Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Eye Transplants for Lovers - #4828

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Jim has been a partner with us in some of our radio outreaches to young people; a man who refused to be stopped with the limitation of blindness. In fact, he launched a pioneering program in his area, planned and hosted by young people. We talked with Jim and we got some incredible news from him not too long ago. He'd just come through surgery with his very own medical miracle. He woke up from that operation with some of his sight restored - the sight he'd lost years before. He told us how beautiful the mountains were; especially how beautiful his wife was. He said, "I have finally seen my wife for the first time in 16 years!" Man, what a breakthrough!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Eye Transplants for Lovers."

My friend, Jim, finally has eyes to see his wife. It's a breakthrough that many more men need to experience.

One of the great love stories of the Bible is the story of Isaac and Rebekah. The credit for a lot of that goes to the man of the house. Listen to some of the verbs that describe his relationship with his wife. Our word for today from the Word of God in Genesis 24:67 , "She became his wife, and he loved her." Then chapter 26, the king looked out the window and "saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah." But the greatest insight of all is in this word from Genesis 25:21 , "Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife became pregnant." Isaac was a husband that prayed for his wife, and prayed things into happening in her life that seemed impossible. If you're a husband, maybe you can think of some needs in your wife's life that seem humanly impossible, but praying for her might bring about a miracle in you as a husband, too. The same kind of miracle that happened to my blind friend, Jim.

God could give you eyes to see your wife as you have never seen her before. There's a lot of power in being a praying husband! Most of all, when you spend time with God praying for the woman you love; you begin to see her with new eyes. You begin to see what God sees when He sees your wife. And that's the starting point for being the kind of sensitive, caring man that God made you to be. And that's the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.

Things may be great between you and your bride right now. Maybe they're tense, maybe you're struggling, and maybe things are breaking down or drifting apart. Whatever the situation, your love will grow on your knees, asking for God's perspective on your wife. Ask Him to help you see not just her deeds, but the deep needs behind her deeds; that affection deficit, the attention deficit, the stress of having to handle too much without you, the frustration of not really being listened to. You can also ask God to help you hear her heart, not just her words, to show you what may be hurting her, or crushing her, or causing resentment in her. Ask God, too, to show you your wife's language of love; what things you could do that would make her feel really loved - that's feel really loved. Don't be surprised if it involves some sacrifice - like Jesus' life-giving love for us.

You can tell the women who are being loved by a man who spends time with God on her behalf - and his own behalf as a husband. That woman is radiant, she's positive, and she's at peace. Because a man, a man like you maybe, asked God to give Him what sometimes only God can give - eyes to see who this woman really is; how beautiful she really is or maybe could be with more of your love.