He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

I loved that song as a child.

And now I love the "grown-up" version of it by the Christian band Fee.
I've been listening to "Arms That Hold the Universe" on repeat for days now.

And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It's gonna be alright
And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He's in control
He will never let you go

No matter how old you get there is comfort in knowing that Someone greater than you is in control. Despite how chaotic this world often seems, I have to hold onto my belief that God has a plan - and that His plans are always for good.

When I'm in the middle of "the darkness"- whether it's a migraine or the death of a loved one - it's nice to become childlike and simply "rest" in those arms that are big enough to hold the whole world. Most of the time this seemingly blind faith is enough to get me through.

For the times when I start to question, though, my faith requires a bit more information from this all-powerful God. But that is for another post.

Today, I feel safe and content just singing along with Fee.

The Praying Wife

I love Stormie Omartian's book The Power of a Praying Wife. I try to pray for Warren on a regular basis, and her book gives great Biblically based outlines for how to pray for him. I thought I'd share the prayer I pray the most (from pages 44-46 of the book).

"Lord, help me to be a good wife. I fully realize that I don't have what it takes to be one without Your help. Take my selfishness, impatience, and irritability and turn them into kindness, long-suffering, and the willingness to bear all things. Take my old emotional habits, mindsets, automatic reactions, rude assumptions, and self-protective stance, and make me patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. Take the hardness of my heart and break down the walls with Your battering ram of revelation. Give me a new heart and work in me Your love, peace, and joy (Galatians 5:22,23). I am not able to rise above who I am at this moment. Only You can transform me...

I lay all my expectations at Your cross. I release my husband from the burdens of fulfilling me in areas where I should be looking to You. Help me to accept him the way he is and not try to change him. I realize that in some ways he may never change, but at the same time, I release him to change in ways I never thought he could. I leave any changing that needs to be done in Your hands, fully accepting that neither of us is perfect and never will be. Only you, Lord, are perfect and I look to You to perfect us...

I pray that our commitment to You and to one another will grow stronger and more passionate every day. Enable him to be the head of the home as You made him to be, and show me how to support and respect him as he rises to that place of leadership. Help me to understand his dreams and see things from his perspective. Reveal to me what he wants and needs and show me potential problems before they arise. Breathe Your life into this marriage."