This post is a continuation of my series of posts in the Marriage Feast. I have blocked out a couple of months to contemplate marriage from God's point of view, acknowledging some of my fears, seeking God's heart & design for marriage, and restoring what had become somewhat of a distorted view of marriage in my life.
Several weeks ago I shared A Prayer for Wives, a prayer I came across on K-Love Radio’s website. It appears it was inspired by the Sanctus Real song, Lead Me. Here is another prayer from this series, A Prayer for Husbands. These prayers provide a glimpse into what that Godly marriage can look like, one built on Christ, with a heart to love & serve each other.
A Prayer for Husbands
Christ Jesus, you have called me to love my wife tenderly and sacrificially, even as you love the church, but too often I know myself to be a selfish man with a distracted heart.
Please give me patience, gentleness, and kindness toward my wife, and the wisdom to value her for her gifts and ideas.
Teach me to be vulnerable with her, openly sharing my own heart and thoughts, hopes and fears, even as I seek to better understand her.
Remind me to be ever mindful of her interests and needs with each decision I make and to structure my life in such a way that she receives the best of my energy and attention, rather than the leftovers.
Give me courage to passionately pursue relationship with her even when I feel wronged or wounded.
Let me become for her a man of tenderness, kindness, creativity, and integrity, protecting and cherishing her by vigilantly guarding my own eyes and heart.
Above all, teach me to lead as you led, Jesus, in humility and service.
Only by your grace can I be a godly man and a good husband for my wife.
Lead me Lord, I pray.
Amen
Source: http://www.klove.com/blog/jd/post/2012/10/25/Prayer-for-Husbands.aspx
"Lead Me" by Sanctus Real Music Video
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
A Prayer for Wives
This post is a continuation of my series of posts in the Marriage Feast. I have blocked out a couple of months to comtemplate marriage from God's point of view, acknowledging some of my fears, seeking God's heart & design for marriage, and restoring what had become somewhat of a distorted view of marriage in my life.
What does a Godly marriage look like? Over the last month, I have looked at much brokenness in marriage, much that I don't want to do and attributes that I don't want to characterize my marriage, but I have not spent much time considering the attributes of the right kind of marriage.
I am fortunate that I grew up in a Christian family. I grew up watching my parents and my grandparents pray together. What an impression that made on me! And even though neither of their marriages were or are perfect, there is a strength that comes from that prayer, that comes from continuously acknowledging God as a partner in their marriage.
I came across the following prayer and several others that I will share in the coming days on K-Love Radio’s website. It appears they were inspired by the Sanctus Real song, Lead Me. These prayers provide a glimpse into what that Godly marriage can look like, one built on Christ, with a heart to love & serve each other.
A Wife’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have called me to honor and serve my husband in grace, humility and love, and yet I so often let worry, insecurity and fear overshadow that calling. Unburden my heart from worry and expectations. Teach me to relinquish control of my life and marriage to you, for only you are strong enough to carry and sustain it.
Lead me to a place of deep trust and intimacy with you, so that I would seek no emotional fulfillment elsewhere, but would bring to my relationship with my husband a rich overflow of confidence and strength, making of our home and marriage a peaceful, restful haven. Show me how best to love my husband, supporting and respecting him, praying for and trusting the work of your Spirit in his heart and life.
Give me the wisdom to value what is eternal, so that I might be truly content with my present circumstances, and not fretful or anxious over family decisions and finances.
Teach me to be beautiful as you define beauty. Let me be a creative and enjoyable friend and companion for my husband, gracious and kind, gently in disagreement and quick to forgive.
Only as you lead me will I become the woman and wife that my husband needs. So lead me, O Lord. Amen.
Source: http://www.klove.com/blog/jd/post/2012/03/07/PRAYER-FOR-WIVES.aspx
Next: A Husband's Prayer
For those of you who are married, how do you pray for each other? What role does God play in your marriage?
If you were writing a prayer for wives, what would your prayer include? I have thoughts & ideas not entirely captured here, maybe too personal to share here. What would that prayer look like for you?
What does a Godly marriage look like? Over the last month, I have looked at much brokenness in marriage, much that I don't want to do and attributes that I don't want to characterize my marriage, but I have not spent much time considering the attributes of the right kind of marriage.
I am fortunate that I grew up in a Christian family. I grew up watching my parents and my grandparents pray together. What an impression that made on me! And even though neither of their marriages were or are perfect, there is a strength that comes from that prayer, that comes from continuously acknowledging God as a partner in their marriage.
I came across the following prayer and several others that I will share in the coming days on K-Love Radio’s website. It appears they were inspired by the Sanctus Real song, Lead Me. These prayers provide a glimpse into what that Godly marriage can look like, one built on Christ, with a heart to love & serve each other.
A Wife’s Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have called me to honor and serve my husband in grace, humility and love, and yet I so often let worry, insecurity and fear overshadow that calling. Unburden my heart from worry and expectations. Teach me to relinquish control of my life and marriage to you, for only you are strong enough to carry and sustain it.
Lead me to a place of deep trust and intimacy with you, so that I would seek no emotional fulfillment elsewhere, but would bring to my relationship with my husband a rich overflow of confidence and strength, making of our home and marriage a peaceful, restful haven. Show me how best to love my husband, supporting and respecting him, praying for and trusting the work of your Spirit in his heart and life.
