Prayer is the most effective way to see God’s will accomplished in your marriage and family. Prayer should not be confused with wish lists – the older I get (and hopefully more mature) I realize that prayer is less about what I want and more about me aligning myself closer to God’s plan.
So, as a wife, prayer should be a regular, normal, consistent, and fervent part of your life (James 5:16). Especially prayer for your husband.
As a wife, it can sometimes be difficult to know how to pray for your husband (they’re not always the most open book!). In light of that, based on years of listening to men and based on my own life, here is a daily guide for a wife to pray for her husband. If you’re a husband and you’re looking for a daily guide to pray for your wife, I wrote about that here.
Monday: Spiritual Disciplines
- That time in the Word/prayer would be the most meaningful part of his day.
- That he would grow in his maturity in his understanding of the Word.
- That his prayer time would mature beyond wish lists and focus more on worship.
- That I would not pester him about this, but encourage him.
Tuesday: Prioritized Time
- That he would know what is truly deserving of his time, and what is not.
- That he would make serving in the church a priority.
- That his time with his kids would be more focused on the eternal vs. the temporal.
- That he would take the time to truly unwind and rest, mentally and physically.
Wednesday: Depth of Friendships and Accountability
- That he would pursue friendships that help him mature.
- That accountability in these friendships would be cultivated.
- That he would look for a more mature man to coach him, and he would be pouring his life into someone who is less mature or needs encouragement.
Thursday: Shepherding, Spiritual Leadership in the Home/Marriage
- That the Lord would be a part of regular conversation in our marriage/family.
- That he would take the lead when it comes to discussion about the Scriptures and prayer.
- That his words would be constructive toward spiritual building.
Friday: Contentment with God’s Plan
- That he would be seeking the Lord and be willing to do what God leads him to do.
- That wherever it is God has led him (his marriage, his fathering, his work, etc.) that he would be content in that place.
- That he would be discontent with spiritual laziness being staying stuck.
Saturday: Communication of the Gospel
- That he would know how to share the gospel and would get help if he struggles with this.
- That making Jesus a priority in his regular conversations would become normal.
- That his words and actions would not compromise his gospel witness/testimony.
Sunday: That I Would Be His Biggest Encourager
- That I would look for creative ways to affirm him and his character.
- That I would prioritize him over all other relationships (except the Lord).
- That I would be able to serve him in multiple ways that honor the Lord.
So there’s a daily guide to praying for your husband. How do you make this possible?
- Pick a time in your day when your time in the Word in prayer is the most likely to happen uninterrupted (Mornings before everyone is up? Evenings after everyone is down?)
- Make it a discipline – practice it. Maybe you’ve never had a systematic, regular approach to praying for your husband and this seems daunting. It doesn’t need to be. Just try to make it daily for a few minutes and build that up over time.
- Get help. Struggling with making your prayer time or time in the Word a priority? It could be because you’re starving spiritually. Ask a more mature woman to give you some coaching advice on next steps for that.
