Praying for Your Husband

Continued — Read More | Page: 1 2

When Roger and I were first married, I took a shooting-gallery approach to praying for him. I would go down a list of requests, praying over several areas of his life. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything I could to be the kind of wife God wanted me to be, as well as the kind of wife Roger needed me to be. I worked hard to be faithful in my prayers for Roger. I would pray for every area of his life from parenting to work. I would pray almost every day in every way that I could think of. And then I started to slip.

It felt like I was praying the same things over and over again without seeing any results. My prayer life had become stagnant, boring, and eventually close to nonexistent. Not long after that point, we received a call from my brother in law Randy. Roger’s mom was in the hospital. After some phone calls between California and Florida, Roger decided he would fly to the East Coast in a few days.

I knew that Roger was overwhelmed at work, was feeling guilty for being the only kid who still didn’t live on the same coast as his mom, and was worried about her recovery. On top of that, he had been feeling run-down physically. I was very concerned for my husband.

Instantly it became so much easier to pray because I knew what Roger needed—strength. I prayed that he would stay strong physically—he already wasn’t feeling well. I prayed that he would stay strong emotionally—it is so hard to deal with aging parents, especially when one is sick. I prayed that he would stay strong spiritually—I knew that in his exhaustion it would be easy to skip Bible study and being in the Word. I also knew that it was going to be hard for us to talk and for me to encourage him. I was traveling and speaking, and with a three-hour time difference, there were going to be a lot of challenges for us to stay connected.

As I spoke with Roger every day, sometimes for just a few minutes, I could hear how exhausted and overwhelmed he was. Roger loves his mom and hated to see her so weak. On top of his concern for her, he was also worried about our own kids and me.

I knew I needed to step up my prayers for my husband. I started looking for Scriptures about strength that I could email to Roger, and for the first time I really thought about using those Scriptures as prayers.

When I found Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,” I prayed, Father, I pray that Roger would seek you as his refuge and strength. I pray that he would have knowledge of your presence and your help. And I kept praying. I prayed as I was on a plane to my

speaking engagement in Oregon. I prayed as I was driving and when I went to sleep at night. I prayed as I made my coffee in the morning. I prayed because I knew God’s promises and I wanted them for Roger.

In the past, I had prayed almost wistfully, with a lot of disclaimers: “If it be your will,” and “I only want what you want, God.” And those things are true. But what I realized I was doing was praying meekly so as not to put too many demands on God. Isn’t that how most girls are raised, to not be too demanding?

This time it was different. I was praying Scripture, so I didn’t have to wonder if it was God’s will. I was praying the promises that God had set out in his Word. Praying Scripture over my husband gave me a new freedom in my petitions to God.

I have now incorporated Scripture into almost every part of my prayer life. When I’m faced with an issue, whether it’s as mundane as praying for safety when we travel or as deep as wrestling with temptation, I’ll find a Scripture that speaks to the issue and pray that verse.

I have found this invaluable in praying for Roger. When a need arises, I can find a verse that speaks to that need and pray for him.

It’s hard for me to put into words how praying Scripture has changed me, my husband, and our family. I used to approach prayer as a checklist, something that had to be done in order for me to carry my “Good Girl Christian” card. Now prayer feels about as natural as breathing. Praying Scripture has caused three huge changes in my relationship with God and how I pray to him.

Continued — Read More | Page: 1 2

  related articles

	Praying for Your Husband

	Prayer: The Secret to Transforming Your Marriage

	Looking for God

	Praying For My Life

	10 Things to Pray for

	The Power of Unknown Prayers

	First Steps toward a Dialog with God

	Not a Pretty Picture

	Four Secrets

	The Power of a Praying Wife

Comment