Welcome!
Passage: Psalm 128
Today: When all else fails, try this!
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5, ESV)
Everyone lives with expectations- expecting others to behave a certain way
Parents expect it from their children and children, from their parents
Spouses expect it from the “the other half”; when they don’t, it creates a “gap” and various types of reactions!
We live at a time when more and more people are saying “no” to the other person, when things don’t go the way people expect
But then, are we expected to live in a way the other person expects, so that we can just avoid conflicts? What if “I am right” and the other person is wrong?
So, many people stop “expecting”, and they finally say, “I can’t change him/her; they are like that and will not change!”
Some others keep on yelling at the other person all their life, even though nothing changes for good; they do it every day, like a “job”!
Some just walk away!
Many of us even expect God to do things the way we want it; if not, we “quit”!
We want our company/employer to behave the way we want; we want them to give us raise/promotions as we want it!
This “remote control mentality” will not work all the time; many parents get tired of telling their children to study or live a certain way, and they get upset when nothing works, except spoiling their relationships. That child has to feel in his/her heart that they should do things in the right way. All the saying and “yelling” may be like pouring water onto a vessel turned upside down!
But there is still hope; try prayer!
Prayer changes people; If you are tired telling the same thing over and over to the other person, divert that energy into prayer; start praying for that person
You WILL see change! But there is only one problem; it may not be the other person that God starts working on first; it may be you-the praying person
If you can “afford” that, go ahead; pray!
The only one we cannot change through prayer, is God!
You read that right; the only one we cannot change through prayer, is God!
Look at the sun; the sun is always shining the same way. We can either get under a shade or go out in the sun and get more heat & light; we change our position and not the sun!
When we pray, God changes us and He changes the various things/people around us! The final answer could be “yes”, “no” or “wait”!
God is always good; He never wants to keep our blessings away from us
When we are willing to wait and pray, God will do it for us; don’t rush!
Have a great day!
BG
Prayer: Lord, 8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! (Ps 143, ESV)
The greatest miracle that God will do when we pray, is that he will change us first!