Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Kathi Lipp's new book, Praying God's Word for Your Husband (Revell Books, 2012).
When you pray for your husband, you help bring about powerful change in his life, his relationship to God, and his
marriage to you. It’s especially powerful to pray through God’s Word (the Bible) for your husband because when you pray God’s words back to Him you can be confident that they reflect His will for your husband.
Here’s how you can pray God’s word for your husband:
Know that your effort is worthwhile. It’s worth it to invest time and energy regularly into praying for your husband, because God promises to hear and answer every single prayer you pray. Also, God will change you for the better through the process; He will make you a stronger person as you spend time with Him in prayer.
Overcome resistance to praying for your husband. If you’re reluctant to pray for your husband, ask God to show you why (such as bitterness that you’re harboring against him) and to empower you to overcome that resistance so you can pray wholeheartedly.
Make a habit of it. Establish a habit of praying for your husband often (ideally, every day). Set up a routine with a consistent time and place to focus on praying for your husband. Consider having some friends hold you accountable to keeping your regular prayer appointments.
Pray with the right attitudes. Pray boldly, with the confidence that God cares about your prayers and will respond to them. Pray continually, staying connected to God in prayer frequently throughout each day by integrating prayer into every part of your life. Pray expectantly, looking forward to seeing how God chooses to answer each prayer at the right time and in the right way.
Pray for your husband when he feels overwhelmed. Praying for your husband is the best thing you can to do help him when he feels overwhelmed by the pressures in his life – from work or financial pressures, to the pressures involved in trying to be a good husband and father. Pray for your husband to trust Jesus to help him carry his burdens, and to seek the peace that only Jesus can give him.
Pray for your husband’s employment and issues at work. If your husband is unemployed or underemployed, pray that God would encourage him and provide the best new job assignments for him. Pray that your husband would turn to God for relief from work-related stress and for help properly balancing his time between work and home. Ask God to help your husband make decisions with integrity at work, to discover and fulfill his callings at work, and to become successful in his work.
Pray for your husband when he feels inadequate. Ask God to help your husband see himself from God’s perspective, so he can see how valuable he really is. Pray for God’s strength to work through your husband, so your husband can overcome his weaknesses.
Pray for your husband’s finances. Thank God for how He provides for your husband and ask Him to help your husband learn how to follow biblical principles for managing money wisely, such as budgeting, avoiding debt, and giving generously to support God’s kingdom work on Earth.
Pray for your husband’s health and safety. Ask God to protect your husband from harm and heal him from illnesses and injuries.
Pray for your husband’s relationship with God. If your husband doesn’t yet know God through a relationship with Jesus, embrace the hope that your prayers will still play an important part in his spiritual journey, and help him come to salvation. If your husband is already a Christian, pray that he would trust God in every situation in his life. Ask God to show your husband how much He loves him, and to help your husband grow to become more like Jesus.
Pray for your husband when he is overcome with worry. Ask God to work out every situation that worries your husband, and to help your husband trust that all will work out for the best when he prays about his concerns instead of worrying about them.
Pray for your husband’s past mistakes. Pray that your husband will confess and repent of his sins, embrace God’s forgiveness for them, learn from his mistakes, and trust God to help him leave the past behind and move into a better future.
Pray for your husband to understand God’s plan for his life and his dreams. Ask God to give your husband visions of what dreams he should pursue, and to empower him to set and reach goals as he works to make those dreams come true in his life. Pray that your husband would make his top priority seeking God, and in the process, he’ll accomplish what God wants him to in life.
Pray for your husband’s relationships with other people. Pray that your husband will communicate with the right balance of love and truth. Ask God to help your husband serve others well, and represent the Christian
faith well to others (such as coworkers) who are watching how he chooses to live his life. Pray that your husband will build some mutually encouraging friendships with some other men at church.
Pray for your husband’s relationship with you. Ask God to help you and your husband discern what decisions you should make in your life together, and to bring you both into unity with Him and each other. Pray for the ability to resolve your conflicts well, to forgive each other after you’ve been hurt, to encourage each other to embrace the hope that God offers you in all circumstances, and to always stay faithful to God and each other in your marriage.
Pray for your husband’s parenting. Pray that your husband would rely on God every day to help him become a wise and loving parent who teaches his children everything God wants him to teach them.
Pray for your husband’s mind. Ask God to send His Holy Spirit to renew your husband’s mind each day, and empower your husband to filter every thought that enters his mind through the lens of biblical truth. Pray for your husband to grow in knowledge and wisdom and to enjoy the peace that Jesus offers him every day.
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, because I am used to being alone and "think" I like it. But I really enjoyed him with me when I ran my errands and of course he wasn't snippy at all, not overly sweet, but there and present. All I thought I wanted was for him to be nicer, but God knew I also needed my husband's companionship and showed my dh what to do. I find that very broad prayer works best because most of the time we don't really know what we really need, but God always knows and knows best.
