These past few months, along with time of Bible study and prayer at home, I have spent many hours in prayer and listening to God's Word on MP3 while I work. I thank the Lord for providing me with a job where I have about 5 to 6 hours per day to listen to Scripture, messages on audio (many from NCFIC ,Voddie Baucham
, and more) and I often have great opportunity to pray. In these times, I have often considered especially my role as husband and father.
When I arrive at home each night, I have enjoyed talking with my wife about the events of the day, the struggles with the children's school work, issues of child training and character development in our older children, and a thousand other precious discussions with my beloved wife and friend. With shame I admit that rather than putting into faithful practice these things we glean from God's Word, I often lack perseverance, I struggle, and far too often I fail, but I praise God for His mercy and faithfulness. I am exceedingly thankful for prayer in these times, and I have seen many answers to my prayers if I am patient enough to wait on the Lord and wise enough to hear His voice.
This afternoon as my 3 year old son feel asleep in my arms (in "my" comfy spot in my bed) I cried out to the Lord in prayer, with tears in my eyes and a burning pain in my heart. I cannot even come close to explaining the strain on the mind and heart of a husband and father who feels woefully inadequate, yet knows the command and calling of the Lord of all creation on his life, whose only desire is to be counted a faithful servant in the eyes of the Lord. I pray that I never forget this passion that I feel today. From the depths of my soul I cry out to God and trust He will answer a prayer of faith and obedience to supply my need in this hour.
My Father in Heaven, You are the creator and sustainer of my life. You know the failures of my body, you designed my brain and you know why it is failing as it is(I suffer from a chronic neurological dysfunction). You may heal me or things may grow worse with pain, tremors, and confusion. Lord, I am pleading with you, not to take away the trial, but to give me strength to endure it, to grow through it, and to even rejoice and find joy in You even in the worst of trying days.
Jesus is my Savior and Lord, the lover of my soul, the One who gave His own life and sacrificed himself so that I might have life. Help me to walk in His steps rather than to continually stumble on these rocks in the path. Help me to walk as He walked, faithfully taking each step trusting Him who judges righteously. He is my excellent example in all things.
By your Spirit, breathe in me the breath of life in a new and living way today. Help me to truly see with clarity the Kingdom of God as Jesus explained it to Nicodemus (John 3). Speak to me and guide me as I seek to love and lead my wife, to raise up godly children and walk as an example worth following. I know that to be like Christ is beyond my ability, but with your life and breath in me I know I am able to do all you have called me to do.
Lord, when I can't explain my feelings, my fears, and my hopes for my family, help me to live them out in every way. Help me to walk away from distractions that seem innocuous but truly are sinful if I allow them to distract me from full obedience to you! Give me wisdom to truly enjoy time with my family. Don't allow me to just be in their presence physically yet far away in spirit. You have made me for a purpose, I believe in you and am born of your Holy Spirit. Equip and help me to teach my children to walk in your ways when they lie down, when they rise up, when we walk by the way, to be a walking, talking image of Christ Jesus that they can trust, who they will speak with honestly even when they fail and succumb to temptation. Help me to be merciful as you are merciful to me.
Thank you for my wife, for the strength of her character. Thank you for her love and submission that comes from fully trusting You to protect and lead our family through me as her spiritual head. Thank you for the encouragement she is to me, her unfailing example of faithfulness, of compassion and mercy, things which I fail to exemplify so often. Thank you for each one of my unique and precious children. Thank you for showing your diverse creative ways through their lives, their personalities. Help me to help and not hinder what you created them to be, but let me see them through your eyes and trust you to protect and guide them in every aspect of their future.
Thank you for giving me life, for calling me to yourself, for saving a wretched sinner who deserves judgement, for giving mercy time and time again. Thank you for not throwing in the towel on me as I deserve. Thank you for reminding me that my job as a husband is one exemplified in Christ, my job as a father is modeled in You, that there is nothing you have called me or commanded me to do that I can do on my own, but that I can do all these through Christ who gives me strength.
