Sign up for our free newsletter:

Key Bible Verse: She is your equal partner … If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard (1 Peter 3:7). Bonus Reading: 2 Samuel 6:16–23

What triggered Michal's reaction [in today's Bonus Reading]? I believe part of her hurt was feeling like a spectator in the life of her own husband, an outsider in the palace she grew up in. She watched, but was powerless to influence his thinking or actions.

Recently I sat down with a young couple, Tony and Ann, engaged in a growing ministry to people in a number of churches. To help me understand their relationship and how it impacted the work they were attempting with others, I asked Ann, "If you were to die this week, how would your husband's ministry and life be changed?"

A silence fell in the room. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I really don't think anything would change at all."

Tony sat there, wringing his hands, probably wishing he could be somewhere else. He didn't need a lecture on how God puts a man and a woman together to increase their effectiveness. But he did need to occasionally stop his breakneck pace to listen to Ann. He said, "I know I need to communicate to her more that I need her, but how do I do that?"

My response was simple: "By really needing her."

—James Walker in Husbands Who Won't Lead & Wives Who Won't Follow

My Response: How can I make my wife feel needed?

Adapted from Husbands Who Won't Lead & Wives Who Won't Follow (Bethany, 1989, 2000) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Thank you, God, for granting me a life partner. Help us to realize the oneness You intended for us—in spirit as well as in body.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help