Read through the Bible in Two Years: Psalm 106, Exodus 35
“All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.”
Exodus 35:29 ESV
God had called Bezalel and Oholiab by name, giving them special skills and abilities to craft the beautiful tabernacle for the worship of the Lord, yet God also had a purpose for the entire congregation. Every man and every woman in the whole nation, everyone whose heart stirred them, everyone whose spirit moved them, were invited to contribute to the creation of the tabernacle.
Do you have some blue, purple, or scarlet yarn? How about some rams’ skins or goats’ skins, goats’ hair or fine linen? God needs you.
Do you have anything made of bronze, silver, or gold? How about some stones, spices, or oils? God needs you.
They didn’t have to have any particular skills. They just needed to have willing hearts.
What do you have to offer Him? A house? A job? An education? A child? A marriage? These are all gifts from Him, and He can use them all. Are you willing?
Heavenly Father, every hour of every day is a gift from You. My life is a gift, but so is my stuff. Every piece of furniture, every article of clothing. Every room in my house. Every child around my table. My husband sitting next to me. I offer them back to You. Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Stir my heart. Move my spirit. For Your glory and praise. Amen.
My Worth is Not in What I Own – Keith and Kristyn Getty
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 100, Exodus 29
Exodus 28, which I read yesterday, begins with these words to Moses. “Bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him … Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.”
Today, reading Exodus 29, I noticed that it was not only the priest, Aaron, but also his sons who were to be washed and consecrated in preparation for ministry to the Lord.
Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the head of the bull. (verse 10)
Aaron and his sons were to lay their hands on the heads of each of the rams. (verse 15, 19)
Moses was to spread blood on the right ears, thumbs, big toes, and garments of Aaron and his sons. (verse 20-21)
Aaron and his sons were to eat the flesh of the ram and the bread. (verse 32)
The Lord knew that the day would come when Aaron would pass into eternity, and He wanted Aaron’s sons to be prepared to carry on the office of priest.
Rather than using this time to talk about how much fathers ought to bring up their children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” like Ephesians 6:4 says … How about we talk about how we as mothers ought to bring up our children to follow the Lord?
Precious sisters, ladies, women of God, are we preparing ourchildren for adulthood – or are we expecting someone else to do it?
Are we discipling our children in the ways of God so they are ready for the day that we are no longer just an arm’s length (or a phone call) away?
Are we looking well to the ways of our own household with the teaching of kindness on our tongues? (Proverbs 31:26-27)
Are we following the examples of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice making sure that our children are well-acquainted with the scriptures from his childhood? (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15)
Are we being reverent older women, teaching what is good and so training the young women in our lives to love their husbands and children that the word of God may not be reviled? (Titus 2:3-5)
Let’s stop pointing fingers at our husbands and their shortcomings and start seeing our own need for an attitude adjustment. Our sons and daughters need us to train them up in the way they should go. It’s never too late.
Read the Bible with your children before they head to school today. Spend 10 minutes listening to them when they get off the bus today. Let them cook dinner with you today. Pray with them before they go to bed tonight. Start today. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
Next week marks the end of 23 years of homeschooling as my husband and I escort our youngest son across the graduation stage and he moves his tassle from the right side to the left. 100 days from today, he’ll go off to live in a dorm with other young men. I pray that I’ve prepared him well to carry the baton of faith and share it with the world.
“Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”
Psalm 71:18
Heavenly Father, being a mother is a hard job. I can’t do it without You, Lord. Please give me the strength and wisdom I need to train up my children in the way that they should go. Help me to lock arms with them and do life side-by-side with them. Make my eyes and ears attentive to their needs. Give me a multi-generational vision, seeing my children as the next generation of leaders. Let me not grow weary of well doing. When my own children are grown with children of their own, help me to train the next generation of young women for Your glory, too. May I know that it’s never too late to do good! In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 98, Exodus 25
“Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me.”
Exodus 25:2 ESV
The Lord had provided for the Israelite people by turning the hearts of the Egyptians to give to them. Now the Lord is asking the Israelites to give to Him. They had freely received, and now they are being asked to freely give.
Sometimes (oftentimes) it’s hard to give.
We feel like our lives and our things belong to us, forgetting that everything that we have is a gift from God, our good Father, the giver of every good gift. We forget that we are merely stewards of our time, talents, treasures and testimonies.
