Day Five: That he would sacrifice as Christ
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…. ~Ephesians 5:25
There was a time, several years ago, when I suffered a protracted period of deep depression from which I was unsure I would emerge. My marriage was in peril. I could not eat. I could not sleep. God, in his mercy, pulled me from that miry pit (Psalm 40:2), yet he did so by the very human hand of my husband. I cannot describe in this short space the many ways my husband gave himself up for me when I could give him nothing in return, but his rescue mission left an indelible mark on my soul. In giving of himself for me, my husband not only saved my life, he redeemed our marriage and the future family relationships of generations to come.
Lord Jesus, how you have loved us! How you have given yourself for us, your bride, your church. Lord, I would ask today that you call my husband to the same kind of love and self-sacrifice. I didn’t deserve it from you, and I don’t deserve it from him, but I so need it. Father, equip him, strengthen him, encourage him to love his bride as you have loved yours.
—
An anonymous wife.
