Praying With Your Partner

Does your partner fulfill every request that you make of him or her? If so, than indeed you have a rare partner. In all honesty, you must admit that you have denied some of your partners requests as well. That's just a normal part of living life with your spouse. Sometimes your request isn't answered like you wish because your partner possibly could have more insight or wisdom than you do, which may not always be easy for you to swallow. Is it ever true that you discover later that your partner's denial of your request was the right thing to do, even though it was counter to what you wanted? That kind of situation can put tension in your marriage. Very often it's because of something we don't like to admit; we are selfish, and we only think that things should be done the way we see it.....or we don't want to change because of pride. When our life is going smoothly we find it easy to get along with each other. It's then that living and working together in harmony doesn't seem much of a challenge. Trials though, may come along and will test your marriage. That's when you need an antidote. Your willingness to cooperate with your partner is vital, but much more vital then this is having God as that secure guide in your marriage. This will unite you during a crisis. Together you contribute to working to keep your relationship whole. United in faith, love, and purpose you will continue on to withstand challenges. Lloyd Ogilvie wrote: "Because God can see what we cannot see, and knows dimensions which we can never understand, He works out our answers according to a higher plan than we can conceive. We are to tell Him our needs and then leave them with Him. It's only in retrospect that we can see the narrowness of our (own) vision and can see that His answer was far better than what we could even have anticipated. Prayer is not just the place and time we ask God what to do, but the experience in which He melds our lives. In the quiet of meditative prayer, we begin to see things from a different point of view and are given the power to wait for the unfolding of God's plan." There are times when your prayer needs to include these words: Lord, please give me the insight to know what I am to pray for and what You desire for my life. Give me the patience with my partner and patience to wait for your timing in answering my prayer requests. Also give me the ability to handle answers which I did not anticipate. Do you know what is at the heart of your spouses prayers? Many are the secret things you will not know (and that's O.K.), but remember God knows the secret things that are between Him and your spouse. Praying with your partner will unite your marriage bond; it definitely can't hurt it (My thoughts with Quiet Times for Couples, pg.170). Sherry