Prayer Lessons From Marriage - Wednesday April 03, 2013
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15 NIV
Because prayer is a conversation with my Everlasting Lover, my marriage has taught me a lot about prayer. Scheduling time with God is one obvious correlation. Early in our marriage Mike and I decided we would continue to "date," making time in our schedule for giving undivided attention to one another. Going to a pizza parlor to share our hearts wasn't a duty; it was delight! Likewise with prayer, I schedule time with God to revel in His love.
A not so obvious correlation is the principle of unity. Several years into our marriage a circumstance required a change in our ministry. Mike could have demanded whatever he wanted, yet he chose to talk it over and wait for me to be united with him. Likewise, even though God can do whatever He wants, He often chooses to wait for us to desire it before acting. From our point of view, we see a need and request it; then we see Him "answer our prayer." But in reality God always wanted to grant the request (since He does nothing that wasn't His will), yet He waited for our desire before acting. Conversely, when a prayer isn't answered, it simply means that it wasn't His will in the first place, so then we acknowledge His wisdom and wait on His timing, desiring His will. Prayer is an expression of unity, and unity is a powerful expression of love.
Schedule some prayerful time today to thank your Heavenly Lover for His patient love and to let Him know you desire His will. Love and unity with God will bless you.
Submitted by:
Rita Bergen
Lee's Summit Community Church
Lee's Summit, Missouri
One-Year Reading Plan:
Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19
Luke 10:13-37
Psalms 75:1-10
Proverbs 12:12-14
[Read
Online]
© 2024 Great Commission Association of Churches, Inc All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publisher.
Online Bible Services provided by
The Bible Gateway (TM) a service of
Gospel
Communications Network.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.