Edward C. Lee's Blog

September 21, 2010

The Intimacy of Prayer

I recently wrote an October article for TheBlackChurchSource.com entitled Let Us Pray: Christian Intimacy. Of course moments after I finished I checked my email and had received an article from YourTango.com “Want To Prevent Cheating? Try Prayer”. Immediately my interest was piqued. In the article it talks about two major studies that support the link between prayer and the health of a relationship. The first study mentioned was conducted by researchers at Florida State University. The researchers determined that couples that pray for their spouse were less likely to fantasize about other being with other people. The second study was conducted by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. This group found that couples that read the Bible and pray together enjoy stronger “marital bonds” and consider prayer to be “the great reconciler”. These two studies run hand in hand with another study that I have referred to in past posts, that states that couples that pray for each other divorce at a rate of less than 1%. I like looking at it from the other perspective, a couple that prays together has a greater than 99% chance of staying together. I am thrilled that these studies have come out. But they are not new news...In the biblical marriage of Isaac and Rebekah we see the truths of the power of prayer to intimately connect couples. Present Yourself...Isaac took time to push aside his personal agenda and pray to God for Rebekah, who was unable to have children at the time (Genesis 25:21). His prayer is best understood as Isaac presenting himself before the Lord, for Rebekah’s sake. It is a picture of Isaac physically showing up in front of God - out of concern for Rebekah. His concern was a depth of commitment that exceeded hasty words and set aside time to go to God.In our modern marriages, we are bombarded with so many responsibilities inside and outside of the home that grab our attention - daily. However, the best gift we can give to our mate is our committed time presenting ourselves to God “on behalf of” our spouse. It is a gift of assurance to him or to her that “We are in this together!”. It is a gift of selflessness and surrender that is given throughout the day, with possible re-gifting implications at night - wink, smile, LOL.  Committing to Pray for Your Spouse In Genesis 25:20, Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah. When Rebekah conceived in v. 26, Isaac was 60 years old. So presumably Isaac’s prayed on behalf of his wife for a span of 20 years.  He just kept showing up before God day after day, for his wife - without seeing any results but presenting himself to God faithfully. It is a win-win for Isaac. He has spent time in the awesome presence of God, drawn closer to God and won the heart of his wife at the same time. Praying to God for Your Husband or Wife  Tonight, ask your spouse to give you their top three personal goals for the next three months. Commit to going to God on behalf of your spouse for these goals. Pray that God will intimately connect you and your spouse with Him.
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Published on September 21, 2010 09:09

September 6, 2010

Power of Perspective in Your Marriage (Book Excerpt)

It has been a while since I have posted a new blog. Just wanted to post an excerpt from the book - Husbands, Wives, God, here is the intro. from Chapter 2 Jacob and Leah: From Pain to Praise. What do you think - How do our perspectives effect our marriages/relationships?


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A few years ago I had an unusual day where on the same afternoon I visited two different men, both facing their last few days. The conversations on that day with these two men provided good insight into how...
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Published on September 06, 2010 11:13

February 6, 2010

Marital Incite

The other day I was reading about the biblical couple of Ahab and Jezebel. I have read about them many times before but I only ever saw them in a negative light. They just never showed up on my list of  "role models" for building a solid marriage. After all he was the wicked King of Israel and she - to this day, is the icon of a treacherous or scheming woman. Yet this dynamic duo, like everything in the Bible, is extremely valuable to us today. Just look at the characterization of how...
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Published on February 06, 2010 19:57

January 3, 2010

Exercise the Power to Choose in Your Marriage

Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!"


2010! We made it to another year. As the new year begins I would like to encourage you with a  powerful perspective that comes out of the marriage of Job and his wife in the Bible. In a manner of a few hours Job and his wife lose absolutely everything they own - houses, land, 401k, job, life savings, honor, dignity, and their ten children - absolutely everything. Yet in their loss they share with us...
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Published on January 03, 2010 19:25

December 11, 2009

New Christian Marriage Blog to Introduce the Marriages of the Bible to Modern Marriages

Welcome to the Husbands, Wives, God blog!! The goal of this blog, hosted by Rev. Edward Lee, is to engage, interact and introduce Husbands and Wives to the marriages of the Bible. For about three years now I have been sharing marriages of the Bible with couples both inside and outside of the church and Christian faith.
Thus far I have captured 7 of these marriages in my book, Husbands, Wives, God (find more information or purchase the book at edwardclee.com) and I am currently working on a...
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Published on December 11, 2009 19:57