by: Tini Tadeo-Castillo
"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
There is power in praying. There is an even greater power when we, wives, pray for our husbands. Being the authority over us, our spiritual leader, all the more we must pray for them. We are the strongest prayer warriors for our spouses! And I can attest.
Thanks to Facebook memories, I was taken on a trip down memory lane as I read my prayers from a year ago for my husband through a prayer challenge. As I read each prayer, I could not help but be in tears as I realized how many of them have been answered by the Lord. My man is still in a work in progress and continues to be the perfectly imperfect match to me. But while he is, I can attest that he has gone a long way from who he was when I began praying for and over him. The nights he would sleep (and snore!) and I would be careful to lay my hands on him, praying fervently that he would become the man God designed him to be--they did not go to waste and certainly did not fall into deaf ears.
God heard every single one of those prayers and to this day He is working on those prayers of mine. The other day as Paul led our family to a devotion on the renewing of minds and not conforming to the ways of the world, I could not help but smile, be in awe of the man explaining how important it is to read God's word to be renewed, be grateful to what God has done and is still doing.
To any wife reading this, who may be struggling with her husband, hopeless in seeing the man he is today, impatient on how God is transforming him, doubtful whether your prayer is being answered or even heard, whining about what seemed to be a very slow progress in his sanctification...wherever you maybe in your feelings towards your husband's spiritual state, please take heart. I prayed the following prayers a year ago and today I am reaping the rewards of praying for Paul. Press on with your prayers. Fix your eyes on Him who hears those supplications. Do not be discouraged because God in His most perfect time will answer them. In fact, he may have already answered them already and you aren't paying attention. No matter how slow it maybe for our timeline, rest in knowing that God's timeline is infintely better, His ways higher and His process wiser than ours. Sharing these prayers once more, in the hopes that they may serve as your guide on what to say and in how to go down on your knees for that very special man in your life.
DAY 1 June 26, 2016
Lord, I lift up my husband Paul to you. I pray that you will fill his heart to the brim with Your love, that his mind will grow in the deep knowledge of Christ, that his soul be guided by Your word. May Your spirit live within him and cause him to walk in Your ways. Amen."
"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return." ~ Philippians1:9-10 NLT
DAY 2
Lord, I thank you for man Paul has become since he has come to know You. I pray that he will live his life in accordance to your plans and design and do so that You alone will be glorified. Father, I pray that he will seek wisdom only from You who will give it generously, that he will submit any fears to You knowing that You are with him in Your mission and purpose for him to be a pastor, priest and provider for us. Amen.
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." ~ Romans 8:28 NASB
DAY 3
Lord, thank you for blessing me with a man like Paul whose relationship with you has bore fruits in his life. My heart is full of gratitude that you gave me the privilege to see these fruits first-hand. Lord I pray that you keep him humble, that he be quick to agree with You about any sin in his life and be tender towards Your voice of instruction, command and rebuke. May he always love righteousness and hate wickedness of the culture and be able to pass it on to our children. Amen.
