On December 9, 1995, I vowed “to love and to cherish” Chris. Being high school sweethearts who dated for eight years, I thought, “That will be easy.” Let’s be honest, I had NO clue what that really meant or what that really looked like, but that’s for another day, another blog post. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “cherish” as: to hold dear, feel or show affection for, to keep or cultivate with care and affection, to entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and resolutely. Undoubtedly, over the last 30 years, “to love and to cherish” has certainly looked different on any given day or season, but one way I can consistently show my deep affection to Chris is through prayer.
How do we “wage war” for our spouse?
Thankfully, God’s Word reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are NOT the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
What does that mean?
As followers of Jesus Christ, we go into war with the truth of God, which is His Word found in the Bible. You may be asking, “Does prayer really work?” Isaiah 55:11 says, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Wow! This brings me great comfort and encouragement, and I hope it is for you too!
If I am in a war to fight for Chris and our marriage, I want to win! I love praying scripture over Chris since it will not return empty. In saying this, a friend shared the book Praying for Your Husband, Head to Toe. (Chris mentioned in the previous post and is shown above.) It’s a way for me to love, care, protect, fight, and yes, even surrender Chris to God. This book has a scripture and a prayer, from head to toe, just as the title says, for each day of the month. When the month’s over, I return to day one and start over.
On any given day at our home, someone says, “God’s ways are counter-cultural to the world’s ways.” God’s ways are different. God’s ways are best, so why would I want Chris to be taken care of any differently? I wouldn’t. I love the thought of connecting with the God of the universe through prayer for Chris. This is available for you as well!
What does that mean?
When you hear people speak of the word battle, I’m sure many thoughts probably come to mind. I’m talking about a spiritual battle, an ongoing war to fight for Chris. Praying God’s will is praying the Word of God, and there are many ways to do this. Throughout the Bible, we read of prayers, all of which are personal, powerful, and practical. Whatever you and your spouse are facing, find scripture relating to the situation, post it in regularly visited places, speak it aloud, and be expectant.
P: Pause
R: Rejoice
A: Ask
Y: Yield
Pray the Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13
Pray Paul’s Prayer: Colossians 1:3-14
A resource from Marriage in Focus that may be helpful is One Minute Daily Focus. The Instagram account contains a full year of daily scripture, reflections, and prayer! Follow along here: One Minute Daily Focus
Who knew I would find myself in a “daily war” for my best friend and husband, for my children’s father, as well as for my children’s children’s grandfather? It’s a war that’s worth the effort and such an honor: a war that protects and prevents attacks; guards and guides decisions; provides perspective and provision; and creates comfort and companionship.
Let’s engage in battle!
