MY THOUGHTS on Stormie OMartian's "The Power of a Praying Wife"
Chapter 8: HIS FEARS

I have to admit, that in looking for a man, one of the things I "wanted" was someone who was "fearless".  I have been scared of many things (still am) and so in my mind, I wanted someone that would "take care of me".  I guess I watched too many Disney movies growing up, and I wanted someone to come in and rescue me... uh, every day... tee hee... I have to say, that I married a man who would wrestle a snake to the ground if needed, gets the mouse when I'm screaming on the chair, protects me from any birds that might seek to destroy me (while he's laughing of course, cuz I'm really afraid of birds... seriously), holds me when I have a "bad dream" (even when they're really dumb), and gets up in the middle of the night to "save the day" from any noise I THINK I've heard.  He's much more "daring" than I've ever been (or I'm sure ever will be) and has the scars to prove it, and whenever a child has been hurt and bleeding... he has ALWAYS been the calming force... right down to the moments our second child came out not breathing... I found out afterward he was scared, but he never showed it.

So while there have been very few times that I've seen my husband afraid, when we were walking through the most stressful times in our lives financially... and when we had no idea what the future would hold... I began to see a different kind of fear in my husband as he began to question things...

When fear seizes us, tormenting and ruling our lives, we have become captive to it.  Men are often susceptible to that because without even realizing it, they get attacked by the "what if's."  "What if I can't make enough money?"  "What if something happens to my wife and children?"  "What if I get a terrible disease?"  "What if my business fails?"  "What if I can't be a good father:"  "What if I become disabled and cant' work to support my family?"  "What if I'm overpowered or threatened?"  "What if I can't perform sexually?"  "What if no one respects me?"  "What if I'm in an accident?"  "What if I die?"  -Stormie OMartian (p.87)

My husband had so many questions that were unanswered and he began to become very depressed as fear began to take over.  He was the "sole provider" and what was going to happen to us weighed HEAVILY on him.  He didn't question God... he didn't stop believing... but he HAD become so consumed with the circumstances that he was no longer able to stand back and KNOW (like the kind of know that you FEEL?) that everything was going to be okay.  He was scared of what was going to happen, not to him, but to me and his family.  It was through those times that I let him know we weren't going anywhere.  He apologized so many times for "putting us" where we were at... and I reminded him that we were right where we supposed to be.  He NEEDED to hear those words from me...

He also needed me to pray for him... and I did.  I knew that he needed to have a boldness that would come only from God... and I still pray that for him today because for what it is that God has called him to do... he can't be hesitant.

When you have the fear [respect] of the Lord, God promises to deliver you from your enemies (2  Kings 17:39), protect you from evil (Proverbs 16:6), keep His eye on you (Psalm 33:18), show you His mercy (Luke 1:50), give you riches and honor (Proverbs 22:4), supply everything you need (Psalm 34:9), reveal all you need to know (Psalm 25:14), bless your children and grandchildren (Psalm 103:17), give you confidence (Proverbs 14:26), a satisfying life (Proverbs 19:23), longevity (Proverbs 10:27), and the desires of your heart (Psalm 145:19).  -Stormie OMartian (p.89)

Whether your husband is a Christ Follower or not, pray for him to respect/fear the Lord so he fears nothing else.  Pray for him to be bold and don't take away how God created him.  Don't emasculate your husband... he is a man and they are different from us... God made it that way.  Pray for him to not be fearful of the world, but to embrace God so he might be fearless.  Just think... a man who feared ONLY God... wow... now THAT'S a man that the enemy would fear!

MY PRAYER: 
Dear Heavenly Father,  You have said "do not be afraid" and I pray that in the times my husband begins to feel afraid, that You would whisper those very words into his ear.  I pray for my husband to be a man that fears only You, and that through embracing You... he is completely fearless.  You have called him and You have a purpose for him.  Please help me to never make him hesitate Lord.  Let me not "mother him" but be his wife who supports him and trusts in his leading by You.  May Your word soak into his entire being that he becomes saturated by only You.  Give him strength Lord to walk the road You have laid before him and give him the courage to walk it BOLDLY.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

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It's not too late to join us for the month of June as we pray for our husbands!  You can check out more about it by clicking the following link: S.H.M.I.L.Y. for 30 days of prayer...  Please share a link to your blog post if you've made one on this chapter!