Genesis 25:21
Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
I know I have used this verse in a previous blog, but the other day I was praying and really felt a strong prompt to pray for my husband to pray for me. More than just to pray for me, to PLEAD with the Lord on my behalf.
Pleading with the Lord has a stronger emphasis than a simple "Lord let her have a baby". It carries weight. It carries a sense that Isaac felt the burden of his wife's struggle and became involved in way that goes beyond merely comforting his wife each month.
According to the dictionary, to plead is:
- An EMOTIONAL appeal
- To appeal earnestly - to BEG
- To use arguments and PERSUASIONS, as with a person, for or against something.
Far from being a passive type of prayer we can all be guilty of, particularly when asked to pray for someone, to PLEAD with the Lord meant that Isaac connected in a deep emotional way between how his wife was feeling. It meant that Isaac empathised with his wife and stepped into the gap with the Lord. It became an issue of importance to him, as well as to her. The fact that his wife was barren, and therefore a burden to her, meant that instead of leaving her to carry the burden herself, Issac took the load with her, and took it to the Lord.
I can imagine Isaac on his face before ADONAI, tears rolling down His face interceding and fasting, reminding God of the promises He had made to his father Abraham, that he was a child of the promise, reminding the Lord that it was His command in the first place for a husband and wife to be fruitful and to multiply, reminding the Lord that He was the Creator of life, and begging Him to change His mind on leaving Rebekah barren.
God listened.
God answered.
Rebekah conceived.
Father God I pray that You would stir up the hearts of the husbands, that they would connect with what their wives are going through and would step in the gap on their behalf. Lord I pray every husband who knows You, would connect with the journey his wife is on, and would connect with You, PLEADING with You to answer their heart's cry.
1 Corinthians 11:3 says that the man covers his wife, and I pray Father God that husbands would cover his wife through intercession, not because You will listen to him more than you will listen to us women, but because You want Him to walk with his wife on Your behalf. In Jesus name, I ask that You would send Your Holy Spirit to stir up the heart of every husband of the wife who reads this prayer, including my own.
