Standing in Awe of Prayer!

Yesterday morning I wrote in my prayer journal, "I pray Jason would express more of his thoughts to me. ... Allow him to freely open up to me about You, life, love, etc." My husband is an amazing man who is a private person by nature. Not secretive, mind you, but private. He doesn't like sharing his thoughts with anyone. He will gladly share his heart with me when I ask him or if something sparks a conversation between us, but rarely does he rush in and share what is on his heart or how the Lord is convicting him, etc. (I hope I painted that in a positive light because it isn't a complaint about him, but it is different from my personality and we are still learning how to do life together).

A few hours after writing down that prayer, my husband and I had a (rare) quiet moment in the kitchen when all three children were playing peacefully in another room. All of a sudden, my husband said, "I want to talk to you about something that I've been struggling with lately." I almost stopped breathing and wanted to cry over the Lord's goodness for answering my prayer request that quickly. In nearly eight years of marriage, there have been very few times Jason has started a conversation of that depth and vulnerability on his own. Sure we talk about work situations, raising children, Bible studies, and our marriage regularly, but this conversation wasn't something that directly involved me or our marriage; rather it was something between him and the Lord and he chose to share it with me. It was an honor for him to confide in me and trust me with his heart.

I began thinking about how the Lord answered my prayer so promptly! Why am I surprised when this happens? I shouldn't be, and yet I often forget the power that is behind prayer and the amazing God we serve who not only listens to us when we talk to Him, but is actively at work in our lives. I don't want to forget, neglect, or downplay how powerful prayer is! As a wife, I never want to do a disservice to my husband by not praying over every single aspect of his life and our marriage. The smallest prayer can change the course of everything. Wow, I am standing in awe of the gift of prayer!

As I was praising the Lord for this moment, He gently led me to the truth that He had put it on my heart that morning to pray for Jason. By doing so, He was preparing my heart to listen to Jason and be a supportive wife in that moment. Because I had prayed that prayer earlier, when the moment came, I dropped everything to listen to my husband rather than continuing to do the dishes. Over the past 24 hours, I have reflected on the many times something "random" has come to mind during my prayer time or throughout the day. Sadly, rather than bringing it before the Lord, I simply dismissed it as a fleeting thought. It makes me wonder if those thoughts were prompting of the Holy Spirit that should have become prayers. We shouldn't take lightly the times when people, places, or things come to mind, but rather, we should take those opportunities to pray for those "random" thoughts. You never know how God wants to use those prayers to prepare You for something and to work in other's lives.

How do you stay mindful of the power behind prayer? How can I be praying for you? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail!