After a particularly challenging week, I let myself get pushed to frustrated tears again tonight. And the funny thing is, I think I am about ready to start my period. But then, God has a funny way of using seemingly uncontrollable things such as hormones to bring me to prayer.
I took a timeout on the back porch and brought my Bible and a book called The Power of a Praying Wife. The next chapter I turned to was on Fatherhood. It was so timely, especially with Father's Day coming up, so I thought I would write Stormie Omartian's prayer here and claim it as my own prayer for my husband.
"Lord, teach Jason to be a good father. Where it was not modeled to him according to Your ways, heal those areas and help him to forgive his dad. Give him revelation of You and a hunger in his heart to really know You as his heavenly Father. Draw him close to spend time in Your presence so he can become more like You, and fully understand Your Father's heart of compassion and love toward him. Grow that same heart in him for his child. Help him to balance mercy, judgment, and instruction the way You do. Though You require obedience, You are quick to acknowledge a repentant heart. Make him that way , too. Show him when to discipline and how. Help him to see that he who loves his child disciplines him promptly (Proverbs 13:24). May he never provoke his "children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). I pray we will be in full agreement as to how he is raised. I pray that there will be no strife or argument over how to handle him and the issues that surround our child's life.
Give Jason skills of communication with his child. I pray he will not be stern, hard, cruel, cold, abusive, non communicative, passive, critical, weak, uninterested, neglectful, undependable or uninvolved. Help him instead to be kind, loving, softhearted, warm, interested, affirming, affectionate, involved, strong, consistent, dependable, verbally communicative, understanding and patient. May he require and inspire his child to honor him as his father so that their lives will be long and blessed.
Lord, I know we pass a spiritual inheritance to our children. Let the heritage he passes on be rich in the fullness of Your Holy Spirit. Enable him to model clearly a walk of submission to Your laws. May he delight in his child and long to grow him up Your way. Being a good father is something he wants very much. I pray that You would give him the desire of his heart."
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2 comments:
Jenn, ...what a wonderful prayer we all can pray for our husbands. I love that book and need to read it again. Picturing yourself walking up the throne of grace with Jason his hand in your hand, and when you reach the top, putting his hand into the Hand of our Lord, and then walking back down those steps without turning around, is a good mental picture of just handing Jason over to the Lord. It sure isn't easy to do..but at least it reminds us how we cannot change anyone, only God can...it gives some peace to know that. Thank you Jenn for sharing that prayer. Love you...
what an awesome reminder. i so easily neglect to pray for those closest to me and those are whom i need to be in constant prayer for.
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