Something we all need....

The Fervent Prayer of a Selfish Wife Avails Nothing

March 17, 2014 by Lara 1 Comment

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It’s so easy to see the flaws in others–especially our husbands. It is even easier to pray that God change them, and make them what WE think that they should be.
Unfortunately, these selfish prayers will get us nowhere; and I am pretty certain, God is not in the business of granting wishes like He is a genie in a bottle!
Trust me.
I know these prayers do not work.
I have prayed these prayers until I was ready to burst with anger and frustration.
Please don’t get me wrong, I am sure that there are MANY wives who have husbands with MANY issues–I am one of these wives. I am also confident that there is nothing wrong with praying for our husband’s deliverance, protection, character issues, and overall betterment. In all honestly, that is part of our jobs as wives–to help our husbands. Praying for them is definitely a form of helping them! However, the prayers should never be focused on all that God needs to do to make them better husbands for US.

This is the epitome of selfishness.

Think about it:
We go to God and lay out our list of what HE needs to do to change our husbands to make US happy. All the while never thinking about the tremendous log that has overtaken our own eyes. You see, praying for God to change anyone, is not only overflowing with wrong motives, it is unproductive and will gain us nothing but frustration and confusion.

How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. – Luke 6:42

Only when we pray for God to mold and change US into the wives and women that HE created us to be, will we ever see change. Only then will we have peace and joy. Only then will our prayers be helpful and productive to our marriages!
We need to take a serious SELF inventory and deal with our OWN issues.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the Truth.  – 1 John 1:8

Let’s pray now…
Dear Lord, forgive me for every selfish prayer I have prayed. Forgive me for only thinking of myself and what I want. Forgive me for placing fleshly, unrealistic, and worldly expectations on my husband. Forgive me for making my prayer time about a list of things YOU need to do for me. Lord, I want what YOU want for my life. Help me to deal with my own sin, and to pray properly for my husband. Help me to be the wife and woman that You created me to be from the inside out. Help me to shine for You and to be an example of Your grace, love, and mercy before my husband. Lord, thank You for the man that You blessed me with. Thank You for all that he is and all that You plan for him to be. Help me to see him the way that You do. Help me to see his potential and not his flaws. Help me to love, honor, respect, and forgive him. Thank You. In Jesus’ MIGHTY and Saving Name, amen!

Dig Deeper:

I encourage you to go further on this topic. Look up the following Scriptures in a couple translations. Pray over them. Look up any cross references. Ask God to reveal Truth to you to apply in your life!

• Romans 12:10
• 1 Corinthians 10:24
• Romans 12:3
• Philippians 2:4
• Matthew 7:3-5
• James 4:6
• Proverbs 16:18-19