There’s an old Dorothy Norwood song I heard recently that goes, “Somebody, prayed for me, had me on their mind, they took the time and prayed for me. I am so glad they prayed...”.  Hearing that song recently brought out true thanksgiving and worship to God, for all of those throughout the years that have taken time to pray for me - Mom, Dad, Grandparents, etc... Surely we can (and should) pray to God for ourselves, but there is something really special when someone cares enough to walk side by side with you by talking to God for and about you.

A recent study reveals, married couples that pray for one another, divorce at a rate of less than 1% . I like looking at it from the other perspective, a couple that prays together has a greater than 99% chance of staying together. What these couples enjoy is a God centered connection that is ushering intimacy into multiple areas of their marriage. It reminds me of the early years of the biblical marriage of Isaac and Rebekah. During those years they submit themselves to each other and God in ways that still speaks wisdom to us today.

Presentation Isaac took time to push aside his personal agenda and pray to God for Rebekah, who was unable to have children at the time (Genesis 25:21). His prayer is best understood as Isaac presenting himself before the Lord, for Rebekah’s sake. The Hebrew words, paint a picture of Isaac physically showing up in front of God - out of concern for Rebekah. His concern was a depth of commitment that exceeded hasty words and set aside time to go to God.

In our modern marriages, we are bombarded with so many responsibilities inside and outside of the home that grab our attention - daily. However, the committed time presenting ourselves to God “on behalf of” our spouse is invaluable for our spiritual intimacy with God, and our intimacy (connectedness) with our mate.

Commitment In Genesis 25:20, Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. When Rebekah conceived in v. 26, Isaac was 60 years old. So presumably Isaac’s prayed on behalf of his wife for a span of 20 years. He just kept showing up before God day after day, for his wife - without seeing any results but presenting himself to God faithfully.

Praying to God for Your Husband or Wife • Tonight, ask your spouse to give you their top three personal goals for the next three months. • Commit to going to God on behalf of your spouse for these goals. • Pray that God will intimately connect you and your spouse with Him.

1 Article: Husbands and Wives located at http://www.prayerguide.org.uk/husbands.htm

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Edward is the author of Husbands, Wives, God: Introducing the Marriages of the Bible to Your Marriage. The overall premise of the book is that Husbands and Wives can build better relationships with each other by building a better relationship with God. Edward is on ordained Christian minister, living in Baltimore, Md. with his wife and son. The book is available at edwardclee.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Amazon.com, independent Christian bookstores and as an e-book on Amazon’s Kindle.

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