Along with many other Christian wives, I know well the importance of praying for my husband. I understand the why, but sometimes I lose the what and don’t always find the words.
It’s incredible that the Holy Spirit can take those moments and turn them into the words that I can’t seem to speak, but I think there’s still great value in learning what and how to pray and I know my husband can greatly benefit from my efforts in learning to pray.
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.
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“It is entirely possible that you are the only person on the face of the earth praying for him
(your husband). That means if you don’t pray for him, then probably no one is!”
When I read that quote from Elizabeth George’s 15 Verses to Pray for Your Husband, I had to let it sink in for a moment. I never believed a simple “Bless him, Lord,” was enough to truly encompass all of the things my husband faces on a daily basis, but the thought of me potentially being the only person standing in the gap for him is more than enough reason to pray more fervently and more intentionally than ever before.
In 15 Verses to Pray for Your Husband, Elizabeth George not only includes specific scriptures to pray for your husband, but also shares why those scriptures are important to pray for your husband. Fatherhood, work, financial matters, and purity are just a sampling of the prayer topics covered in this book. These topics, along with the remaining eleven, are all crucial prayer matters and the book does a great job in guiding wives through every aspect of praying diligently and specifically in all of these areas.
I want to pray for my husband because, as stated in the book, “praying for your husband is the supreme act of love.” I want him to know without a shadow of a doubt that I pray for him daily. I pray for him when he asks, but also before he asks, and even when he doesn’t ask. I want him to know that my praying for him is a given and I want to know that my praying makes a difference in his life and in his ministry.
The truth of the matter, though, is that I often start off well, just to get distracted before too long. Those are the times when my well-meaning prayer time ends up being a compilation of half-finished thoughts. Tell me I’m not the only one. I long to do better than that and that’s why I so appreciate this book and the guidance in it. I passionately believe that prayer makes a difference, but I sometimes need help with the execution.
“Your husband will have a tough time leading if you aren’t willing to follow.”
One thing I particularly enjoyed about this book is that, while its focus is on how and what to pray, the heart of the wife offering those prayers is also addressed. Many times we claim to pray, pray, and pray even more, with seemingly no answers or changes to show in our husbands.
I love that the author includes accountability for wives to go along with these verses, too. After all, if our hearts and actions don’t reflect the very things we pray for our husbands, then what good is any of it?
I also loved the practical application aspects of each chapter. The personal experiences shared by the author help make the connections between the scriptures, the prayers, and what all of this looks like off the pages of The Bible. That’s incredibly beneficial especially if you’re praying these scriptures for the first time.
There are also lots of other tips for practical application shared throughout 15 Verses to Pray for Your Husband. For example, the last chapter focuses on praying for the partnership between husband and wife, but also includes the following suggestions for promoting teamwork and detailed explanations to accompany them:
- Pray together
- Have devotions together
- Plan together
- Talk together
- Parent together
- Serve together
- Have fun together
- Work together
In many ways, Elizabeth George assumes the role of the Titus 2-style mentor I wish I could have through this book. Wives of any age and season in marriage can benefit from her direction and wisdom shared in 15 Verses to Pray for Your Husband and I’m thankful to have gained her guidance for praying for my husband.