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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

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Praying for my husband – from head to toe

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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Comments

  6. Thank you so much for sharing these verses and prayers. I would love to have a copy of them. I know that marriage is a lot of work. I have read everyone’s post on here and I have been amazed. Prayer is desperately needed. I am so thankful that we can pray to God and we are confident that He hears and answers our prayers! God is good. Thank you for your obedience.

  7. Thanks for sharing this. I would love to receive this download…….My husband owns his own company and during the times he needs all the prayer he can get.

  8. Your prayer provided me with an awesome example of how to get specific in praying for my husband, it is a lot easier to submit when you know your leader is being prayed for! I like the visual of praying for different areas of the body and plan to use it as a guide in praying for my kids as well. Thank you for sharing!

  10. Thank you so much, this devo is just what I need to share with a friend and myself on occasion. Please email me, thank you!

  11. Thank you for being open about something so many of us struggle with. Your devotional came at just the right time in my life. God is so good!

  12. I never prayed for my husband the way you broke it down but I am glad that I now have another way to pray for him. thank you

  13. Thank you for this prayer. Will you please send me a copy of Praying for your Husband. Thank you.

  14. I would appreciate a copy of this prayer sent to my email. I tried copying it into my notebook (the paper kind). and I got to finish the head part. I appreciate reading the prayer and want to continue using it to help me focus on the positive way to pray for my husband. We have been married for 39 years and it’s been work between 2 very strong-willed first borns.

  15. How encouraging to hear confirmation of how God has been leading me in my marriage. I have been a strong-willed, independent woman, and even more so now that we’re in the empty nest phase of our relationship. God has convicted me for not being the encourager my husband needs, and He is restoring the respect I allowed satan to destroy with resentment and bitterness. Praise be to God for the changes I’ve witnessed these past few months. I’d be blessed to have the downloadable copy to keep me on the right path. Thank you for your witness to women of all ages.

  16. Thank you Renee! I am engaged to be married on 05-05-12 and I want all of the help that I can get when it comes to having a Godly marriage. My fiance and I are followers of Christ and I know that Satan will try to tear this relationship apart. Please send me the FREE Praying For Your Husband download. Thank you so much for all that you do! 🙂

  17. Thank you for your words of wisdom. I would love for you to send your FREE Praying For Your Husband download.

  19. Thank you Renee for your devotion and this prayer. The prayer is awesome. What a great way to lift my husband to the Lord each day. I have a couple sisters at church that I would like to share this with. Plese send me the download. God Bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.

    Marie

  20. This was excellent! i would love a copy of the Praying for my Husband that you are planning to email.

    Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

  23. Thank you for sharing this. I pray this over my husband every night, but my copy is getting worn out. It is a great reminder to cover our husbands in prayer : )

  24. I would love a copy so I could do these prayers for my husband daily! We were high school sweethearts &. 17 years later we have 9 children . We have so much growing in Christ we need to do & this would certainly help me to focus on being a better helpmate to him!

  26. I would love a copy of this as we are going through tough times. And I have to let the Lord deliver him,instead of me ranting and crying about what he needs to do. I finally am trying to do what the Lord says that he will bring our families in. And I need this to help me to remember this. Thank you

  27. Thank you so much Renee for continuing to share from your heart and touching the lives of all of us. I would love a copy of your Praying for your Husband. My husband is going through a difficult time right now and day to day it is hard to know what to ask or how to serve him. He lost his Father almost a month ago. Thank you again!

  28. Renee,

    God has such perfect timing! I really needed to be reminded of this. Please send me your free Praying for Your Husband download. Thank you!

  29. Please send me your free download on praying for your husband, many thanks and enjot your Thanksgiving.

  30. Thank you for sharing—God sent these for me. Would love the free download: FREE Praying For Your Husband download

    Thanks

  31. Renee I was so happy to read this devotion. It explained some questions I have been trying to answer. God sent them to me through you. thanks I would love a copy of the prayers. happy Thanks giving.You have given me so much to be thankful for thanks

  32. I stumbled across this today following a friend’s link on Facebook! How I needed to hear this and return to faithful prayer for my husband, something I’ve been neglecting recently. I would appreciate the offer of the copy of the prayer! Thank you!

  34. please send me a copy of how I can pray for my husband from head to toe. I so need to learn so much from God to help me pray for my husband, to let him lead us, and to respect my husband as God so desires. thanks you

  35. Thank you so so much Renee for posting this prayer, everything i read written by you are now my guide and inspiration,you are a gifted lady by God, an amazing , and talented lady. I keep praying that our Lord will bless you more.I love to have the email you are giving away and I thank you so much.

