In our family we don’t take the Lord’s name in vain. Dave and I are pretty strict about it. You won’t even hear Gee Whiz, or Geez around here. You’ll never read OMG on my blog or in my tweets.
Maybe you think I’m a prude, but that’s the rule in our house. Oh, and it just happens to be in a little document called the Ten Commandments too.
The other day David was playing the Wii, and I heard him say, “Jesus!”
My head whipped around. “What did you say? Did you just say Jesus?”
“Yes. I can’t beat this level, and I was asking him to help me.”
“You — were – praying?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, OK then.”
The faith of a five year old. Calling on the power of the name of Jesus to help him win a video game. That game seems pretty insignificant, but David was really frustrated over it. Instead of quitting he asked God for help, and kept trying.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
It says everything.
I spend a lot of time asking God for help with the big things, but not always the little, everyday stuff. But I’m trying to remember to do just that.
It might seem silly to ask Him for help with something like getting caught up on the laundry. But if that’s a burden to you, He cares. I can use all the help I can get whether it’s a major crisis, or finding the lost pacifier that I need to soothe a cranky baby.
And that Wii game?
Well, with a little intervention from the Lord and some help from me — hey, the Lord often answers our prayers through other people — David finally made it to the next level.
What’s on your prayer request list?
I’m willing to bet there’s a few big ticket items.
My biggies?
A dream job for my husband that he loves and provides life long financial security for us.
That my son grows up to be a great man who’s successful and contributes to making the world a better place.
That I’m the perfect mother who never looses her temper and always does the right thing.
Sure those things are all possible. God could snap his fingers and grant my every wish. It’s certainly within his power to do so. And often he does perform a miracle or do the seemingly impossible.
But even more often it’s all the little things that he attends to that really seem to make the difference.
Sometimes a request seems so small and insignificant that I feel silly praying about it. I wonder if it’s even important enough to bother God with, or I don’t even think to ask in the first place.
But nothing is insignificant to God. And all our cares and concerns, no matter how inconsequential they may seem to us, do matter to him.
I can think of several little things in the last few weeks that, though they didn’t seem that important in the grand scheme of things, I prayed about. And I got an answer.
Sometimes it’s not about being Mother of the Year. It’s just about God granting me enough patience to get through that one particularly hard day.
Sometimes it’s not about life long financial security, it’s just about having enough cash in the bank to pay that huge car repair bill.
Sometimes it’s not about my kid growing up to be a Supreme Court Justice, it’s just about him learning his ABC’s.
It’s these little blessings that get me through the day-to-day. To me all the aswers to my “little things” add up to a lot. Maybe even more than all the big things.
Well, Wednesdays for wives is almost Thursday for Wives, but here it is. Sorry it’s so late. I had some technical difficulties. I’ve been busy drying out the keyboard on my laptop after my son spilled water on it.
Valentine’s Day is just a day away. You have probably made romantic plans for the evening and carefully selected the perfect present. There’s one gift you can give your husband this year that won’t cost anything, will only take a few minutes each day, but will transform your marriage. Pray for him.
“I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” 2 Timothy 1:3
Commit this Valentine’s day to set aside some time each day to pray for your husband. I don’t mean just for his health and safety, I mean for very specific things. As the leaders of our marriages and families they need the support of our prayers in so many areas of their life. Here are some suggestions of specific things you can pray for about for your husband.
That he draw closer to God.
That he seeks God’s will in all decisions
That he gains wisdom.
Protection from temptation and Satan’s attempts to make him stumble.
That he will remain faithful to your marriage vows.
Strength to lead.
That he will have a heart of compassion.
That he will have peace and rest in the Lord when faced with stressful situations.
For his physical safety and health.
For success and integrity in his work.
Pray for anything else specific that the spirit lays on your heart.
Try it for a week. He will notice the difference in his life, you will notice a difference in your life, you will notice a difference in your marriage. God will hear you and he will be faithful to honor your prayers.
I just want to say congratulations to my husband who got a promotion at work. He started his new position today, and was very excited about it when he left for work this morning. He’s been working really hard lately, and I want him to know I appreciate all he does to provide for our family and that I’m very proud of him.
I also want to give thanks to the Lord for my husband’s job. Until about three months ago he was self-employed. The economy where we live is sluggish, and it was affecting his business. The income was becoming unreliable, and he decided to go back out into the mainstream workforce. He took a job working on a factory floor to help make ends meet. Now he’s moved into the office, and has opportunity for more advancement in the future. This is such a huge answer to prayer, especially the affordable family health insurance that comes with the job. I know a lot of people out there struggle with paying for their health care. My son had health coverage, but my husband and I had been without since I quite my job to stay home with my son. We just couldn’t afford the high price of private health insurance. I am also grateful for the christian couple that owns the company my husband works for.
We had some difficult times over the last few years. Sometimes it seemed like good news was few and far between. But God does hear our prayers and answers them. Not always when we want or how we want or expect, but he does answer. I am rejoicing today for his answer to my prayer that he provide for my family. Thank you God!
