Powerful Prayers - Part 1

A year or two ago I used to meet with 2 women in leadership at our church for prayer once a week.  Actually the prayer time was open to ALL women in the church, but I was the only one who showed up every week (except one) and stayed the whole time.  I spent probably 75% of my hour sitting on a couch, silently praying in my head (and socializing the other 25%).  The prayer time was focused on our marriages - I happen to have a GREAT marriage, but extra prayer never hurt anything, so I went anyway.  Near the beginning of my going, one of the women gave me a photocopied paper (put out by www.prayermag.com) entitled "Powerful Prayers for your Husband." 

Before I continue, let me stress that it's dangerous (and wrong on so many levels) to marry a guy thinking that you can change him, or even that he'll WANT to change for you.  That's NOT how it works!  Marriage has a way of making negative characteristics (in both partners) even MORE predominant.  Personally, I also think it's wrong to pray constantly, "God, please change him... he this ... he that ...."  The type of prayers we SHOULD be praying in relation to our husbands are more like "God, please change ME.  Help me to be a better wife.  Help me to understand his stresses better so I can be more supportive in appropriate ways.  Help him to lean on You, when his burden is heavy..."

Now, back to my Thursday evening prayer meetings.  All Aaron knew was that I was meeting with Candace and Sonya for prayer at 6, so he made sure he was home from work to watch the kids so I could leave on time.  A couple weeks into the (2 or 3 months??) that I went, Aaron asked me what I pray about.  I asked what he thought.  He responded that I was praying for him, and then he listed off 3 specific areas in his life.  HE WAS EXACTLY RIGHT!  I was SHOCKED because even the women didn't know the topics of my prayers.  He said that he's noticed certain changes in aspects of his life, and could only account the changes to be the result of my praying (because he wasn't praying about those topics at that point in time).  I continued to pray about those three areas (3 of the topics on the handout) faithfully once a week for 30-45 minutes, for a couple months.  I can't even begin to explain the remarkable, transformative changes we both witnessed in his life!!!

During the months when I met at the church for weekly prayer, I was still in the initial phases of gaining strength after my diagnosis, so my mental facilities weren't exactly up to speed.  I found even remembering my son's birthdate difficult, let alone being "creative" praying.  So, actually I mostly read the little blurbs over and over and over again.  I think that sometimes God answers prayer because of our consistency in praying for something.  It's not our eloquence that matters - it's our sincerity.  

I was sooooooo impressed by the transformative power of prayer, that I photocopied the handout and sent it to several girlfriends.  Once the weekly prayer meetings ended (because of the busyness of the holidays), my deliberate prayer for my husband began to dwindle.  Lately I've begun to feel a pressing need to start up again.  It's NOT that "he's in need of some prayer" - it's just been laid on my heart again.  So, earlier this week I found the paper, pulled it out, sat down, and had a chat with Our Father.

I'd like to share it with you.  I don't know what situation you're going through right now - I don't know where your marriage stands... But even the most perfect of people could use a little prayer support.  I know I sure could.  So, I'll do a second post with the handout words on it - there's no way you'll be able to read everything in that photo.

As a wife, praying for your husband is one of the most valuable things you can do!  God wants what's best for your husband - and you do too (though sometimes we're mistaken about what's really best in the long term, eh?).  So, lift your husband up to the throne.  If you're genuine (and not just complaining to God) - God will answer.  It probably won't be the way you expected the answer to come - but He'll answer - and you and your husband will both be better because of it.  Some of the major (and difficult) changes in our lives these past two years were the result of those 3 areas about which I focused my prayer.  God answered my prayers.  Yes, I could see tangible "improvements" in those areas - but as a result of those answers - I was changed too!

Don't underestimate the power of prayer!  The power of sincere, well-meaning, non-egotistical, non-tattle-telling, non-demanding PRAYER.