Monday's Marriage Moment - You're Married to God

For your Maker is your husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
-Isaiah 54:5

A few months ago, I hosted my first ever Believing Wives Retreat. This time away was for wives only. My 10-year old daughter wanted badly to come away with us, but I kept telling her it was for wives only. In her frustration one day, she exclaimed, "I don't see why I can't come. I am married to God". At the time, her response caused me to laugh, but for some reason this morning God brought her exclamation back to my mind. I was praying about being a better wife, and He said this to me, "If you want to be a better wife to John, you need to be a better wife to Me". Ouch! Those words hit me like a ton of bricks.

God reminded me that before I am John's wife I am His. The day I walked to the altar and received Him as my personal savior was our wedding day. I am in covenant with God, and therefore, His wife. As God's wife, I need to do more than be faithful (just like I need to do more than just be faithful to John). If I want my union with God to be powerful and lasting, I need to prioritize Him.

• I need to make sure that we are communicating effectively. Seeing as how communication is one of the major "marriage killers", I need to make sure that my communication with God is open and honest. Do I talk to him often? Do I listen when He talks? Do I unload all of my stuff on Him without stopping to hear what is on His mind? Do I seek His approval and opinion before I seek any other opinion?
• I need to make sure that we spend time together. Do I talk to Him before I start my day? when I end my day? throughout the day? Do I spend regular quality time with Him. Do I show Him how much I value that time?
• I need to make sure that we are intimate. No marriage will remain whole if intimacy is not present. I need to be intimate with God by being open and honest with Him. I can pour out my heart to Him. I can trust Him with everything. There can be no hiding and no secrets in our relationship.

There is a direct correlation between our marriage to God and our marriage to our spouse. If we want to be better wives to our husbands, we need to be better wives to God.

Monday's Marriage Moment - What Are You Praying For?

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel:
“Sun, stand still over Gibeon;
And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still,
And the moon stopped,
Till the people had revenge
Upon their enemies.
-Joshua 10:12-13

Joshua prayed and the sun stood still. Wow! The sun - the one that rises and sets - stood still in the sky. I read that verse of scripture, and it challenged and convicted me. Am I praying on this level? Am I praying for the miraculous to happen in my life (and actually believing that it will happen)? Or am I praying run of the mill, "Lord bless them", prayers?

As I reflect, men and women in the bible prayed bold, faith-filled prayers. Joshua prayed that the sun stand still. Elijah prayed that it would not rain. Hannah prayed for a son. Do you know what happened in every case? The sun stood still. It didn't rain for three years. Hannah conceived a son. Their request was granted. Their prayers were answered. So, what are we praying for?

When we pray for our marriages are we praying minimal and basic prayers or bold, audacious, out of our reach prayers? Are we praying for something that we can make happen or something only God can make happen?

When we pray for our husbands are we praying generic prayers or are we praying "sun stand still prayers"?

If we aren't praying boldly, why not? Do we believe that we can pray boldly? Do we believe that God can answer? that He will answer? Why aren't we praying like Elijah, Joshua, and so many others that are examples in our bibles? We have the power of the Holy Spirit residing in us! We have the supernatural ability to pray for the miraculous and see it happen.

I challenge you this week to pray boldy! Pray for things that only God can do! Pray "sun stand still" prayers and watch God work!

Monday's Marriage Moment - You've Got The Power!

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives
1 Peter 3:1

You aren't just a wife. You aren't just a mother. You aren't JUST anything! So many times we use the word "just" to describe who we are and what we do, but the word "just" means "barely or by a narrow margin" according to the dictionary. You aren't barely or narrowly anything! You are a daughter of the King! Stop minimizing who you are! Perhaps, we minimize ourselves - our gifts and abilities - to make others feel better. Maybe we do it because we have some insecurities about them. Maybe we do it because we have been taught to, but today I would like to remind you, Believing Wife,  who you are, and I want you to own every bit of it!

Godly wives - Believing Wives - are powerful! In the bible, it was a wife named Deborah that ruled and governed based on God's word. It was a wife named Sarah, that embodied faithfulness and stood with Abraham even when he was tripping. It was a wife named Mary that stood on the truth of God's word and became pregnant with Christ, even when her husband wanted to put her away and society would have desired to stone her. It was a wife named Abigail that interceded for her husband (clearly a fool) when his actions could have cost them all their lives. It was a wife, we know her as the Shunnamite Woman, who made a room for the prophet of God to stay and thus brought blessing to her home and husband because of it!

This is the power that we have been given by God as wives! This is the role to which we have been called. Do you not know, dear wife, that you can win your husband without saying a word (1 Peter 3:1)? Do you not know that you have the power of influence that can be used for either good or evil (remember Eve influenced Adam to eat the apple and Delilah influence Samson to reveal the source of his strength)? Do you not know that you can set atmospheres and shift climates? Do you know that you can pray and things change? Do you know that you have power?

Do you know who you are? If not, today is a good day to get acquainted with the wife God has called you to be! He has called you to be powerful, skillful, and sharp! He has called you to discern and detect what is happening both in and to your spouse and to war on his behalf! You don't even have to open your mouth! Your actions and conduct can call things to order! Take your rightful place, Believing Wife! You have power. Use it well!

Monday's Marriage Moment - Make Room for God!

And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

2 Kings 4:9-10

Dear Wife, make room for God. Set aside time for him. Set aside a location where you can fellowship. Set aside yourself to hear what He wants to say. I know – you probably have a solid relationship with God already. You probably regularly attend worship service and fellowship with other believers. I am sure that you have a regular devotion and prayer time. I guess that you are pretty solid, but I believe that there are some ways that even you can make more room for God:

• Maybe you can make room for God to speak to your husband rather than trying to convince Him yourself?
• Maybe you can make room for peace to reign in your home?
• Maybe you can make room for God in your schedule?

Yeah, there are plenty of ways that we need to make room for God. In our passage for today, this woman watched Elijah pass by time after time. She knew he was a man of God, and she decided that she didn’t just want him to pass by. She didn’t just want him to visit. She wanted to provide a place for him to dwell. She recognized the greatness that was in his life, and she wanted that in her home.

Have you seen the greatness of God? Have you seen what He can do? Have you seen His power in your life? Don’t you want that in your home? I encourage you to make room for him.

Note that this wife didn’t wait for her husband to suggest that they build a room. She took it upon herself to do so. There will be times that you will have to do it first. You may have to initiate spiritual activities. I know it can be frustrating, but if you do it with a pure heart you will see great rewards! So, if you have to make room for God by initiating prayer do it! If you have to make room for God by initiating church fellowship do it! If you have to make room for God by initiating bible study do it! Make room for God!

Clear your schedule if you must, but by all means make room for God.