Learning to Pray for My Husband
So, I have to admit that I have always had the desire to be a great prayer warrior for my husband, but have failed miserably over the past five years. Recently, Halim was even going to prepare a sermon and asked me to pray for his preparation time while he was gone. I, of course, agreed to – but then one thing led to another and I was playing with Malachi and doing household chores and probably checking email . . . Halim returns a few hours later with excitement about what he has learned and gratitude for my prayers. Sadly and ashamedly, I had to admit that I had forgotten to pray.
But, I want to grow in this area, so a few weeks ago I picked up the book, “Power of a Praying Wife.” Normally, I stubbornly rebel against purchasing books that are pink or have flowers or are written by people named Stormie. This one had had all three.
But, two friends of mine – whose opinions I trust – recommended it to me so I thought I’d give it a shot. And I’m actually enjoying it (although there was one story about lamb chops and chicken that was a little frustrating). I glean a few things from each chapter and then have some women in my life hold me accountable to pray for these things. Chapter topics range from things like “His Work” to “His Sexuality” and there’s even a chapter about praying for “His Wife” – that’s right people, Stormie starts off the book by challenging the wives to begin praying for themselves . . .
So, ladies, if you struggle like me, then Stormie might have some words for you, too.
If you’d like to read some ideas from other wives on how they pray for their husbands and add any ideas that you might have, please read the post, “Question for the Wives.”
Filed under: books, marriage, prayer | 7 Comments
i am totally feeling you on the pink, flowery books. i also generally avoid all books that being with “the power of a praying…” Glad to know that Stormie is doing it for you.
This is hilarious b/c I was given this book years ago and have NEVER read it, opened it, or anything b/c of the cover (hope the person that gave it to me is not reading this!)….anyway, I will take a look at it this weekend. Gordon and I actually had a similar convo about this last night which ended in a confession on my part.
And, I can’t help but add that the crazy Korean camera man is a memory I am happily reliving right now! ;-)
I love your pure heart and vulnerability. I’m sure that your words have encouraged and inspired many other wives to do the same. I pray that as you intercede for Halim that your marriage is made even stronger and that the two of you are just blessed beyond measure. Praying for you as you pray for him!
Okay – so I have finished the Power of a Praying Wife book – and yes, I think it is worth reading. I didn’t agree with everything that Stormie had to say, but the structure of praying over certain topics was really helpful. Plus, at the end of each chapter I would write down take-aways for the chapter that I will hopefully be able to revisit again and again to pray those things for Halim. I talked with my friend, Rayshelle, who also read the book and she chose the top 7 topics from the chapter list and assigned one topic per day of the week – so each Monday she prays for His Purity, each Tuesday for His Faith, etc. So – I would recommend this book for the motivation and the structure to support praying for your husband, but would add the disclaimer that I don’t agree with everything the author says. (If you are planning to read and would like more info about what I mean by this, please don’t hesitate to ask!)
Thanks,
Angela
Dear Lord please pray for my husband that he will become a nicer person and a better husband and that he desires me more and more and we become closer pray that he his healed of the pain he is carrying around with him pray that he will be kind to other people and family he is always pushing family and friends to do things and taking it for granted pray that he will be a better person and he has a complete turn around and that he is willing to get up in the morning and go to work and bring in more business heal him of the anger he has inside himself
Over the 22 1/2 years of my marriage I have done a number of different things to pray for my husband. The most recent is that I have written down the prayers of Paul on index cards (Ephesians 1:15-19; Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-14; and II Thessalonians 1:11,12). I put those Biblical prayers in one of those inexpensive 4×6 photo albums (along with prayers for others–our kids, friends, missionaries, church, myself, nonbelievers, etc.) My goal is to pray one of those Scriptural prayers everyday for my husband.
My second idea for praying for my husband comes from I Thessalonians 5:18-”In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you.” This includes my husband. I seek to spend time thanking God for my husband and those qualities I am grateful for. This keeps my prayers focused on what I appreciate about him instead of how I want him to change.
Our family goes to the Stone and I just recently saw your blog. Thanks for your post and motivating me to keep on praying for my husband!
Oops. I just realized I should have posted my comments under “Question for the Wives.”