I was reminded of a beautiful passage in 2 Corinthians 9 when Paul was taking up a collection for some needy believers. Let’s take these words to heart – not merely listening to the Word, but doing what it says.
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 ESV
Heavenly Father, You have given to me so abundantly. I have more than I need. I have more food and more clothing and more home than I need. I have more free time than I need. You have blessed me with a husband who loves me and four incredible children as well as a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law and two little granddaughters. Thank you, Lord! I pray that I would be generous with all of these good gifts. Help me also to be generous with sharing my testimony and the truth of the Word that I have stored up as treasure in my heart. You have been so, so generous to me. Give me the strength to be generous toward others as a gift of gratitude to You. Inthe name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 92, Exodus 14-15
The Israelites are finally fleeing Egypt after watching God repeatedly pouring out His judgment on the Egyptians. He has proven to them again and again that He makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. (Exodus 11:7) And yet, God has led His people right up to the edge of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh’s army, including at least six hundred chariots, is on their heels.
“And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.””
Exodus 14:10b-12 ESV
Poor Moses. Doesn’t your heart just break for him? Leading is hard work. When the people following you are happy, that’s great, but what about when the “sheep are restless,” when they’re arguing and complaining and blaming you for everything? But, God. God is growing Moses’s faith, too. Listen to how Moses replies to the Israelites.
“And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.””
Exodus 14:13-14 ESV
And He does…. And He uses Moses to do it. Moses is the Lord’s chosen vessel. Moses is who God has called to lift his arms that the Lord would drive back the sea that the Israelites could walk through on dry land … and to lower his arms that the water covered the chariots and the horsemen and the whole host of Pharaoh’s army. (Exodus 14:21, 26-29)
“Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.”
Friends, God had purpose for His servant Moses, and God has purpose for You. The good works He has prepared for you may not look like Moses’s, but God has purpose for you nonetheless. (Ephesians 2:10)
And sometimes doing those very things that God wants you to do is going to result in persecution, ridicule, or disagreement.
Your boss might not like the high standard of honesty and integrity that you are determined to maintain. Keep it anyway.
Your kids might not like what you’re telling them to do. Tell them anyway.
Your parents may not agree with you even when you speak in the most humble, loving. honest way. Be willing to risk it for Him.
God’s ways aren’t always easy. Sometimes being His vessel is incredibly joyous, exciting, and totally awesome, but sometimes being His vessel gets you thrown in a well or a prison. Either way, it’s an honor and a privilege to be a servant of the living God.
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, What an honor it is to be love and used by You. It is glorious to be Your workmanship, to know that the God who put the stars in place calls me by name. As You had special purposes for Moses, You have a special purpose for me. Please lead me and guide me. Give me the wisdom and hunger for righteousness that I need to follow You fully. I love You, Lord. I want to follow You on that straight and narrow path all the days of my life. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord, I pray. Amen.
Turn Your Eyes – The Glorious Christ Live – Sovereign Grace
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12 ESV)
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:34-39 ESV)
Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 88, Exodus 10-11
When I was a teenager I was afraid of babies. No joke. I didn’t know how to handle them and I worried that I’d hurt them or something. I wanted to adopt all my children so I could get them when they were say about 2 or 3 years old, already potty trained and talking.
Now as a mom of four – including one who was adopted as a 6-month-old – I see the incredible value of the training that happens even in those first two years. Even the youngest child is learning how the world works. They are learning that their parents love them and take care of them – or not. They are learning that they are not the center of the world – or they are. They are learning to be patient, obedient, and humble – or not.
I am certain that God has a plan and purpose in having babies be born helpless and needy. God could’ve designed new lives to begin already grown and wise, but He didn’t. God intentionally places children into families for the good of the children … and the parents.
So, it’s no surprise that Pharaoh doesn’t want the Hebrew children to go worship with their parents, and it’s no surprise that Moses insists that they must.
So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?”
Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
Exodus 10:8-9 ESV
Don’t underestimate the importance of taking your children to church, of leading them in worship at home, and of including them in your family holiday celebrations. Your toddlers and preschoolers are learning more than you may realize.
