Day 16: During Deployment “Love Intercedes”

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. — 3 John 2

I believe that this day is a transition day in The Love Dare, and this chapter is a transition chapter. There is absolutely nothing in the dare today from the book which cannot be done while deployed. There are no barriers. It is about intercessory prayer. Interceding in prayer for someone else means pleading on their behalf—and in this case you’re to be praying for your spouse. It’s possible that this dare may even be easier to do while deployed because distance might help both of you to see things more clearly in order to pray more specifically.

You have spent the last two weeks examining attitudes and actions, and this is the day to take all of that to God. No doubt you have been changed by what you have learned in the fifteen dares before this. There are no guarantees that your spouse has changed, but you have new understandings that perhaps were not there before. What do you do next? Here’s what the authors say, “Have you ever wondered why God gives you overwhelming insight into your spouse’s hidden faults? Do you really think it’s for endless nagging? No, it is for effective kneeling. No one knows better how to pray for your mate than you.” (p. 77)

They go on to add, “. . . begin to pray for exactly what your mate needs. Pray for his heart. Pray for her attitude. . . . One of the most loving things you can ever do for your spouse is to pray for them.” (p. 78) There are so many ways you can pray for your spouse and for your marriage—for forgiveness and not bitterness, for awareness of their needs especially during this time of wartime separation, for times of renewal in your commitment, for your love to increase, for opportunities to grow in oneness even though apart geographically. God is powerful and loving and will answer your prayers. If you have not prayed before, please know that God wants to hear your concerns, your hopes, your confessions. He loves you and wants your marriage to grow in Him.

Here is today’s dare during deployment: Think of three areas in which you want God to work in your life and your marriage. Begin praying specifically for those areas.

In might be interesting for you to know that one of the greatest intercessory prayers in the Bible was in the heat of a military battle. The story is found in Exodus 17:8-13 where Moses (with Aaron and Hur) stands on the hill above the battle, and Joshua leads the Israelite army against the Amalekites. As Richard Foster writes in his great book on Prayer: “In the military annals Joshua was the commander who won the victory that day. He was the person up front and in the thick of the conflict. But you and I know the rest of the story. Back behind the scenes the battle of intercession was won by Moses and Aaron and Hur. Each role was essential for victory. Joshua was needed to lead the charge. Moses was needed to intercede on behalf of the children of Israel.” (p. 192)

You and I are in a battle for our marriages, as there are enemies that would seek to distract or destroy. By interceding in prayer on behalf of our beloved spouses, we are calling out to God for strength and victory so we can prevail in married life together.

Here are Scriptures to encourage you in truth:

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. — Luke 18:1

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. — Philippians 4:6,7

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. — James 5:16

Work cited:

Foster, Richard J., Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992)

Kendrick, Stephen and Alex, The Love Dare (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008)