Colossians 3:23 - "God Of All My Days"

Saturday nights are normally praying for pastors. Last night the Lord had me praying for pastor's wives. I know there are a lot of lady pastors who have husbands but He did not have me praying for them. It was for those with wives. There are a lot of pastor wives who feel cheated because of the time their husband spends doing ministry. Many of them refuse to be involved because they feel they are not the one called. If God called a man who is married, He is also calling the wife to be supportive of her husband. I have listened to many pastor's wives who are not happy because they feel like their husband is taken advantage of or their children are not accepted as they are. The most important thing to remember as a pastor's family is God is not the enemy. He loves us and will equip us. He will enable us to love with His love when we will accept His love. He will enable us to not let our hearts be hardened when difficult people are in our lives. He will encourage us if we will accept His encouragement. He will give us His words as we speak, His actions as we live, and His attitude as we go throughout our days when we live in His presence. When we were first at Willard, I wanted to be the best pastor's wife I could be. I wanted to have the people in the church happy with me so whatever anyone asked, I did. I was working full-time, traveling over an hour each way to work five days a week, still had one child at home, and thought I could be super woman. That is not what the Lord desired of me. His desire was that I be His daughter, doing His work. He desired I would realize it was not about what people thought about me but instead was about what He wanted of me. One morning as I was getting ready to go to work He gave me Colossians 3:23-24...

This verse explains what He desires of us, no matter where He has placed us in life. When we live in this manner, we will spend all of our days with Him whether on this earth or in heaven. That means we cannot let people get under our skin. It means we need to keep our focus on God and not people. I have learned many times that the enemy will use people to try to get our focus off of God. He will use people to make us doubt ourselves and others. He is powerful but not near as powerful as our Heavenly Father. People's expectations of who we should be are not what is important. The way we parent our children, how we keep our house, etc. should not be up for debate and it won't be unless we allow it. Whether we are a pastor's wife or not, we must remember God is the Only One we need to answer to. We lived in a parsonage for fifteen years. During those years there were a few times when I felt like 'my space' was invaded but there was nothing major like some horror stories I have heard. But I really think it's because of our attitude toward the people of the church. It is a two-way street with showing respect and love. If people do not see it in us, they are more apt to not give it to us. This is true in all relationships. If a person is unapproachable or makes a point of unloving, it will be hard for people to love and accept them. Last night the Lord had me praying for pastor's wives who are...

• not happy with being a pastor's wife
• not accepting that God has called their husband to be a pastor
• not adjusting to a new place of ministry
• feeling like they are not good enough or their children are not good enough
• allowing the enemy too much of a foothold in their life
• feeling like their husband spends too much time doing ministry
• needing a friend they can share their disappointments of life with
• are not being supportive of their husband's ministry

This seemed like a weird night of praying since I wasn't directly praying for pastors. But in reality I was. If a pastor's wife is not happy, there will be stress in the home. A pastor needs full support of their spouse. They need to have a spouse who not only supports them through actions but most importantly through prayer. If a pastor goes into the pulpit knowing their spouse is upset with someone in the congregation, there is a great chance they will be distracted in their preaching. There is a saying, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." That sounds funny yet unfortunately it is so true. The wife/mother in a household sets the tone of how the household is. God desires godly women who love with His love, no matter what circumstances they are going through. He desires spiritually sound women who will look to Him instead of people. When He calls men with wives into ministry, He is calling the wives as well.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the opportunity to pray for pastor's wives. I'm sure there would be some who would bring up the fact there are a lot of pastor's husbands too but that is not who You had me pray for. I pray for more pastor's wives to realize what You desire of them in the role You have called them to. Father, I do not understand the road I am on as a pastor but I do know at this moment You have me on the road of being a pastor's wife. I pray You will cleanse me daily so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. Open my eyes to how I can be more supportive of Doc. May the desires of Your heart be the desires of my heart. May I have Your words, actions, and attitude throughout this day. Father, thank You for being the One To Call Me. Amen.