S)"16 'Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.'"
Genesis 31:16 (NASB)
O) The world tries to paint this concept as something archaic, barbaric, and unjust. The Bible, however, shows an amazing blessing and joy through the principle of a wife who is submissive to her husband. The key, though, is that the husband must be obedient to whatever God has said to him. Obviously, there are wackos who do crazy, un-Biblical things, trying to claim that God told them to do so. A woman must have the presence of mind to know better (which should ultimately come through her own, individual, strong relationship with the LORD). The Bible makes it clear that men must treat their wives with honor and equality (1 Peter 3:7), but a marriage is truly blessed by a wife who is willing to trust her husband in his obedience to the LORD.
A) I am already blessed with a wife who does this. I have felt some pressure in the past, knowing she trusts me this way. It's a big responsibility, but that pressure is alieviated when I trust in God and I trust in what He's telling me to do. The really difficult part, as a husband, isn't the obedience itself, but being sure that I am hearing from God. It's crucial for me to practice hearing from God, for all intents and purposes. In our church's School of Ministry, we practice by praying for a person's vague request, then waiting to hear, see, or feel anything in our hearts, as a response from God. Then each of us who have prayed, silently write down what we think we got from God, then we share together. It's a profound practice in hearing from God and being able to "verify" it with other people who are trying to do the same. Obviously, there can be variances, but often, two or three people will be aligned in what they've written. It's how I first started to know if I was hearing from God, or simply conjuring random notions. More often than not, I hear from God when I ask and I am attentive to Him. I think, though, in reference to change and growth, I should be doing this more often about my own life. I already do this when I have a need or decision to make (like moving back to WA), but I want to do it without a question. I want to do it everyday, just to see what He might have to say. No specific dilemma or crisis, just seeing what God has to say about my upcoming day, or week, or life.
P) Father, let me know Your will. Holy Spirit, speak to me whatever the Father would have me know. Increase my faith to believe what I hear. Continue to give me discernment and wisdom to understand what is from You and what is not. Give me the strength and courage to take action with what I hear. Let me be bold in my obedience. Remind me to do this everyday, starting now. Help me clear my mind and schedule each morning, and give You the time and attention You deserve. Then, speak with me. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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