Heavenly Father, we pray that we would be faithful stewards of the children that You have entrusted to us. I pray that we would train them up in the way that they should go and that when they are old they will not depart from it. Help us as parents to have obedient hearts, obeying You rather than the world. Lord, You love children and You have placed them into families on purpose. Help us to include them in our family’s worship at home and at church. Help us not to underestimate what our children are learning and the eternal impact that these young ones can have for Your kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
My children reciting Psalm 139 from memory
Psalm 148:12-13 ESV — Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven.
Deuteronomy 31:10-13 ESV — And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
Proverbs 22:6 ESV — Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ESV — And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
Psalm 78:2-7 ESV — I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
All Creatures of our God and King – Getty
Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.
Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 78, Matthew 25
The Lord blessed our family with four children over a span of eleven and a half years. I was a busy homeschooling mom trying my best to manage a very busy household. One way that I did this was with “chore charts” assigning various chores to each child in our household.
My oldest daughter was responsible for so many tasks around the home, from cooking and cleaning to helping with her younger siblings. My youngest son had much smaller jobs like feeding the dog or putting away the silverware.
Did I assign them the same jobs? Certainly not. Was it unjust? Absolutely not. They had different skill levels, so they were given correspondingly different jobs.
Yet, yhey were equally praised for a job well done and equally reprimanded for a job poorly done, regardless of whether they were supposed to clean the entire bathroom or merely empty the trash can.
Likewise, our perfectly wise Lord gives each of His children a different quantity of talents, but they are eligible for equal praise. To the ones who invested their talents well, whether apportioned two or five, the Lord says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:20, 22) The one who invested well his five talents did not receive greater praise, nor did the one who invested well his two talents receive lesser praise.
The Lord is angry with the worthless servant, not because he only had one talent, but because he did not invest his one talent well. The one who received only one talent chose to hide it in the ground, saying that he knew that the master was a hard man, “reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed,” (Matthew 25:24) Surely this man doesn’t truly know the character of his Master, for if he did he would never utter such words.
Good servants know their Master, that He is good and generous to give His servants talents with which to serve Him.
When I was an atheist, I lived my life serving no one but me. I recognized no Master of my destiny except me.
Now, as a follower of Jesus Christ, it is a gift to serve my Lord and to know that I was created on purpose for a purpose. It is good news to be God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
What talents has the Lord entrusted to you?
Has He blessed you with children, a house, a skill, a passion, a testimony … all of the above?
How can you put them to good use for your master?
Heavenly Father, You are a good Father who delights in giving good gifts to Your children, and You are a good Master in giving us, Your servants, fruitful tasks to accomplish. It is a joy for our lives to have meaning and purpose. It is a joy to serve you here on earth, and it is a joy to look forward to that day we will enter into Your kingdom and hear the words we long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In the Name of our Gracious Master Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.
Seeing yourself as a steward of your time, talents, treasures, and testimony
Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 77, Matthew 24
I remember many summers when I was growing up and was left home under my big sister’s care while my parents went to work. We knew that our parents would be home sometime before dinner, but we never really knew exactly when that would be. When my sister would hear the back door opening, she’d demand, “Stop screaming, Kim! Be good! Mom and Dad are home,” and my steady stream of bickering would come to sudden hault. I didn’t want my parents to walk in on us mid-argument.
Fast-forward thirty years and I remember countless days when I’d have my kids clean up the house at 4:30pm, so we were ready for their dad to get home. I wanted my husband to open the door to me preparing dinner in the kitchen, while the kids played quietly on the floor, the school books and toys put away. I hated the idea of him walking into the middle of the chaos that four rambunctious, homeschooling kids can produce.
Matthew 24 explains that though we won’t know the precise day or hour, we will know the season when Jesus’s return is near. Like “the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37) If the people of Noah’s time had paid attention, they would have seen Noah building a boat and known that a flood must be coming … but they remained ignorant until the flood swept them away.
Friends, listen to me! Open your eyes and ears! The days are near. The hours are coming to a close. Jesus is coming soon. He will not tarry forever! Stay awake. Be alert. Keep watch. Though we do not know what day our Lord is coming, we can know that it will be soon. (Matthew 24:42)
Are you ready for Jesus to return?
Are you like that faithful and wise servant who is busy doing his master’s work, or like that wicked servant who is going to be caught unaware when his master returns?
Are you anxiously looking forward to your groom to arrive and call out, “Honey, I’m home” or are you distracted by the trappings of this world?
Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, You are giving us so many signs that the days are short. Let us be about our Master’s business. Strengthen us for the task that You have given to us. Let us not be distracted by all that glitters and calls for our attention. Help us to keep our hands to the plow and our eyes fixed on the heavens, from where our Savior will return for His bride.
Please prepare our American brothers and sisters for persecution, and please help our Asian brothers and sisters to stand firm and hold fast. Help us all to keep HOT our love for our neighbor and for You. Make us faithful laborers in the fields – scattering seeds, maturing seedlings, and bringing in the ripe grain.
In the perfect and holy name of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.
When I Think about the Lord – Christ for the Nations
Days of Elijah – Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
“Prepare to Stand” Playlist – Andrew Brunson
More information about “Prepare to Stand” including a free study guide and access to download the videos!
Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 25, Genesis 49-50
His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.”
Joseph understood that his life was not his own. He recognized that his life was too be lived in service to his fellow man and his God. Whether refusing the advanced of his boss’s wife, interpreting dreams, obeying his father, or providing for the needs of the Egyptians or the brothers who has sold him into slavery, his life was lived as an offering back to God. Can we say the same?
Is your body “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”? (Romans 12:2 ESV)
Do you see your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God, such that “you are not your own,” … that you will live to “glorify God in your body”? (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV)
If your answer is “no,” let me make two simple, but not simple, suggestions:
You can’t live what you don’t believe. If you don’t believe God’s Word … if you don’t believe that Jesus is the perfect, sinless God-man, the spotless Lamb who died for your sins and was raised to life again … if you don’t believe that God is good and all-knowing and all-powerful over all things, then you won’t be able to trust God enough to surrender your life to Him. Start there. Start by simply reading His Word each day, while asking Him to help you in your unbelief.
You can’t give what you don’t have. If you don’t belong to God, if you’re not filled with His Holy Spirit, then you simply don’t have the power to live for Him. Surrender your life now to God. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn away from your sins and follow Him with an obedient spirit. Ask Him to change you from the inside out and fill you with His Spirit.
Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You for coming after me while I was lost in my own sins. Thank You for giving us the book of Genesis, that we can know how the world began, but also that we can know the true stories of ordinary men and women like Abraham and Sarah and Joseph who possessed extraordinary faith.
Help us to trust You more, to believe that nothing is too hard for You, that You have good plans for us and that You have a purpose for our lives. Make us pure and holy vessels of Your Spirit. Make us living offerings for Your glory. We love You. We trust You. Help us to love You more and trust You more, for You are worthy.
In the name of Jesus Christ who is our Savior and our Lord we pray. Amen.
Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.
Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.
If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.
Please like and share.
“I am Not my Own” Keith + Kristen Getty, Skye Peterson
“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”
– Genesis 12:1 ESV
Abram, too, finds his way into the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, just as Abel and Noah whom we already read about this year.
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
– Hebrews 11:8 ESV
In reading Genesis 12, I wanted to either focus on Abram’s failure to protect his beautiful wife from the advances of the Pharaoh or on Abram’s faith in God when he chose to go out to an unknown land.
But, instead, I’m going to choose Door #3.
Here it is: In spite of Abram’s shortcomings and failures, he is who God chose and called to be the father of His people.
Like Noah, a righteous man, chosen by God for a great purpose who became drunk with wine shortly after surviving the worldwide flood, Abram obeyed God in going out to this new place, yet he gives way to fear.
Like we read in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
From Abel to Noah to Abram to me and my husband, each one of us have been saved by our faith, not by our works. Yet our faith will lead us to do works of faith, whether in offering good sacrifices, or building big boats, or going out to foreign lands, or writing blogs one-day-at-a-time. May we all walk faithfully with our God.
Let’s pray together.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the precious gift of faith. You did not choose me because of any deed that I had done. In fact, You cast Your eyes and Your love upon me while I was Your enemy. You called me and chose me and drew me and put faith into me … and all I can say is THANK YOU!
Lord, I pray for my husband to hear You loud and clear. Help him to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid. Help him to resist the temptation to take the easy way out. Father, I pray that You will be faithful to complete the good work that You have begun in him. Direct his steps and protect him from the schemes and lies of the evil one. Give him the strength and wisdom to follow You. Help him to know Your Word and hear Your voice as You lead him.
