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Hearing the Heart of Your Spouse

Glen Solberg
3 hours ago
4 min read

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if You will only look on Your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget Your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”  1 Samuel 1:9-11

 

 

I am not sure when I first realized it as a husband – and I certainly cannot remember the exact day it happened. But it is something that I now long to hear. And it happens often when my wife and I pray together.

 

What is it? When I hear my bride's heart expressed in the words she prays. I hear her express things as she cries out to the Lord that truly are the cries of her heart – for our marriage, for our kids, grandkids, and extended family – in any and every avenue of our lives.

 

In the above passage, Hannah was calling out to the Lord in desperation. We see her emotions since the text shares that she was in “deep anguish” and that she was “weeping bitterly.” She had not been able to conceive a child in all the years of her marriage, so she was crying out from the depths of her heart for the Lord to give her a son. The Lord granted her heartfelt request as Hannah became the mother of Samuel, who was a great Old Testament prophet.

 

Jesus also shared an important truth on this in Luke 6:45, “…For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” What is in our hearts will flow out of our mouths – and we have the opportunity to share the depths of our hearts as we pray.

 

The Lord wants us to pray from our heart as Hannah did. We don't have to be in anguish or pain to pray from the depth of our heart. “We can pray fervently out of joy, love and positive emotions as well. We can express our thankfulness to God for wonderful things like marriage, the birth of a child, healings, the beauty of His creation, and the way He has fulfilled our needs. We can rejoice in the knowledge of His truth and the perfection of His plan. Whether in anguish or joy or thanksgiving, every one of our prayers should be from our hearts.” (1)

 

The opportunity we have to hear our spouse's heart as they pray is one of the main reasons my wife and I strongly encourage every couple we know to pray out loud together. This out loud prayer as husband and wife, at times, opens up a window in the soul of my spouse that I may not hear any other way.

 

As you consider this, please keep in mind one more important truth: Prayer is simply talking to God. You don’t have to use impressive words or sound like a Pastor or Church Leader. Just share from your heart in an honest way. The Lord loves our honest talks with Him!

 

 

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

  • Do you want to grow your connection with your spouse?

  • Do you want to understand more of their heart?

  • Do you believe God wants to hear what you have to say to Him?

 

If you answered “YES” to any of the above questions, then we strongly encourage you to take the step of faith and pray out loud together with your spouse today. It is a step on the journey to a deeper connection as a couple that we don't want you to miss!

 

 

Discuss: Take 2-3 minutes to discuss what you just read together. Talk with your spouse about anything you found insightful or challenging. Consider taking a step of faith based on what you read today.

 

 

Suggested Prayer:  Lord, I thank You for giving us Hannah's example of heartfelt prayer – prayer that You heard and answered. Help us as a couple to more and more consistently pray prayers from the heart – prayers of desperation as well as prayers of rejoicing. Help us to care less about how we sound in prayer, and more about truly, deeply connecting with You through those prayers. And may the words of our mouths as we pray be full of thanksgiving and truly glorify You. In the Name of Jesus! Amen.

 

 

FURTHER STEPS TO CONSIDER:

 

(1) Podcast:  My wife and I did a podcast on praying together as a couple. In that podcast, we share a lot more to encourage any couple to get started or restarted in this important way of connecting spiritually. You can find that podcast using one of the links below:

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Online Articles:

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Books You Can Consider Purchasing:

 

The Marriage Gift: 365 Prayers for Our Marriage. An excellent resource to help couples pray together daily.  Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/07dqLkDh

 

Growing Your Spiritual Connection: A 28-Day Journey for Couples. A helpful resource so couple can form the consistent habit if praying together.  Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/0fhT7A4P

 

 

 

 

SOURCE:

1) Online Post:  Life Hope and Truth website: Prayer from the Heart

 

Written by Glen Solberg, Abiding Marriage July 2021. All Rights Reserved. Please email us at info@AbidingMarriage.org with any comments or questions.

 

Photo by Alleksana on Pexels

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