Give me the wisdom to value what is eternal, so that I might be truly content with my present circumstances, and not fretful or anxious over family decisions and finances.
Teach me to be beautiful as you define beauty. Let me be a creative and enjoyable friend and companion for my husband, gracious and kind, gently in disagreement and quick to forgive.
Only as you lead me will I become the woman and wife that my husband needs. So lead me, O Lord. Amen.
Source: http://www.klove.com/blog/jd/post/2012/03/07/PRAYER-FOR-WIVES.aspx
Next: A Husband's Prayer
For those of you who are married, how do you pray for each other? What role does God play in your marriage?
If you were writing a prayer for wives, what would your prayer include? I have thoughts & ideas not entirely captured here, maybe too personal to share here. What would that prayer look like for you?
Thursday, November 1, 2012
"I Just Never Got Around To It"
“I just never got around to it.”
Haunting words. I was talking to a coworker today, and she was telling me about her & husband’s decision not to have children, or rather their non-decision. They always thought they would have children, maybe next year, or in a couple of years, but, then they just never got around to it. The next thing they knew they were in their forties and then it just seemed like opportunity had passed them by. It wasn’t a decision they consciously made through the years, but one they made year by year when it was just never the right time.
As I was talking with my coworker, she was talking about having children, but I was instantly relating it to getting married. For me, I have just felt it was never the right time or the right relationship, and I enjoy being single. Sometimes I am scared of rocking the boat or scared of what I’ll give up, scared of making bad choices or ending up in a bad marriage. So it becomes too easy to be so okay being single that I get complacent. I just never get around to pursuing a family, seeking out a life partner that God may have for me.
Will I wake up one day and say the opportunity just passed me by? Will I say, “I just never got around to it?” I don’t want that to be true of me.
These last few weeks on this journey have been new for me. It has been refreshing to speak some of my fears out loud, to acknowledge them on paper, and to remember and celebrate God’s goodness in marriage, in the good and the bad. This time of reflection & prayer has challenged me to want marriage more and to be more intentional about seeking out God’s will and direction.
Those words I just wrote – I can’t believe I just wrote them. That’s an uber-vulnerable admission for me. I’m scared of acknowledging that. I don’t want to become discontent being single. And I don’t know if marriage is in my future. And I want the right relationship and the right person. And I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to go through divorce. And I don’t want to settle. Ugh! So many wants and desires and fears all bottled up together….Basically, I want to learn to trust God with my heart – to trust Him in whatever relationship I am in. I want to be free to love as He loves and to let love cast out fear. I want to trust Him and His goodness and be open to whatever He has in store. If that’s marriage, I want it to be a godly marriage that is centered in Him. If that’s not marriage, I can be okay with that too. I just don’t want it to be because “I just never got around to it.”
For my married friends, how did you "get around to marriage?" Did you seek it out intentionally? Or did you just meet the right person?
What do you think it looks like to pursue marriage without being discontent in singleness? Is this possible?
Haunting words. I was talking to a coworker today, and she was telling me about her & husband’s decision not to have children, or rather their non-decision. They always thought they would have children, maybe next year, or in a couple of years, but, then they just never got around to it. The next thing they knew they were in their forties and then it just seemed like opportunity had passed them by. It wasn’t a decision they consciously made through the years, but one they made year by year when it was just never the right time.
As I was talking with my coworker, she was talking about having children, but I was instantly relating it to getting married. For me, I have just felt it was never the right time or the right relationship, and I enjoy being single. Sometimes I am scared of rocking the boat or scared of what I’ll give up, scared of making bad choices or ending up in a bad marriage. So it becomes too easy to be so okay being single that I get complacent. I just never get around to pursuing a family, seeking out a life partner that God may have for me.
Will I wake up one day and say the opportunity just passed me by? Will I say, “I just never got around to it?” I don’t want that to be true of me.
These last few weeks on this journey have been new for me. It has been refreshing to speak some of my fears out loud, to acknowledge them on paper, and to remember and celebrate God’s goodness in marriage, in the good and the bad. This time of reflection & prayer has challenged me to want marriage more and to be more intentional about seeking out God’s will and direction.
Those words I just wrote – I can’t believe I just wrote them. That’s an uber-vulnerable admission for me. I’m scared of acknowledging that. I don’t want to become discontent being single. And I don’t know if marriage is in my future. And I want the right relationship and the right person. And I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to go through divorce. And I don’t want to settle. Ugh! So many wants and desires and fears all bottled up together….Basically, I want to learn to trust God with my heart – to trust Him in whatever relationship I am in. I want to be free to love as He loves and to let love cast out fear. I want to trust Him and His goodness and be open to whatever He has in store. If that’s marriage, I want it to be a godly marriage that is centered in Him. If that’s not marriage, I can be okay with that too. I just don’t want it to be because “I just never got around to it.”
For my married friends, how did you "get around to marriage?" Did you seek it out intentionally? Or did you just meet the right person?
What do you think it looks like to pursue marriage without being discontent in singleness? Is this possible?
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