Do you pray for your man? I mean really pray for him? Strategically? Intentionally? Specifically?
I often tell women that much of my “wifehood” has been spent on my knees for my man. He’s a man who is passionate about God and about reaching this generation for Christ. He sees the big picture and is fervent about seeing people discipled and the church not only loving each other, but also escaping the Christian bubble and not just faithfully attending church but also being the church beyond her four walls.
I, admittedly, am one blessed woman and I love my man with all my heart! But I want to be real with you for a minute.
It hasn’t always been this way. We’ve been through some really hard places and there were times when I didn’t really even like my man. Oh… I chose to love him, but I admit there were times I just didn’t like him.
Ever been there?
My role as his wife didn’t come with an instruction manual. I had to learn about his needs, his desires, his dreams, his abilities, his weaknesses and the areas where he needed and wanted to grow and change. Unfortunately, knowing him like I should didn’t happen overnight. It was a step by step process that often taxed my patience and left me frustrated.
We are very different. In fact, I often laugh at how we jockey our words to try to land on the same page of any given conversation. But God has used those differences to help me see things beyond my own opinion and given me a different take on things I thought I had figured out.
Perhaps you’re struggling in your marriage. Maybe you just don’t see eye to eye about things. Maybe you’re trying to change your man instead of praying that God would make him the man He wants him to be.
One of the greatest roles a woman can play in her husband’s life is the that of intercessor.
No one knows your hubby like you do. No one sees his strengths and weakness like you. Perhaps you’ve never considered this, but when you pray for your husband you are praying for yourself. After all, you’re one. For life.
If God does something in and through him, it will impact you. If God works out a situation in his life or gives him wisdom to walk in a specific direction, you can be sure your life will be affected.
I’ve always wanted to be like the Proverbs 31 woman. I think we all have. But she intimidates this southern girl to the core!
In context, those daunting verses in Proverbs 31 are a tribute to a mother’s wisdom. King Lemeul honored his mom by rehearsing her advice through the portals of time and everytime we read them we are hearing the heart of a mother.
She was a mom who longed for her son to marry a godly woman who would love and honor him all the days of his life. I remember how her counsel took root in my prayers years ago as I prayed for my sons’ future wives.
Today, I’d like to share a few verses from this momma’s words of wisdom found in the pages of scripture and encourage each of us to be a woman who prays for her man.
Proverbs 31:10-12Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
King Lemeul’s mamma wanted to be sure her son had a woman who would stand by her man. One he would consider to be priceless!
She would be a woman he could trust; one that would greatly enrich his life… who would bring out the best in him and have his best interest at heart; one who would look for opportunities to do good for her husband and not seek out ways to hurt him. That’s the kind of woman we all want for our sons, but is that the kind of woman we are to our husband?
Let’s face it, laying our lives down beside Mrs. Proverbs 31. can be pretty daunting. She sets the standard uncompromisingly high. But, if you’re like me, Proverbs 31 is a picture of the woman I long to be… the woman I’m working to become. Not only for my husband and children, but for myself, as well.
>Proverbs 31:23: Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
He was a man that garnered great respect and held the title of leader in his sphere of influence. Mrs. Proverbs 31 knew her husband wasn’t perfect, but it’s obvious by the text that she didn’t expose his weaknesses or broadcast his failures.
At the beginning of this article I mentioned that I had spent much of my “wifehood” in intercession for my man.
Sometimes because I just knew I was right and I wanted God to tell him so, but more often than not, because I love seeing him become the man God created him to be.
I want him to be known in the gates as a respected leader. My prayers often flow from the potential I know is his and the doors I see God opening for him.
I’d like to finish by sharing some ways you can pray for your husband. Specific areas that you can lay at the foot of the cross on a consistent basis as you see God working in his life, strengthening his faith and weaving the events of his life to make him the man He created him to be.
1. Pray for His Spiritual Life – That he would have a vital, intimate and unwavering relationship with the Lord. That he would passionately pursue a holy life and be zealous for the Word of the Living God. That he would be a man of faith, a man of prayer and a man of the Word.
2. Pray for His Character – That he would value his own reputation as a reflection of His Savior. That he would be a man whom people can confide in and trust; who is known for his integrity and is faithful to his word.
3. Pray for His Heart – That he would guard his heart from unrighteousness and from the lures and temptations of this world. That he would be pure in heart and mind. Faithful to God and faithful to his family. That he would love what God loves and hate what God hates. That his heart would be tender yet courageous, humble yet bold.
4. Pray for His Health – That he would be physically, mentally and emotionally healthy. That he would be safe from harm and free from sickness and disease. That he would eat what he knows is good for him and exercise to maintain his health.
5. Pray for His Influence – The influence he has on others and the influence others have on him. Pray God would use him to make a positive impact on the lives he comes in contact with. Pray God would bless him with godly friends and people who God may use to pave the path of position for him. That he would be known in the gates and make a difference for the glory of God.
I realize this isn’t a comprehensive prayer list, but it’s a start.
This may be hard, but perhaps you’ve been frustrated with your husband, yet you haven’t even spent five minutes in intercession for him. Maybe you want him to become someone God never intended him to be. True intercession means you get in line with God’s will for someone and begin to pray to that end.
I’m not sure where you are in your marriage, but this I know: The prayer of a righteous woman avails much. James 5:16 in the NLT says it like this, “… The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Pray for your man, sweet sister. It can mean a world of difference… for you, for him, for your marriage, for your family and for those in your sphere of influence.
Stephanie Shott is a pastor’s wife and ministry leader who thinks way outside the box and refuses to settle for status quo. In 2012, she founded The MOM Initiative, a Titus 2 movement dedicated to mobilizing the body of Christ to make mentoring missional. Their goal is to reach a million moms for Christ and they already have MOM Groups in 30 states and 10 countries. She is author of The Making of a Mom and Understanding What Matters Most and has appeared on a host of media outlets including The 700 Club, WJXT, and Atlanta Live. For more on Stephanie’s ministries, visit StephanieShott.com and TheMOMInitiative.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Publication date: August 9, 2016