I once participated in a small group, where the leader had asked everyone for prayer requests. It’s a pretty common thing, I suppose, for us in small groups to be willing to share some of the struggles we are going through. In fact, it is actually on of my favorite parts of “doing live together!” It’s such a humbling reminder as we think about all the ways God has answered prayer in the lives of those we care about.
But that one particular time, one of the guys in the group was struggling. He said of a particular struggle, “I just don’t know what to say to make my wife feel better!” As we shared in his pain, quietly…as men of do, the time came to pray together. I vividly remember this guy pouring his heart out and asking God to give him “Words of Life” for his wife and for his kids.
This impacted me deeply. I’m a pretty candid, mater-of-fact kind of guy. It had never, in my life, occurred to me to ask that God would give me “Words of Life” for my wife or anyone! And yet it struck me how powerful the request was. We thrive on God’s Living Word, we look to others we admire for words of praise or encouragement. What a powerful, life-giving thing to have Words of Life to pour into our spouses, children, family members and friends! Consider asking God if he will give you such a gift, to pay forward to those who are around you today.