There is “…a time to be silent and a time to speak;” Ecclesiastes 3:7
One of the most important lessons and truths about Biblical marriage is that it is a call to a specific role in someone’s life. Answering the call to marriage means committing to walk in that role.
The desire to conform to God’s will for your life as a wife is Holy Spirit breathed and requires total and continuous surrender. As with all commands of Scripture, true obedience is a result of being alive in the Spirit.
Marriage, just like life, is full of different seasons. Growth in godliness is the outcome God desires for every area of our lives. He uses it all so that we may be conformed to the image of Christ. Our ability to fulfill God’s will in our role as wife does not come naturally. It is not the result of our natural tendencies. We walk in our call as a result of being restored to God’s design versus our sinful nature.
I’m at a place in my life where I desire to conform to God’s Word and will more. One of the key areas I can see I need to grow in obedience is in my role as wife. The reality is my conformity to God’s will for my role in marriage is an extension of my relationship with Him. The obedience I walk in is not conditional or subject to my husbands choices, treatment, or obedience. My obedience springs from a love for Christ. This truth must remain the foundation and pillar that I build every area of my life including marriage and motherhood. The goal is to be steadfast in pursuing Christ.
I believe we are often tested in the areas of work, finance, motherhood, marriage, and ministry to prove whether our love is conditional or unconditional. If challenges and difficulties in these areas result in disobedience to the Word of God, we have been tried and exposed as needing refinement in our unconditional love for the LORD.
Always remember, the true mark of your faith and devotion as a believer and follower of Christ is not miracles performed (Matthew 7:22,23), deeds done (1 Corinthians 13), or reputation amongst men (Revelation 3:1). The true mark of your devotion and surrender to Christ is love. Love for God and love for others is the greatest (John 13:35, 17:23).
I must conclude that as seasons change, I can seek and find the grace available to grow. Looking in the mirror of God’s Word I can see that the first love we experience when we come to Christ is supposed to remain and if it is lost we should strive to restore it.
One of the quickest ways to become spiritually dry and dead is failing to pray. Prayer continuously stirs reliance on God rather than oneself. As we take on different responsibilities and roles, if we fail to pray over those areas we will become less alive in the Spirit.
Consider the amount of time given to a career, ministry, being a wife, being a mother, etc. Failure to pray in and over those roles and responsibilities leaves the majority of your life uncovered.
This is not just a moment of stating the obvious. I am evaluating my tendency and desire to pray. Has my prayer life increased or declined? I realize that God uses trials as opportunities to seek Him more intentionally. As I seek Him in this moment I can see that I am less inclined to pray in my role as wife than I should be. Hence my reason for reading the book I’m quoting…
“…the Wife’s Mantle carries God’s delegated authority and responsibility to help her husband. This point cannot be emphasized enough, because it reveals how God feels when a wife prays for her husband. Her prayers to help her husband are in the very center of God’s will! Not only is God pleased, but He responds to her with His help.”
~From the book Prayers of Blessing Over Your Husband
I was reading this article, Never Stop Praying for Your Husband and other testimonies when I realized this season in my life and marriage requires a different posture. The testimony of a healthy successful marriage does not seem to just be handed to many couples without work and the proper strategy for war against the forces that seek to destroy Godly covenant. So here we are at a challenge to talk less and pray more. Let's be intentional about covering every area of our life with request for God's glory to fill and consume. Let's get a clear picture of how we can reflect Christ in our current season and commit to practices that will help us conform. As for me I'm committing to talk less and pray more.
My thought: “Talk less, pray more.”