Happy

Hi Ladies,

You’re striving hard to follow the Lord in every way possible, listening to Holy Spirit, and doing whatever you can to facilitate the arrival of your anticipated spouse.  So, what now?  Prayer is required, but it’s essential to understand how to approach a such request.

A Testimony

When I became a believer, I was thrilled to learn about the power of prayer.  I’ve always been willful, with a strong appreciation for my own abilities.  After my divorce, I ran my own life my own way, without mother or father or anyone else’s unwanted opinion.  And when I got saved, I was still bent on running the show myself.

But I listened avidly to sermons and teachings on prayer, and it was an exciting revelation that I could talk to God and that He would listen and answer.  Jesus has a special way of dealing with the new Christian, of answering the smallest prayer in a manner that greatly builds our newfound faith.  He responds the way a mother responds to the cries of her newborn baby.

I became like the kid with a new toy – every time God answered one of my little, almost unconscious prayers, I was filled with joy.  I knew I was special to Him and that He loved me enough to take time to answer such an insignificant request.  He always responded, sometimes immediately, but invariably I received what I wanted before too much time had passed.

After a few years of studying the Word and living solely for the Lord, I began to notice a renewed stirring in my heart for a mate.  In my quiet time, I realized that I didn’t just “think it might be nice” to be married.  Rather, I realized that I needed to be married, that my truest and best destiny included loving and caring for, and being loved and cared for by a man, safely within the bonds of matrimony.

After this revelation, I began to pray for a husband.  The cry of my heart became, “Lord, hand him over.”  I fell on my knees nightly, fervently beseeching God.  I cried and made promises; and plunged into storming the gates of Heaven with the single-minded intensity with which I addressed most objectives in life.  Praying expectantly, I kept one knee bowed and one eye open for the answer…for one month, two months, six months.  Then I looked up and realized that my position had not changed and neither had the Lord’s.  We were both exactly where we’d been when I began the siege.

No progress?  But why not??  I wanted my man!  Every little thing I’d requested up until this point had been met with instant gratification.  Often the whisper of a prayer was barely off my lips before it was being met.  Why was I suddenly listening to the empty ring of unanswered prayers?

God had to make me confront my “spoiled brat” self.  Most of my prayers, even for a mate, were self-centered ones… “Lord, do this for me; Lord, do that for me.”  I’d paid no heed to James 4:3 – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Yes, Jesus holds us special in His eyes, but praying for a spouse involves much more than our own precious self.  There is now another person to consider.  What is best for him?  Is it you?  What kind of wife and helper will you be?  Are you ready to be a partner for life to a man whom God Himself has chosen?

Marriage doesn’t represent instant gratification for one person.  It is a blending of two of our Father’s beloved, and He cares as much for the well-being of the man as He does for you, His precious feminine pearl.  Praying for a husband, which is actually praying to become a wife, is more than just an idle notion.  You must understand what you’re truly asking for, then examine your heart and be certain you’re ready to walk down the aisle. The Lord will surely do so before He hands over His fellow.

Until next week…Joy and Shalom!

Jo Lynne Pool