‘“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ‘ Matthew 7:7(NLT)
‘He prayed, “O Lord , God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’ “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”’ 2 Chronicles 20:6-12(NLT)
‘But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ‘ John 15:7(NLT)
In today’s entry, we are going to look at the first portion of the prayer pattern adapted from 2 Chronicles 20:6-12. But let’s review some from yesterday where we saw that Christ desires to give you your desires when you abide in Him.
In John 15:7 we saw that when you abide in Him, His desires will be your desires. In this way, Jesus uncovers one of the secrets of prayer:
Your desires should turn into your prayers. Ask for what you desire.
In fact, one of the most surprising insights I have ever had about prayer is that the more that I abide in Christ and the more His words abide in me, the more I am fully and completely released to pray for everything I desire. Jesus connected abiding with Christ and obedience to His commands as the underlying cause of asking for what you desire.
If you abide, you will ask what you desire!
You aren’t instructed to pray for things merely because you know you are supposed to—like an obligation. Instead, Jesus expressly states you are to ask for whatever you want. If you want something, then ask and don’t stop asking until you get an answer, whether that’s yes or no.
Let’s look at an example of the first portion of our prayer pattern. Feel free to pray this guided prayer word for word, or adapt to your own personal situation. It’s completely up to you. But do try and focus on the pattern of prayer when praying for your husband. As a reminder it is:
- Praise God
- Thank God
- Pray for blessings and intervention
Praise God (Remember: this portion of prayer is dedicated to praising God for what He has given you and your spouse).
Heavenly Father, relationships are one of the most important things You have given to us. And the marriage relationship is especially important, valuable and purposeful. I praise You for creating us as relational beings who can benefit from each other and build into each other.
I worship You for Your wisdom in providing us in our marriage the ability to communicate, whether through words, touch, texts or a myriad of other ways. I praise You for the desire You have placed within us to connect with others, as we are made in Your image. And I ask that You increase that desire between my husband and myself even more in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. In Christ’s name, Amen.
from 3 Ways To Pray For Your Husband