I commit myself today to your provision, protection, guidance, and I wish to obey you with all my heart, every action of my body, and every thought in my mind. So much I long to truly be like my Lord, my Master, to live worthy of being called "Christian" in every sense of the word. I ask all these things, humbly coming before your throne through the name of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
, and more) and I often have great opportunity to pray. In these times, I have often considered especially my role as husband and father.When I arrive at home each night, I have enjoyed talking with my wife about the events of the day, the struggles with the children's school work, issues of child training and character development in our older children, and a thousand other precious discussions with my beloved wife and friend. With shame I admit that rather than putting into faithful practice these things we glean from God's Word, I often lack perseverance, I struggle, and far too often I fail, but I praise God for His mercy and faithfulness. I am exceedingly thankful for prayer in these times, and I have seen many answers to my prayers if I am patient enough to wait on the Lord and wise enough to hear His voice.
This afternoon as my 3 year old son feel asleep in my arms (in "my" comfy spot in my bed) I cried out to the Lord in prayer, with tears in my eyes and a burning pain in my heart. I cannot even come close to explaining the strain on the mind and heart of a husband and father who feels woefully inadequate, yet knows the command and calling of the Lord of all creation on his life, whose only desire is to be counted a faithful servant in the eyes of the Lord. I pray that I never forget this passion that I feel today. From the depths of my soul I cry out to God and trust He will answer a prayer of faith and obedience to supply my need in this hour.
My Father in Heaven, You are the creator and sustainer of my life. You know the failures of my body, you designed my brain and you know why it is failing as it is(I suffer from a chronic neurological dysfunction). You may heal me or things may grow worse with pain, tremors, and confusion. Lord, I am pleading with you, not to take away the trial, but to give me strength to endure it, to grow through it, and to even rejoice and find joy in You even in the worst of trying days.
Jesus is my Savior and Lord, the lover of my soul, the One who gave His own life and sacrificed himself so that I might have life. Help me to walk in His steps rather than to continually stumble on these rocks in the path. Help me to walk as He walked, faithfully taking each step trusting Him who judges righteously. He is my excellent example in all things.
By your Spirit, breathe in me the breath of life in a new and living way today. Help me to truly see with clarity the Kingdom of God as Jesus explained it to Nicodemus (John 3). Speak to me and guide me as I seek to love and lead my wife, to raise up godly children and walk as an example worth following. I know that to be like Christ is beyond my ability, but with your life and breath in me I know I am able to do all you have called me to do.
Lord, when I can't explain my feelings, my fears, and my hopes for my family, help me to live them out in every way. Help me to walk away from distractions that seem innocuous but truly are sinful if I allow them to distract me from full obedience to you! Give me wisdom to truly enjoy time with my family. Don't allow me to just be in their presence physically yet far away in spirit. You have made me for a purpose, I believe in you and am born of your Holy Spirit. Equip and help me to teach my children to walk in your ways when they lie down, when they rise up, when we walk by the way, to be a walking, talking image of Christ Jesus that they can trust, who they will speak with honestly even when they fail and succumb to temptation. Help me to be merciful as you are merciful to me.
Thank you for my wife, for the strength of her character. Thank you for her love and submission that comes from fully trusting You to protect and lead our family through me as her spiritual head. Thank you for the encouragement she is to me, her unfailing example of faithfulness, of compassion and mercy, things which I fail to exemplify so often. Thank you for each one of my unique and precious children. Thank you for showing your diverse creative ways through their lives, their personalities. Help me to help and not hinder what you created them to be, but let me see them through your eyes and trust you to protect and guide them in every aspect of their future.
Thank you for giving me life, for calling me to yourself, for saving a wretched sinner who deserves judgement, for giving mercy time and time again. Thank you for not throwing in the towel on me as I deserve. Thank you for reminding me that my job as a husband is one exemplified in Christ, my job as a father is modeled in You, that there is nothing you have called me or commanded me to do that I can do on my own, but that I can do all these through Christ who gives me strength.
I commit myself today to your provision, protection, guidance, and I wish to obey you with all my heart, every action of my body, and every thought in my mind. So much I long to truly be like my Lord, my Master, to live worthy of being called "Christian" in every sense of the word. I ask all these things, humbly coming before your throne through the name of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