Father, help us as wives to submit to our husbands, not to fear anything that is frightening. Encourage us to sit daily at Your feet, that we might trust You when life is scary. Help us to keep a careful watch over our mouths and our minds, thinking and speaking the truth in love. Make us godly helpmeets, doing good to our husbands all the days of his life, so that his heart can trust us and he will have no lack of gain.
Lord, we submit to You and Your will for our lives. We will go where you send us, when you send us, trusting that Your ways and thoughts are always better than ours.
In the Good and Sovereign Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 30; Genesis 1-2
I like to read Genesis one and two together because I see Genesis chapter two as an expansion of the account of the creation of man in chapter 1. There’s so much in these two chapters that I read both of them together, two days in a row.
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
– Genesis 2:18-24 ESV
God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He wanted to give Adam a helper who was fit for him. Not just any helper would do. He didn’t just need the strength of an ox or the beauty of a peacock or the loyalty of a dog. No, Adam needed a suitable helper, designed especially for man, and so God gave him a woman.
Being a helper is a gift to both the man and the woman. The man needs the woman … And the woman needs the man. They both have been given very important jobs.
God always has such perfect timing. When I initially wrote this devotional in January of 2023, I was visiting my parents hundreds of miles away from my husband, and I thought about how much my husband misses me when I’m gone. Yes, he misses me cooking and cleaning for him. Yes, he misses me making his morning coffee. Whether he missed them or not, I knew he needed my help in the little reminders I give and the times I’m an extra set of hands in the projects he’s working on. But I was especially struck by the thought that what he misses most is my company, simply having someone to talk to and share life with.
It is good to be needed and missed.
It’s a blessing to be created to be a helper.
Now, in 2025, as I reflect again on Genesis 1-2, my husband and I just celebrated our 30th anniversary, our daughter just got engaged, and our youngest son is preparing to graduate from homeschooling through high school and go away to college this fall.
I’m again reminded how careful we most be to not allow our children to take our husband’s place. Children are made from the seed of their father, not from his rib … or yours.
Children are created to leave their parents, but husbands and wives are created to become one flesh until they are parted by death.
Sisters, don’t leave your husband in the dust while you’re attending to your babies. Those babies are going to grow up and move away, but your husband will be by your side for the rest of his life. He needs you, and you need to be needed. Make sure you keep your children and your husband in their rightful places in your hearts, minds, and lives.
I speak from personal experience. This is hard, but it can be done. Here are a few ideas I’ve learned (and am still learning) over my 30 years of marriage.
Schedule regular dates with your husband to keep those flames of friendship burning.
Look for something small that you can do to serve your husband every day – make him a cup of coffee or write him a little note or send him a text over lunch.
Express to your husband (and others) how grateful you are for him. Let them know how much they mean to you and how much you value them.
Keep a careful watch over your thought life. Complaining thoughts turn into complaining attitudes and complaining words. Nothing works more powerfully against your marriage than having a complaining spirit. When those thoughts (true though they might be) come into your mind, grab hold of them and replace them with the truths of hope and grace found at the foot of the cross.
Make praying for your husband a priority. Ask God to bless him and guide him. Check out this video to a wonderful prayer for your husband – from his head to his feet.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You so much for the gift that my husband is. Thank You for making me his helper. Thank You for making him such that he needed me. And thank You for making me fit for him.
Help me to recognize the blessing it is to be needed. I pray that I would make my husband a priority in my life. Help me to do him good and not harm all the days of his life. Help me to submit myself willingly and cheerfully to him, and to trust You, Lord, in the process.
Father, help me not to grow weary of doing good and to trust that in due season I will reap a harvest if I do not lose heart.
I pray that You would bless my husband with every spiritual blessing according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus. I pray that You would take care of him physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Give him the strength and wisdom that he needs to lead our family and give him the humility that he needs to turn to You in his weakness.
I pray also for my married children and their spouses. Make the men servant leaders and the women responsive helpers. Give them a deep love for Your Word and Your church. Show them their need for a savior and grant them the humility they need to live daily in love with the sinner they married.
I pray also for my not-yet-married children and their someday-spouses. Help them to guard their hearts, for they are the wellspring of life. Protect them, body, mind, and spirit, for Your glory and their good. May these days and years be used to prepare them to be a humble leader or a humble helper, to be fit for one another and for Your kingdom.
In the good and gracious name of Jesus Christ , my Savior and my Lord, I pray.
Amen.
Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.
Teach What is Good 
You must be logged in to post a comment.