Did you hear about my issue? That secret struggle I had for so long when it came respecting my husband. I confessed it all in my P31 devotion today. As I shared, I haven’t always been so good at following and trusting my man”s lead. BUT God has done an amazing work in me – and in my marriage – over the past 18 years.
I know marriage can be hard, and trusting someone to lead when there are things you struggle with together is really, really hard. But I also know God uses us in powerful ways to love our men like He does – unconditionally.
One of the best ways we can love our husbands is to pray for them. Praying for JJ has shown me all that he carried on his shoulders – at work, at home, at church, with our kids, etc. It’s also really helped me follow his lead. It assures me that he’s covered spiritually when I invite God to do His thing in JJ’s life.
Of course, it’s up to our husbands to respond to God’s work in their hearts but our part is not based on our husband’s response to God. It’s based on our surrendering and seeking God’s heart for our husbands – and trusting God to lead from there.
JJ has also told me that prayer is the best gift I can give him. Years ago I heard a concept about praying for our husbands – from head to toe. So, today I wanted to share some verses and prayers that fit with that concept:
Head
“Father, I ask that You would continually renew my husband’s mind, resulting in a transformed life. Help him bring every thought into captivity to Christ to make it obedient to You. Give him a greater understanding of Your Word. Help him to think on things that are pure and right and worthy of praise.” (Psalm 119:15, Rom 12:2, 2 Cor.10:5)
Eyes
“Lord, keep opening my husband’s eyes to deep spiritual truths. Help him to see things as You see them. Please guard his eyes from looking at worthless things. ” (Psalm 119:18, Psalm 119:37)
Ears
“Father, let my husband hear Your voice clearly. Help him to recognize your voice with certainty. Protect him from listening to anyone who is not seeking and walking with You. Help him not to be affected negatively by what others say and to discern between good and evil. Give him the ability to determine what is of You and what is not.” (Is 30:21, 1 Kings 3:9, 1 John 4:1)
Mouth
“Help my husband to speak the truth in love. Help him to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Give him the couraage to lovingly confront when necessary. Let the words he speaks be Yours, not his own. Help him speak words that bring grace and truth to the hearers. I also pray that you will help him to grow in his ability and desire to communicate with you and others.” (Psalm 19:14, 119:13, 41:3; Eph 4:15, 4:29; James 1:19)
Heart
“Give my husband a heart that seeks passionately after You. Teach him to guard his heart with diligence. Help him deal with anything in his heart that is not pleasing to You. Create in him a pure heart. Enable him to lead our family with integrity.” (Psalm 78:72, 119:10-11; Prov 4:23; 1 3:13)
Hands
“Lord, I pray that everything my husband does would be done with his whole heart, serving You rather than man. I pray that You will also help him to increase his skills and his abilities. Bless everything he puts his hands to.” (Psalm 24:3-4, Col 3:23)
Feet
I pray my husband would love Your Words and walk in Your ways. I pray He would be to walk in a manner that is worthy of You, bearing fruit in every good work. Jesus show him how to creatively share your truth with our kids as he does life with them each day. Father, when he walks through the valley of the shadow of doubt and difficulties, I pray he would fear no evil because He knows that you are with him. (Deut 6:7, 8:6, Col 1:10, Psalm 23:4)
I have seen prayer transform my marriage and my life. Whatever steps of faith God is calling you to take personally or with your husband, I want you to know that I am praying for you and your marriage today. We have an enemy set on destroying marriages and one of his tools is to pit husbands and wives against each other. I have experienced his efforts firsthand. What our husbands need most is our respect; what our marriages need most is prayer.
Let’s look for ways to build our husbands up – by giving them encouraging words and the gift of prayer – covering them from head to toe!
If you’d like a copy of my FREE Praying For Your Husband download to print with these prayers on it – click “Share Your Thoughts” and let me know. We’ll be happy to email it to you – although your email will not show in your comment. This will be sent out next week after the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Great devotion today. I continue to work on that everyday but it seems to be a continuous struggle. If you could send me the printable version that would be great! Thanks so much for all your devotions.
Hi Renee,
Thank you for your devotional toady. Can you please send me a copy of the prayers that I can print out?
Be blessed.
What about living with an alcoholic husband who couldn’t hold a job? He continuously demanded respect from me and our teenagers but I couldn’t do it and neither could the kids. I had no respect for someone who couldn’t be accountable for his actions? Couldn’t be responsible for being the head of the family. I prayed and prayed for his healing (and ours). Instead God rescued me and my kids from him. We were married 22 years before he had an affair…that was the last straw. That was 3 years ago. It was not what I wanted from my marriage.
Thank you for being so truthful…I, too, have struggled with letting me husband lead. I cannot wait to start praying for a different part of him each day!
Renee, I love my husband very much but can’t express it the way i would like. Please send my the download so i too can pray for my husband the way God calls me to. And to love him the way a wife should love her husband and respect him.
Thank you for the p31 devotional. It is something that I struggle with. I would love the download.
