So, I had a revelation today that I was not expecting at all. Last night at church we were told to "ask the Lord for the things we longed for." I felt myself adding all sorts of exceptions and qualifications to that statement. My biggest exception that I totally avoid in prayer is the whole husband issue. I've had this idea that trusting the Lord with it means not asking. I would never tell someone else that, but's it's where my heart has been. However, today as I read Genesis I was so struck by the story of Isaac and Rebekah. They had both received giant prophetic words about being the father and mother of a great nation (Gen. 22:18, 24:60) and yet they were barren. If I had been in their shoes, I would have thought just waiting patiently was the answer; it wasn't. Fortunately, Isaac pleaded for his wife to have children, and then she did (Gen. 25:21).

God loves it when we ASK. It was already in His heart to give them children, but He waited 20 years until they cried out!

Anyway, then the Lord took me to Psalm 21:2 where the psalmist says of the Lord that He has "given him his heart's desire and not withheld the request of his lips." Dang, that's who our God is. The psalmist goes on to say that he asked for long life. That sounds like a pretty petty thing to ask for, but God delighted to give it to him?!

So, in the process of reading all of this, I came back to the husband issue. I said, "Lord, shouldn't I just be trusting that whatever happens is best?" And then I remembered Jesus. He is constantly in intercession for His Bride! He has perfect faith, but it is still right that He would ask the Father for a Bride because it is the longing of His heart.

All of the sudden I realized that I'm invited into all kinds of intimacy with Jesus over this issue. Asking for an earthly husband brings my heart into alignment with some of the emotion that Jesus is feeling! I've totally missed this. It isn't about being anxious and faithless. I get to actually use the pain of longing in my heart as an escort to know Jesus better :) How cool is that?!? And, the same principle applies to so many other longings!