The Power of Praying Wife - Chapter 2

His Work

Here is two completely opposite scenarios:

"Bill seldom works. He is willing to let his wife, Kim, support the family while he pursues his dream. The Problem is that Kim is not content to bear the entire burden of supporting the family on her shoulders indefinitely and Bill has been pursuing his dream for 17 years with nothing to show for it. I believe the root of Bill's inactivity is fear. He is afraid that if he doesn't get the job of his dreams, he will end up in a job that he hates and be stuck there forever.

Steven is working himself to death. He can never rest and enjoy the success of his labour. He seldom spends time with his family and his teenagers are fast approaching adulthood. He doesn't work that hard because he has to, but because he is afraid. He fears that if he ever stops, he will be worth nothing in everyone's eyes, including his own.

These are extreme examples of how a man can relate to his work. On the one hand is laziness - avoiding work out of selfishness, fear, lack of confidence, depression or apprehension about the future. Of the lazy, God says, " As a door turns on its hinges, so does the lazy man on his bed. Proverbs 26:14"
(Drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. Proverbs 23:21) (The desire of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns. Proverbs 15:19) (The desire of the lazy man kills him, for his hands refuse to labour Proverbs 21:25) In other words, a lazy man will never get anywhere, he will never have anything he will have a rough road ahead and it will ultimately destroy him.

The opposite extreme is workaholism - obsessing over work to the exclusion of all else and losing one's life in the process. Of the workaholic God says: "So are the ways of everyone who is greed for gain; it takes away the life of its owners" Proverbs 1:19. 
"I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun" Ecclesiastes 2:11" In other words, workaholism is draining and pointless.

Neither extreme promotes happiness and fulfilment  Only a perfect balance between the two, which God can help a man find, will ever bring that quality of life. What causes a man to go to either extreme can be, oddly enough, the same reason: Fear.
That is because a man's identity is often very tied up in his work. He needs to be appreciated and he needs to win, and his work is often a means of seeing both happen. It frightens him to think he may never experience either. If he is doing work that is demeaning to him, he feels devalued as a person. If his work is not successful, he feels like a loser.

God recognises that a man's work is a source of fulfilment to him. He says there is nothing better than for a man to "enjoy the good of all his labour - it is the gift of God" (Ecc 3:13)
The fact that many men are not fulfilled in their work has less to do with what their work is than with whether or not they have a sense of purpose. a Man who doesn't have that can eventually come to a place where he has worked hard and long for so little reward that he no longer sees a future for himself - at lease not one worth living. If there's also the specter of age creeping up on him, he may hear words in his head like, "You're not valuable to anyone" "You're replaceable" "You can't do what you used to" etc.. This is a dangerous place for a man to be. 

Gary, his father, and his grandfather all had difficulty making a living. In Fact, it was very late in each of their lives before they were even able to discern what they were supposed to be doing. They went from job to job without any clear leading. They struggled financially. None of them had parents who prayed for them to have their gifts and talents revealed, to know the calling of God on their lives, to have doors opened to them, and to become all they were created to be. History tends to repeat itself without intervention of God.

I've observed that people who have had actively praying parents seem to find their life's work early. Their careers may not take off immediately  but they have a sense of purpose and destiny that propels them in the right direction. They don't live with the frustration and aimlessness that the others do. While many parents have an agenda for their children, not enough of them seek God's plan for their lives. When a child's life is left to chance that way, a kind of vocational wandering can result. There is needless floundering, disappointment, doubt and despair as he tries to carve out a place for himself. If your husband had that kind of start, your prayers can change his life.
If your husband didn't have praying parents, you can step in the gap. You can pray for his eyes to be opened to see what God wants him to do and where God is leading. Your prayers can help him feel appreciated and encouraged enough to recognise he has worth no matter what he does. You can assure him that God has uniquely gifted him with ability and talent and has something good ahead for him. Then pray for God to reveal it an open a door of opportunity which no man can shut. Your prayers can pave a path for him.

Even if your husband already has a successful career, it's still good to pray that he is where God wants him to be and that everything will continue to go smoothly. My husband, who is a songwriter and record producer, said he felt my prayers have prevented him from working with the wrong clients. He has never worked with anyone who is difficult, weird, evil or unsuitable which is nothing less than a miracle in his business. He knew i always prayed that God would lead him to the right people and remove from his path those who would be trouble. While our prayers cannot ensure a trouble free road for our husbands, they can certainly steer them clear of many problems. 

If your husband is a hard worker, make sure he has times of rest and enjoyment - to do things that entertain him and give him a reprieve from the with of a lifetime of supporting a family. Men need periods of refreshing. If they don't have them, they are prone to burnout and temptation of all kinds. 
Your prayers can help your husband understand that the true meaning of life doesn't come from work, it comes from following God. 


The Prayer:
Lord, I pray that You would bless the work of my husband's hands. May his labour bring not only favour  success and prosperity, but great fulfilment as well.
If the work he is doing is not in line with Your  perfect will for his life, reveal it to him. Show him what he should do differently and guide him down the right path. Give him strength  faith and a vision for the future so he can rise above any propensity for laziness.
May he never run from work out of fear, selfishness or a desire to avoid responsibility. On the other hand, help him to see that he doesn't have to work himself to death for a man's approval, or gasp for gain beyond what is a gift from You. Give him the ability to enjoy success without striving for more. Help him to excel but free him from the pressure to do so.
I Pray that You will be Lord over his work and may he bring You into every aspect of it. Give him enough confidence in the gifts You have placed in him to be able to seek, find and do good work. Open up doors of opportunity for him that no man can close. Develop his skills so that they grow more valuable with each passing year. Show me what i can do to encourage him.
I pray that his work will be established, secure, successful, satisfying and financially rewarding. May he not be "lagging in diligence  but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Rom 12:11) Let him be like a tree planted by the stream of Your living water, which brings forth fruit in due season. May he never wither under pressure, but grow strong and prosper. (Ps1:3)

Power Tools:

"Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men. Proverbs 22:29"

"Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. Proverbs 23:4,5"

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Matt 16:26"

"Let the beauty of our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands. Ps 90:17


(From the book, The Power of a Praying Wife, By Stormie Omartian)