“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).
To be extraordinary is to be out of the ordinary, remarkable, special. We all have a desire to be special, and there should be a desire in our hearts as wives to be extraordinary wives to our husbands.
The first thing that we need to address if we are to be extraordinary wives is our relationship with God. Our walk with God will have untold influence on our relationship with our husbands. All of our horizontal relationships hinge upon our vertical relationship with God.
We live in a busy, non-stop world. If we are to survive, we must have a meaningful relationship with God. We need to make sure that each day we take time to “be still and know that He is God.”
Each woman’s daily time with God will look differently, but each requires these basic, common elements:
- Time in the Word. The Bible is God’s letter to us. It contains something new and fresh for us each and every day. Make sure that you spend time in the Word! There is no set formula for how much or how long we should read God’s Word. It is better to read one verse and get something to ponder throughout the day than to read five chapters and get nothing. Just checking the box for “devotions done” does not necessarily strengthen the inner man. Each day, ask God to show you something from His Word. Many years ago, a dear pastor’s wife gave me a verse to start my day: Psalm 143:8. “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift my soul unto thee.” I pray this verse back to God each morning before I begin my Bible reading. He is faithful to give me something from His Word each day.
- Time in Prayer. Prayer is hugely important! There is so much involved—confession, repentance, praise, thanksgiving, and requests.
- Confession and repentance. When going to God, we must first make sure our hearts are clean. Ask God to reveal anything that hinders His work in our lives. Ps. 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” We must make sure the channel is open for our prayers to get through to God.
- Spend time praising God for Who He is. We love it when people say nice things about us. God loves the praise of His people. Therefore, praise God for His attributes. God inhabits the praises of His people.
- Thanksgiving is the way to enter into God’s presence. Ps. 100:4 says, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Spend time each day thanking God for all He has done and will do for you, keeping in mind that thanksgiving is for all areas of our life—the good and the bad. Ask God to help you see good even in the not-so-good areas. Learn to be a thankful person. Don’t constantly take from God and never offer thanksgiving to Him. Phil. 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Once the way is clear through confession and we have entered into God’s presence with praise and thanksgiving, we are ready to make our requests. Ask God to make you the extraordinary wife that you need to be.
We all desire to have an extraordinary marriage—to be an extraordinary wife. This all begins with our relationship with God. Seek Him, spend time with Him, and He will make you an Extraordinary wife!
Action Points:
- Seek to set aside a time each day to be alone with God in the Word.
- In your daily time with God, be sure to incorporate confession, repentance, praise, and thanksgiving before you bring your requests to God.
This chapter was written by Debbie Vaughan, wife of Harold Vaughan.
This chapter is taken from “The Extraordinary Wife”. CLICK HERE to order a copy of the book.
