I know that devotions on marriage are difficult for many who are not married and perhaps would like to be. That’s why I usually keep the marriage devotions that minister to thousands of women in the month of February. Whether you are married or single, please pray for marriages in the Body of Christ to be strong.
I can still remember being sequestered in the “Bride’s Room” of our church just moments before the organist began to play for the early arrivals. As I sat in front of an oversized gilded mirror trying not to wrinkle my dress, I daydreamed about the man who would become my husband in just a few moments. He was everything I had ever hoped for: handsome, smart, ambitious, and strong. And most important, he loved Jesus.
Yes, this was a good day.
As I stared at my reflection, an unwelcome thought popped in my mind. Doesn’t every woman feel this joy on her wedding day? What could go so terribly wrong that such a high percentage of marriages end in divorce? Am I fooling myself? Am I that much different from the thousands who have walked the aisle before me?
I decided right then and there that I would do everything in my power to make my marriage a success. It didn’t take long for me to discover that the words “in my power” were a problem. “My power” was not enough. Marriage was hard.
Fairy tales end with the words, “And they lived happily ever after.” But if we could see the Epilogue to those rides off into the sunset, we’d most likely find daily struggles, potentially divisive decisions, and angry arguments sprinkled throughout. Fairy tales stop short of telling us about tension over whose turn it is to wash the dishes, pay the bills, or put the kids to bed. They leave out the part about stress over holidays with in-laws, frequency of sex, and who gets to spend what when. We naively repeat the words, “for better or for worse,” and then are shocked when the first hint of “worse” rears its ugly head.
If you’ve been married for more than a few days, then you’ve most likely figured out that the blessed union doesn’t stay so blessed without a lot of work. And I dare say, the most important “work” we can do as wives is on our knees. Only God can truly protect our marriages and our men. And He invites us to participate in the unleashing of His power by praying for our husbands and turning the key to the storehouse of heaven’s door for blessings outpoured.
We’ve got to remember: the real struggle in marriage is a spiritual one. Our husbands are not the enemy; the devil is (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
Paul urged believers to enter into spiritual battle armed and ready with the Word of God. He wrote: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms…Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Ephesians 6:12,17 NIV)
Through prayer, the enemy’s plans are intercepted; the principalities and authorities are defeated. Through prayer, the power and provision of God flow into the lives of His people.
I had to learn that prayer is not a means of gaining control over my husband, to whip him into shape and make him the man I wanted him to be. Prayer is a means of relinquishing control of my husband and asking God to shape him into the man that He wants him to be. Click & Tweet!
Regardless of where your man or your marriage falls on the continuum of terrific to tolerable to terrible, there is always room for improvement. Prayer can make a bad marriage good, and a good marriage great.
There’s no better way to pray for someone than praying Scripture. We’ll use the following as our closing prayer for today. While I love to pray for my husband from head to toe, today we’ll just focus on our husbands’ head.
Dear Lord, I pray for __________.
His Mind - That he will have the mind of Christ and think as the Holy Spirit would lead him and not the flesh. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
His Eyes -That You will keep his eyes from temptation and that he will turn
his eyes from sin. (Matthew 6:13; Mark 9:47)
His Ears – That he will hear Your still small voice instructing him. (1 Kings 19:12, Psalm 32:8)
His Mouth -That his words will be pleasing to You. (Psalm 19:14)
His Neck – That the decisions that turn his head will honor You in all regards. (Psalm 25:12)
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What is one area of your marriage that you feel could be better? If you’re feeling brave, leave your prayer request, in just a few words, and then pray for the name above yours. (To honor your man, please don’t leave a lot of details. God knows all about it!)
Do you want to learn more about how to pray Scripturally and Powerfully for your husband? Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe will show you how! Also, I’m offering a Valentine’s Day Marriage Bundle with discounts on some of my favorite books. Let’s make 2020 a year to strengthen our marriages and pray for our men. Saturday is the last day! (Forward to a friend who might be interested as well.”
Comments 40
Pray for my husband of 48 years that salvation will enter into his life and bring the peace that passes all understanding
Dear Shirley, I’m praying that your husband will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and he will have God’s peace that passes understanding.
Love you Shirley, my sister in Christ,
Heather
Our sex life needs help. I want it and he is always too tired.
Would like to pray for my husband extra marital affairs for 4yrs he is been in this affair i sometimes feel discourged and want to leave.
Over Daniels mind.
Please pray for my husband,
Please pray that my husband (and I) will see and focus on the good and the blessings and not the negative.
For my husband to be the spiritual leader of our home. For our marriage to be a good example of what a Godly marriage is for our children!
I am so glad thai I purchased your book! (Kindle edition)
Please pray for my husband to know Christ.
Thank you.
I ask God to help both my husband and I to see each other the way He does. We are in a cycle of negativity and our marriage is not what either of us desires it to be at the moment.
I pray dear Lord, that I can submit to my husband’s authority in the area of family finances, as we head into retirement in the next few years. I know you have good plans for us when we are in Your will. You will provide all we need. In Jesus name.
