Revive Your Marriage - praying for your husband

Several of the blogs I follow are doing a 4 week challenge, "Revive Your Marriage".  Every week they will deal with a different area that you can work on, with a post from each lady, on their respective blogs, giving ideas and suggestions.

I doubt that anyone could put up their hand and say "yup, my marriage is perfect and it doesn't require any extra work"!  It would be lie, for a start, because our marriages need constant cultivation and work. It's like a garden.  If we want our garden to be beautiful and fruitful, it needs work.  You need to plant things, you need to water them and feed them, you need to train some things up.  You need to keep the weeds away, to stop them choking the plants you want to be there.

Marriage is a lot like that.  It doesn't happen on its own.  We need to "plant" the right attitudes, and actions.  We need to pull out the weeds of sin - of discontent, of strife, of bad attitudes, of stubbornness. Over all else, we need prayer.

No area of our life should be without prayer, and our marriage is no exception.

However, it can be easy to see the various needs all around us - of missionaries, of those with struggles and trials - and forget the grass roots issues, such as our very own husband and HIS needs!!!

If we sat down and wrote a list, there are many, many ways in which our husbands, and our marriage, need prayer.

I am not going to do that, though.  I would recommend Stormie Omartian's book, "The Power of a Praying Wife".  It breaks down the subject into many different areas, in which you can pray for your husband.

My top tip is simple, and yet I would suggest that we may seldom, or maybe have NEVER, done it?

Ask your HUSBAND how you can pray for him.

I can almost guarantee that you will be surprised.  It will probably NOT be what YOU perceive to be the area that requires the most prayer.  Why not?  Because, we are women.  Women have different thoughts, priorities and ways than men.  (Just in case you hadn't already realised that!)  What is bothering your husband, may be something you have no idea about.  An area that he feels burdened about may be something that surprises you.

One thing I AM sure about.  Your husband will deeply appreciate you asking the question.  He will value your care and concern.  It will get him thinking about what area he DOES need most prayer in! Plus, it may even get you talking about something you hadn't even been discussing as a couple before. All round, this can be one of the most wonderful things you can do as a wife.  Praying intelligently, and meaningfully, for you husband.

Another thing that I recommend, but I must admit it's been a while since we did it.  Pray TOGETHER.  Just the two of you.  Not in family worship.  Not alone, as you ought, in your own quiet time.  Just husband, and wife, lifting their hearts and voices in prayer, united, to their heavenly Father.  We did it all the time before we had children.  We did it in our courting days.  I have MANY precious memories of the times we had together in prayer.  You could maybe set aside a special time to pray together.  Discuss issues in your marriage - in your home - about parenting - and then, prayer together about them. It doesn't have to be every day, or every other day.  It could be just for a short time once a week, or even once a month.  You WILL be blessed in doing it!

So, there you have it.  My top two tips for Reviving the Prayers for your Marriage!!!

Now to put them into practise myself. *smiles*

Head on over to the other blogs, to see what suggestions these ladies give, and check out the links to the others, and be blessed as you read!

Their tip for the week is this great idea.