Loved your blog today! Powerful. Convicting. Heartbreaking. Beautiful.
Thank you so much for being so transparent. This made me cry in conviction. You have really put your finger on exactly what I’ve done. Refused to submit, while criticizing my husband for not being decisive enough, for not leading enough. The guy can’t win. Lord and hubby please forgive me…and Lord I receive your grace and ask for your power and strength to receive what I need to change!!
Thank you for this amazing prayer God…them’s fighting words, in a good way, as we battle in prayer for our husbands. Happy Thanksgiving…thankful for you!
I am always looking for ways to build my hisband up. I also have two married daughters that I work to remind them of the importance of this as a wife. I would really enjoy a copy of your Praying for your Husband download, both to read and to share!
please send a printable version, many thanks!
Thank you! I needed to read this today!
It is amazing how God sends us what we need just when we need it most! I have only been married for a short time and have been struggling with submitting to my husband’s leadership and was given the nudge to pray for my husband more over the past couple of days. I truly want to be his cheerleader and I want to be able to encourage him and impart good things into his life. Thank you for the prayer tips as I truly want him to be the man of God and leader that I know is his destiny. I also pray for a change in my attitude to be more submissive and give up the control over my own life that I enjoyed for many years.
And I forgot to mention, I would love the download:-) Thanks!
Thank you so much for the timely devotion this morning. I have been remarried for 6 months now and I am sad to say all I think about is how I wished I wasn’t married. So on top of that I feel guilty for feeling this way! I sure would appreciate prayer and others comments on being newly married and why it seems so hard and not much fun. I am going to start praying these scriptures daily because I know God can transform me and my heart. Thanks!
Thank you so-o-o much for sharing these prayers with us, I too have witnessed the transforming power of praying over my husband, head to toe. He appreciated the covering of prayer as it drew me and him closer to God. I had lost my prayer page that I use to use, now I can begin again. Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Renee, thank you for these words and scriptures today. I have been married for 26 years. Over the past 18 months, we have struggled in our marriage. My husband has asked me for open marriage, we have been in marriage counseling and now he is deciding if he wants to stay or go. I have been in limbo for the past 6 months as we have been in counseling. It has been so difficult to express respect for him as my husband when the selfish behavior continues. I pray for him to become a man after God’s own heart and for him to realize that the void in his life is not found in others, hobbies, fun, things but in God. Please pray for us.
What about what a wife needs from her husband? What if you are in a marriage where your husband constantly belittles you and never lifts you up or encourages you? One where you are suppressed and never allowed to improve yourself. What if your husband is narcissistic and honestly says he is number one. I have lived with this for 24 years. I’ve loved him and encourage him etc but never anything in return. I am exhausted emotionally and physically. I’ve endured physical and mental abuse. I can’t take any more.
DLWG, Im so sorry for all that you are going through and have been through. I wish I could hold your hands and pray truth over your heart straight from God’s Word – you are LOVED!! You are valuable, you are precious and honored in God’s sight. He doesn’t want you to stay in an abusive situation. If you have endured physical and mental abuse, then there is so much more going on than what I shared in my devotion or blog post.
Have you sought wise counsel from a Christian professional? I strongly encourage you to do that. I am here and know many women who would love to pray for you, but what you really need is someone in your area to give you guidance and walk beside you in this. Would you like to talk to someone?
Thank you for your honesty. I have been married for almost 36 years and have endured much verbal abuse as teasing and being belittled in front of family and friends. I am in counseling now and it is helping me. Also, I am involved in a twelve-step program that helps me to work things through. I am getting stronger with God’s help. My husband quit going to church because I caught him watching inappropriate programs on TV. I pray that someday he would come back to church.
I would like a copy of your prayers that I could start praying for my husband again. I have before, but I’ve just kinda given up doing that. He does need prayers and so do I.
Thank you for this post … I needed this reminder.
Thank you that was just what I needed this morning. Please please pray for me and my husband I do try to speak words of praise but I also have word of condemnation from time to time when I talk to him from across the living room I sometimes get the rolling of the eyes and the huffs of exasperation which are very hurtful . We have been married for 23 soon to be 24 years and I just want to be his cheerleader and safe haven he always wants to come home to but in turn I don’t want to feel like I am on the back burner in his life or a thorn in side.
Renee, this has been a blessing to me since I have been searching for ways and ideas on how to respect my husband. This is not an easy task. But your words of encouragement definitely helped. Thank you for all you do. YOu are a blessing to others. Keep up the good work. Marci
God knows I needed this!thanks!KEEP WRITING WHAT GOD LEADS I KNOW YOUR HELPING!
I loved your devo today! I love to pray scriptures over my husband too. I have alomost beeen married a year and I know how important it is to pray for my marriage daily and ask God to bring us closer together so the devil will not have a foothold. I was wondering if you had a prayer you pray over your marriage like the one you pray over your husband? If you do will you please send it to me?
Thanks for being such a blessing!
Kristy Oliver
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