Support

As yellow gold is tried in fire, so the faith of friendship must be seen in adversity.
— Ovid

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies
— make straight your way before me.
— Psalm 5:8

I have received many letters from ministers' spouses who are very concerned about you, their mates. They write about your anxieties, the number of hours you put in each week, and how fatigued you seem. They write about your time at home — when your body is with them, but your mind is elsewhere.

They write about the financial pressures you carry, both for the ministry and the home, and how frustrated you get when there is just no more to go around. They write that they wish you had a close friend with whom you could be open and honest.

So often they fear that you feel they don't really understand. They get frustrated when they see you taking heat from the contentious believers who care more about themselves than they do the body of Christ. They worry about your kids and how the children deal internally with what they see and hear.

But do you know that they write about most?

They talk about how much they love you, and how proud they are of you, and how often they pray for you.

You are blessed, my friend!

Why not resolve to let your spouse know regularly how much their support and prayers mean to you?

Taken from The Minister's Little Devotional Book.
Copyright © 1997 by H.B. London Jr. and Stan Toler.
Used by permission of RiverOak Publishing, Tulsa, Okla.
All rights reserved.