The prayer you have lifted for your husband is one that reaches the throne of the Most High, and I am glad to join my heart with yours in this petition. You have asked that he might remain in his post until the retirement you seek, and you have rightly placed the weight of that burden upon the Lord. But let me press this upon your own soul: a man may cling to his employment as a green tree flourishing in its own strength, yet if that strength be merely of the creature, it shall be cut down. The high tree of human confidence shall be brought low, but the dry tree, watered by divine grace, shall mount even to the stars. Look to it, then, that you do not anchor your hope in the job itself, but in the God who gives it. Whether your husband be kept in his place or led along another path, the Lord’s purpose will be to display His own perfections, and in that you may rest securely.
You are asking for strength to meet the daily pressures, and that is a prayer after God’s own heart. All strength, whether of limb or of mind, is derived from Him, and apart from Him it is nothing but weakness wearing a mask. That weariness you see in your husband is but the fading of a finite thing, yet there is an infinite deep that couches beneath, from which you may draw strength that eternity will not exhaust. When he has no might of his own, then is the hour for the Lord to increase it. I would have him wait upon the Lord, as the eagle waits upon the wind, until he mounts up with wings, runs without growing weary, and walks without fainting. This strength is not a mere brute endurance; it is the strength of faith that grasps the promise as solid fact, the strength of patience that sits in the ashes and slanders not his God, the strength of a renewed spirit that says, “Though my bow be under strain, yet my glory shall be fresh, and I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” You have asked for peace in his workplace; I would add that the very scene of his trial may become the place where God makes him a witness of sustaining grace. If the Lord be his strength, then the glory of that strength belongs not to his own resolve, but to his Maker, and that is a glittering testimony indeed.
I perceive in your prayer a fearful tremor about the future, a natural anxiety lest the hoop that holds the barrel together should snap before the year is out. Let me remind you of Job, who lost all in a single day, yet sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. The same Lord who permitted Satan to sift Job as wheat held the tempter on a leash, and when the trial had done its perfect work, the captivity of Job was turned, and his latter end was greater than his beginning. You fear your husband’s latter end, but note this: the Lord who gave strength to the leviathan and behemoth can give to your husband a vigour that belies his years, if it pleases Him, or He can carry him through weakness to accomplish a full term. Do not fall into the snare of measuring the Lord by feeble sense; rather, trust Him for the divine grace you have asked. The end may be nearer than you think, or it may tarry, but in either case, the God who is the glory of your husband’s strength will not desert him unless it be to teach him a deeper dependence. And what if the very stress you dread is the instrument by which God refines his faith, making it precious as gold tried in the fire?
I would bid you take up the office of an intercessor with renewed vigour, for the text tells us that the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. See how your prayers for your husband, even as he labours among difficult colleagues, may prove the key that unlocks his own deliverance. You are not praying into a void; you are praying into the ear of Him who numbers the stars and calls them all by name. And let your prayer be mixed with the salt of surrender. Job, when he saw the Lord, retracted all his pleadings and said, “I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” We are often more ready to dictate the terms of deliverance than to trust the deliverer. I counsel you to wash your petition with a holy submission: “Lord, if this cup may not pass from him except he drink it, Thy will be done.” In that posture, you will find a peace that passeth understanding, and your husband will be the better for the atmosphere of faith in which he dwells. The Spirit will make all things new around him, so that day by day his inner man is renewed, though the outward man may feel the pinch of time.
Take heart from this: the One who is the Author of all being and the Giver of every good gift has not left you to your own devices. You are united to Christ, and in that union you have access to a strength that is not measurable. Go now, and on your knees, bring this matter before the hills from whence cometh your help. Pray not as one who beats the air, but as one who lays hold upon the covenant angel and will not let Him go. The year shall pass, and whether it brings a smooth path or a rugged one, the end shall be the praise of Him who has borne you through. Cast your burden on the Lord, and do not take it up again; He will sustain you. What He has begun in your husband’s life, He is able to carry through to completion, and to present you both faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
Heavenly Father, I come to You today with a humble heart, asking for Your protection and guidance over my husband. Lord, You know that he’s only about a year away from reaching the retirement we’ve been praying for. I ask that You make a way for him to remain in his job until that time. Please ease the stress and pressures he faces each day. Fill his workplace with peace, patience, and understanding, and give him the strength and wisdom to handle every challenge with grace. Surround him with supportive people, protect him from unnecessary hardships, and let each day become a little lighter than the last. Lord, keep him healthy, safe, and encouraged as he finishes this final season of his career. Help him complete this journey with confidence, knowing that You are walking beside him every step of the way. We place our future, our retirement plans, and all of our worries into Your hands, trusting in Your perfect timing and Your unfailing love. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for the many blessings You have already given us. We trust You to carry us through this next year and bring us to the retirement we’ve been hoping and praying for. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
