negative reactions to each other get in the way.

One of the revelations I have personally received from the Lord in the last few years has been that I have a
choice
about my attitude and how I am going to react to my husband every day. Of course, I
knew
that, but knowing and doing are two different things. If I am irritated about something, I have to
decide
if I am going to act irritated when I talk to him for the next week. Or am I going to talk it out with him and choose to speak words that unite and not words that separate? Am I going to make sure that the first words I speak to him in the morning—or when I haven’t seen him for a while—are pleasant and uplifting? These devotions and prayers help me make the right choice every day, and they will help you too.

If your husband is not yet a believer, I have not given you a separate prayer to pray in each devotion for him. That’s because it is best to pray each day for his salvation. Say, “Lord, I pray You would open my husband’s eyes to Your truth and lead him to salvation in You. Help him to know You, Jesus, and receive You as his Savior and Redeemer.” Then pray the prayers in this book for him just as if he were already a believer, always thanking God that He is leading your husband closer to salvation every day. The more you pray for your husband this way, the more his heart will become sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. Even though he is not yet a believer, God can still speak to him. Your prayers can clear the air of worldly noise around his mind and heart so he can hear God better. Don’t become discouraged and feel as though nothing is happening. If you are praying, then something is
definitely
happening. No matter how resistant your husband is to his own breakthrough, he is not too tough for God to break through to and save.

You can read this book straight through from beginning to end, or you can let the titles of each devotion lead you to the one that addresses what you are facing, experiencing, or needing right then. I pray you will meet the Lord in these Scriptures, devotions, and prayers in a new and powerful way, and see wonderful changes in you, your husband, and your marriage that only
He
can make.

S
tormie
O
martian

1

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.

1 T
HESSALONIANS
5:16-18

A
S A WIFE
, you need the kind of prayer habit that doesn’t give up or allow discouragement to get in the way, but instead persists and keeps on praying and asking.

When God told Abraham He intended to determine if Sodom was deserving of destruction, Abraham then interceded, praying on behalf of however many righteous people might be there. He asked God if He would destroy Sodom if fifty righteous people were found there, and the Lord said He would not. Abraham then asked if He would destroy the city if forty-five righteous people were found there, then forty people, then thirty, then twenty. Each time Abraham asked, God said He would not destroy it for that many people. Finally Abraham said, “Suppose ten should be found there?” And God said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten” (Genesis 18:32). As it turned out, only four righteous people were there, so God destroyed it. But Abraham had stopped asking at ten.

We need the kind of persistence in prayer that causes us to continue asking as Abraham did. Too often we stop short. Perhaps Abraham stopped asking because he couldn’t imagine that there wouldn’t be at least ten righteous people in Sodom. Or perhaps by then God had proved His point and revealed His intentions. God knew the city was wicked enough to destroy, but He saved the four righteous people—which were Lot, his wife, and their two daughters (Genesis 19:29).

Your
prayers are powerful to save too. So keep asking and continue seeking, and don’t ask for crumbs when God wants to give you the banquet. When it comes to praying for you and your husband and your marriage, ask God to help you persist in prayer for even what may seem impossible. Ask for your marriage to not only be saved, but to be good. Ask for it to not only be good, but to be great. God doesn’t say “No” to what is His will. If your husband has a strong will that refuses to submit to God’s will, persist in praying that God’s will wins out.

My Prayer to God