I find your post lovely and encouraging as usually.. If I could improve one thing in my marriage it would be my desire to have sex and to have it regularly. I love my husband and I find him attractive but if I have a choice between sleep and sex late at night when I have to get up early..I chose sleep. Please pray that my desire for sex and intimacy will increase for my husband.
Intimacy has left the house. Affection has become a thing of the past from my husband. Not by me, but it’s just me showing him love. Twenty-five years in and I know he loves me, just wish he touched me more.
Author
Hi Carmen. It’s about this time in a man’s life when testosterone starts to drop, which isn’t healthy for muscle mass and a whole bunch of other heal issues. I would encourage you to encourage him to get that checked. If it is is low, he would feel better all around…and more frisky 🙂
Lord pls make my husband all you have ordained for him to be, fufil his calling as husband, father and in ministry. Lord you will alone prosper in his life. Light his candle. Make a blessing to him all my days
I pray that as my husband starts a new job, he will grow in wisdom and discernment, Isaiah 11:2 and also in stewardship, 3 John 1:2. I pray that the skills and talents God has placed in him will be beneficial to his employer, that God will direct his work.
Greater intimacy
Please pray for my husband, mike.
He can be very negative, jealous, critical, insecure and proud.
He had two very bitter parents who had a dysfunctional marriage and I feel like he is copying their behaviors. He can be loving but always reverts back to the anger. I pray for him to become the spiritual leader of our home as God calls him to be. That he would have an eternal perspective and truly surrender to Jesus’s leading and ways.
Chris, my husband is like this as well. Some days very loving and God honoring, other days his pride, ego and anger get the best of him and he can be very hurtful in these moments.
I pray for them both to be humbled before the Lord, that He will take away their pride and anger, past hurts and unhealthy family cycles that keep them from having a heart full of Jesus’ love.
Pray for my husband he is a non believer and I am full of faith difficult to be with a non believer.
Please pray for Russ – short tempered, angry; closer walk with Jesus.
Please pray for my husband that the Lord will give him confidence and His wisdom as he works and interacts with his new manager.
Praying for my husband to grow close to God and be a real Christian.
Praying for your husband and you Anna !
I have a lot to pray for my husband. It seems he has turned away from God even if he doesn’t think so. His words are sometimes vulgar towards different family members and situations. Sometimes the vulgarities are directed at me. Please pray that my husbands heart returns to God and that he come to realize that the words he speaks can cause a lot of harm in our lives.
Que os meus propósitos e do meu futuro esposo se cruzem. Que ele ame Jesus mais que tudo na vida. Que consiguemos esperar um pelo outro.
Pray my husband will seek God in all of his decisions and choices. That God wii put Godly people in his path who Will pray for and with him daily
Praying for communication in my marriage to get better and better with each day. Help us to really hear one another and be gracious to one another.
Please pray that my husband will put his relationship with God as his number 1 priority. And then everything else will fall into place. Pray for his heart which seems so cold
Please pray for my husband to return to God and build a faith journey that is stronger n better than before 🙏🏻
Pray for husband longing for spontanious reall life communication.for transparency in our relationship.
Pray that my husband stop smoking. Pray for our sex life.
Father God, thank you for answered prayers.
For my husband to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and for him to protect and honor our marriage more
I pray for my husband to be the leader of our household the way God intends him to be. I pray he will put God above all else every minute of his day and live out his faith in his actions no matter where he is.
Please pray for my husband Irvin to be the spiritual leader in our home
Please pray for my husband, that the holy spirit should arrest him and let Salvation reign in his heart / life. And God should make my home a Christian home. Amen.
I pray that my husband hears God and understands his will for us. And also that he has the courage and motivation to see Gods plan through.
Heidi, I have a friend who is married to a man whom I consider a “power couple”. They both love and desire the Lord, are raw with their feelings, and look constantly to Him for guidance and direction. Throughout the years, their relationship with each other and the Lord have grown. They hear from God to do some crazy things that significantly taps into their time and finances, but they do it together knowing that God has placed these ideas and desires on them to fulfill. I pray, Heidi, that you and your husband’s relationship with God will grow exponentially as well, and many will see you both as a “power couple” who does God’s will.
About 25 years ago, following our marriage, my husband and his friend had discussed starting up their own business. We did not have much money, could barely make ends meet, and, having concerns that the business could get up and running for a profit, I poo-pooed the business idea. I never should have done this. In doing this, I believe I put a big thought in his head that he was not smart enough, good enough, able enough, or creative enough. His friend started the business on his own and has done extremely well with it. This zapped his creativity and drive – he stopped making furniture, he stopped working on our house, and he stopped using his extremely creative brain in his trade. He essentially stopped using his trade. I feel like I stripped him of his manhood and the thing that God created him to do. Please pray that my husband gives his life to God and allows God to direct him to be the man that He wants and desires him to be. Pray that I am an encouraging wife and that I am the woman that God wants me to be as well.