  36. Thank you thank you for this! I have always been a take-charge strong-minded woman, and my husband tends to be more passive. This has often caused us to struggle. I tend to want to take the lead in our family, and my husband would often rather let me than to get into an argument about it. I’m very excited to see how God will change MY heart as I lift up my husband in prayer this way.

    Be blessed.
    Kristy

  37. Loved the message and definitely need a copy of the prayer verses. My husband says he is a Christian and has for the 28 years we’ve been together, but he doesn’t live his life that way and I have a hard time following his lead because of it. I am praying this will help as I cover him in prayer and trust God to do the rest.

    Thank you for sharing!

    Lynn

    PS – I am LOVING “A Confident Heart”! Just what I needed, just when I needed it. I love how God knows that about us.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  38. Thank you for this prayer! It always surprises me, though it shouldn’t, how God always gives me what I need to see/hear at exactly the right time. Following a husband’s lead can be so hard to do now when women are “supposed” to be independent and speak their own minds. We don’t give up who we are when we get married. We are supposed to become one with each other and God. What could be better than that?! Thanks again! Keep up the good work! God bless you and your family!

  39. This is a big struggle and is to the point of spliting us up for good, but I know God can and will work miracles. I would love a copy!

  42. This is a blessing to me and so needed in my life at this time. I would LOVE to have a printable version sent to me! Thank you for all you do Renee! Your book, A Confident Heart is so the story of my life. What an encouragement it has been to me reading it and being in the study/prayer group. Blessings to you and yours in all things. Keep up the God work!!
    Love through Christ,
    Deanna

  44. OH MY!! This is fantastic. I am so grateful that you have this to share as it is something I need to carry with me and engrave on my heart. Thank you!

  45. Oh how I love what GOD is doing with you and How encouraging you are. I am thankful to GOD for your ministry!

    Yes I would like a copy of Praying for your husband.

    Thank you!

  47. Thank you for the devotional & prayers. I cried with conviction over how poorly I treated my husband. We had both fell far from God, but when my husband abandoned our family less than a year into our marriage I found peace & joy in God alone. Please pray for my marriage & my husband’s hardness of heart. So thankful for the testimonies here of restored & wonderful marriages. I know God is faithful & my marriage is going to be restored on the solid rock of Jesus. Please send me the download of the prayers. I have been praying or my husband for four mo this now & these prayers are beautiful.

  48. Renee- I am always so blessed by your posts. Thank you so much for following God’s leading in your writing. These “husband” posts are so timely for me right now. There are issues, and I have felt lost, but your posts keep bringing God’s truth into my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I would love the download about praying for my husband, only God can work in him. I am NOT his Holy Spirit. 😉 Thank you for the reminder that Praying is all I can do. Thank you in advance! God Bless, Jessica

  49. What a great guide and reminder to pray for the man God gave us to be our partner on this journey called life.

Building Our Husbands Up Through Prayer

Welcome to those of you visiting from the Proverbs 31 Devotion today.As I shared in my devotion, I haven’t always been so good at following and trusting my husband’s lead. But over the past 15 years, God has done a work in me and in JJ. 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 husbands like He does – unconditionally.

One of the best ways we can love our husbands is to pray for them. Praying for JJ

has truly helped me follow his lead. This way I know He’s covered spiritually as I invite God to do an amazing work in JJ’s life. Of course, JJ has to respond to God’s work in his heart, but my part is not based on JJ’s response to God. It’s based on my surrendering and seeking God’s heart for my husband.JJ tells me prayer is the best gift I can give him.

Here are some verses I pray for my husband that maybe you can gift to your husband, too!

Head

“Father, continually renew my husband’s mind, resulting in a transformed life. Help him bring every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ. 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, Romans. 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.” (Isaiah. 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; Ephesians 4:15, 4:29; James 1:19)Heart

“Give my husband a heart that seeks pasisonately 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; Proverbs. 4:23; 1 Thessalonians. 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, Colossians 3:23)
Feet
I pray that my husband would love Your Words and walk in Your ways. I pray that He would be to walk in a manner that is worthy of You, bearing fruit in every good work, and that He would pass Your truths to our children as he walks along life’s path. Father, when he walk through the valley of the shadow of doubt and difficulties, I pray that he would fear no evil because He knows that you are with him. (Deuternonomy 6:7, 8:6, Collosians 1:10, Psalm 23:4)

I have seen prayer transform my marriage and my life. Just this week I watched the power of prayer as our family takes some big steps of faith, following my husband’s lead into the wonderful world of adoption. Adoption is our family’s calling but what many people don’t know is that my husband is the one who initiated our “following” God to Africa to get a little girl. JJ is leading us each step of the way. (To read more scroll down to Monday and Wednesday’s posts. You can also click here to read how our adoption story started in October 2007.)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 with our words and with prayer, covering them from head to toe!

Sweet blessings,