How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.
With my whole heart, I have sought you. Don’t let me wander from your commandments.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, Yahweh. Teach me your statutes.
With my lips, I have declared all the ordinances of your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies, as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts, and consider your ways.
I will delight myself in your statutes.
I will not forget your word. Psalm 119:109-16 (WEB)
My husband loves the Word of God. I weep as I sing a worship song. Henry can weep when he reads the Word. The beauty, the power, the love, the Light of God’s Word just overwhelms him. Henry taught me about praying the Scripture. This is a passage that comes to my mind when I pray for Henry. I think he told me once that he had memorized Psalm 119 sometime during his life. Wouldn’t surprise me.
I think the most common mistake that all of us who have ever married is that when we identify an … irritating characteristic in our intended or spouse, we think we can change them. If I just love them enough, pray for them enough, or ask them (nag them!), “Oh, honey, come on, don’t do _____!â€, they will change. I’ve tried all those options. How did that work for me? Not so good. (I am laughing at myself at this point!)
God used Stormie Omartian to change my way of thinking with a book, Power of the Praying Wife. Mrs. Omartian taught me how to pray for my husband. No manipulative prayers like, “God, you need to change Henry!†No, I learned that if I want to see a change – begin my prayers with “God, help me to come closer to you!†and “Bless, Henry, Lord. Bless him the way You want to bless him, Lord.â€
The next visual lesson I got was a triangle. With God at the top of the triangle and Henry and me at the other two lower points consider that as we, individually, move up closer to God, we also move closer to each other. Supporting my spouse in their spiritual growth is so important. Again, Henry and I worship God in different ways. The important point would be that we support each other and look for opportunities for both of us to worship.
It is the Holy Spirit that provides unending grace and extravagant mercy and enough wisdom for any situation. Turning to the LORD in prayer as a couple is a time in a marriage relationship when God really seems to respond in power. And when we move in God’s direction He is faithful to confirm His plan to us. Yes, there are times when we may not want to take it to the Lord in prayer. There are times when emotions (like pride, anger, and frustration) hold me back from the idea of bending my knee! But if I just ‘go with it’, God is really good at helping me with His Spirit to move through the emotions and into His Presence where Truth lives. When a couple turns to God instead of their own attempts to ‘figure it out’, God will respond.
I am humbled at the faithfulness of God to bless Henry. I see him grow in his relationship with the Lord. I am humbled that God would bring Henry and me to Himself and enter a covenant relationship with us. His Spirit makes our home.
