What is one of the most important and rewarding ways we can love our husbands? The answer is prayer. Praying for our spouses is an occasion to voice our love, create unity in our marriages, and allow God access to our burdens.
Our husbands often wrestle with troubles, trials, and temptations every day that heap anxieties on their hearts. We can help lighten that load through fervent prayer. On behalf of our husbands, we have the opportunity and privilege to engage God in their struggles.
How is prayer for our spouse effective? We have the assurance that when we pray, God hears (1 John 5:14), and if He hears He answers.
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)
How do we find the words for our prayers? God’s Word is alive and active and infused with His power. So, by using words from scripture to frame our prayers, we align our hearts and desires with God and give our petitions strength.
Wives, we also benefit by praying for our husbands. Our prayers require humility and an unwavering trust and hope in God. Prayer gives us peace and releases us from worry. By praying, we allow God to work in our lives as well as in the hearts of our husbands.
Here are 10 prayers to help you begin praying for your husband:
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1. Pray for his relationship with Jesus.
Father God, above all things, I pray that my husband knows Jesus intimately. May his relationship with Jesus grow in knowledge and depth of insight so that he may be blameless and pure (Philippians 1:9-10). Lord, I ask that my husband recognizes every instance where he needs to confess sin and that he knows You are faithful to forgive (1 John 19).
Because Your word is light unto our paths, kindle a desire in my husband to know and understand your Holy Scripture so that he may know Your will for every step of his life.
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2. Pray for his role as a husband.
You, Father, specifically designed for the husband to be the head of the household, as Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:21-20). Jesus demonstrated this leadership role with love, grace, and a gentle kind of strength. Lord, guide my husband in this role to love unconditionally as Jesus does, lead with gentle strength and extend grace and mercy.
The role as head of the home is daunting, and I know he may be weary at times. Give him the strength to carry the load and guide me to be his helper. For a strand of three – You, my husband, and I – are not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
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3. Pray for his role as a father.
You, God, are the ultimate Father. You love us with a great love and show compassion to your children. May my husband follow your example of how to be a father. Fill his heart with kindness, patience, and love for his children.
Help him to guide and teach our children in the way they should go, and they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). I pray my husband will be present and engaged with his children, and when fatherhood is difficult and trying, help him to avoid angry words and to accord grace and understanding.
4. Pray for his relationships with others.
Your people are called be salt and light in the world. Father, allow my husband to be the difference in the relationships he maintains. Help him to think of others as better than himself and hold out the Word of life in this wicked and sinful world (Philippians 2:3, 15-16). Encourage him to be an example of friendship as Jesus is our friend. May he exemplify humility and service to others.
Father, as iron sharpens iron, surround my husband with friends who encourage him in his faith (Proverbs 27:17). Even more so, God, remove those who might lead him into ungodly pursuits.
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5. Pray for his integrity.
Father, integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral character. Lord, when my husband finds himself in situations where he must decide between the world and Your will, give him the confidence to walk upright and be guided by integrity (Proverbs 11:3). May the people he encounters each day be encouraged by his example and also choose what is right. Let his life and the choices he makes be a light in the darkness.
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6. Pray his desires please God.
Father, the enemy is in the world to kill, steal and destroy, but you can protect my husband from the temptations of the world (John 10:10, Jude 1:24). Instead, may the desires of his heart come from his delight in You (Psalm 37:4). Give him the strength to turn from evil desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace (2 Timothy 2:22).
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7. Pray he grows in wisdom.
Lord, your Word says that if we ask for wisdom, You give generously (James 1:5). Provide my husband with the judgment to make godly decisions and discern what is best. Guide him to build our home upon wisdom and fill each room with grace, love, and peace (Proverbs 24:3-4). Most of all, let his wisdom be rooted in the fear of God. Make my husband’s wisdom not from this world but heavenly, being pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive to You, and full of mercy (James 3:17).
8. Pray for the protection of his heart.
Lord, I know that everything we think and do comes from our hearts, but the heart can often be deceitful (Proverbs 4:23). Protect his heart against evil and the ploys of the enemy. Give him an undivided heart that seeks to fill every corner with your truth. Teach him to trust in You and not depend on his knowledge and understanding so that his paths will be straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). May his heart’s treasure be love for You.
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9. Pray for his work.
Father, ultimately you provide all we need (Philippians 4:19). Because we can trust you to take care of our family, help my husband maintain a balance between work and rest (Proverbs 23:4). Give him the abilities necessary to do his job, whether it is strength or competence or confidence. Provide in him a right attitude toward his work, respect for his superiors, and an impeccable work ethic.
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10. Pray for his health.
As your children, we are fearfully and wonderfully made by You. Encourage my husband to care for the one body with which he is blessed. We often ignore and mistreat our bodies, which are wasting away. Grant my husband the understanding of the necessity of caring for his body because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Teach him to maintain a healthy attitude toward food and physical exercise.
Thank you for making my husband specifically for me and giving him a long life. If any sickness or ailment is afflicting him, Father, have compassion, and heal and restore him to fullness. You are the Great Physician. Bring health and healing, prosperity and security (Jeremiah 33:6).
Each husband has specific personal needs that warrant prayer, and I hope you will commit those requests to God as well. Scripture reminds us not to worry, but in every situation turn over our concerns to Him, and He will give us peace (Philippians 4:6-7). Keep in mind that praying for your husband is an act of love with eternal consequences.
Tamela Turbeville is a Christian writer and blogger, wife to Richard, and mother to three adult sons and one beautiful daughter-in-law. When doing what she loves most--writing and reading--she is surrounded by her six rescue dogs. You can read more about Tamela, her writing, and her family at www.livingoneword.com, on Facebook, and Instagram.
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Originally published Tuesday, 19 February 2019.