"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!" ~ Psalm 112:1 ESV
DAY4
Father, I thank you for blessing me with my better-half Paul, indeed he is the better half between us. Thank You for the transforming power of Your Spirit in him. In his tranquil love and and in his daily battles, I see him find his courage and draw his strength from You. Father, continue to shower him with friendships that sharpen and encourage him. Grant him a heart of thankfulness that transcends every season, unceasingly giving thanks to You in all circumstance. Make him sober-minded, vigilant, covered with your protective armor, armed with Your weapon that he may be able to stand firmly against the schemes of the evil one. Amen.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" ~ Ephesians 3:16 NIV
DAY 5
Lord, I thank you everyday for my husband Paul. May Your Word dwell in him richly and work in him mightily. May it penetrate deeply in his heart, bring life and health in him and in his body. May he stand firm in faith and conviction in You. May he conform to Your will in every purpose, thought and action. Amen.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV
DAY 6
Lord, I praise You for the works You have done in the life of my husband Paul. It is only by Your grace that he is the man that he is now. Father, flood his heart with your light that he may see Your plans and fill it with wisdom to discern Your will for him and our family. May his roots go down deep into the soil of Your amazing love and grace. Lord, use him to reflect Your love to our children and to the people within our circle of influence. Guide him to lead our family according to your design; to love, nurture, cherish and honor me so his prayers may not be hindered; to raise Jam and Cicc in the tender nurture and training, discipline, counsel, and admonition of You, Lord. Amen.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2 NIV
DAY 7
Thank You, Father for the gift of Jesus and the gift of my husband Paul. With Your Word as the source of his wisdom, I have rest and security in his leadership of our home. Lord You know the desire's of his heart far better than I do and understand his fears and insecurities more than I ever could. Father, I trust You to give him rest, satisfaction, protection and security; that Your Word will deliver, nourish, and counsel him. Fill him with insights and wisdom he needs in his relationships and work. May his ways be Your ways and his thoughts be Your thoughts. Bless the work of his hand and let it bring honor to Your kingdom. Let his life be a powerful testimony to the people he comes across. Help him to let go of any pride and false humility so that he can enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for to give him. Anoint him with a supernatural portion of Your son's humility and may he exhibit the same grace You have shown and extended to him. Give him a faith, bold and courageous. Use me to encourage and motivate him, bear his burdens, and reflect Your lavish love for him. Amen.
"I have found the one whom my soul loves..." ~ Song of Solomon 3:4 ESV
PS I would love to hear stories, feedback and testimonies on this. Let's share our walk and be encouragers to others :)
"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
There is power in praying. There is an even greater power when we, wives, pray for our husbands. Being the authority over us, our spiritual leader, all the more we must pray for them. We are the strongest prayer warriors for our spouses! And I can attest.
Thanks to Facebook memories, I was taken on a trip down memory lane as I read my prayers from a year ago for my husband through a prayer challenge. As I read each prayer, I could not help but be in tears as I realized how many of them have been answered by the Lord. My man is still in a work in progress and continues to be the perfectly imperfect match to me. But while he is, I can attest that he has gone a long way from who he was when I began praying for and over him. The nights he would sleep (and snore!) and I would be careful to lay my hands on him, praying fervently that he would become the man God designed him to be--they did not go to waste and certainly did not fall into deaf ears.
God heard every single one of those prayers and to this day He is working on those prayers of mine. The other day as Paul led our family to a devotion on the renewing of minds and not conforming to the ways of the world, I could not help but smile, be in awe of the man explaining how important it is to read God's word to be renewed, be grateful to what God has done and is still doing.
To any wife reading this, who may be struggling with her husband, hopeless in seeing the man he is today, impatient on how God is transforming him, doubtful whether your prayer is being answered or even heard, whining about what seemed to be a very slow progress in his sanctification...wherever you maybe in your feelings towards your husband's spiritual state, please take heart. I prayed the following prayers a year ago and today I am reaping the rewards of praying for Paul. Press on with your prayers. Fix your eyes on Him who hears those supplications. Do not be discouraged because God in His most perfect time will answer them. In fact, he may have already answered them already and you aren't paying attention. No matter how slow it maybe for our timeline, rest in knowing that God's timeline is infintely better, His ways higher and His process wiser than ours. Sharing these prayers once more, in the hopes that they may serve as your guide on what to say and in how to go down on your knees for that very special man in your life.
DAY 1 June 26, 2016
Lord, I lift up my husband Paul to you. I pray that you will fill his heart to the brim with Your love, that his mind will grow in the deep knowledge of Christ, that his soul be guided by Your word. May Your spirit live within him and cause him to walk in Your ways. Amen."
"I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return." ~ Philippians1:9-10 NLT
DAY 2
Lord, I thank you for man Paul has become since he has come to know You. I pray that he will live his life in accordance to your plans and design and do so that You alone will be glorified. Father, I pray that he will seek wisdom only from You who will give it generously, that he will submit any fears to You knowing that You are with him in Your mission and purpose for him to be a pastor, priest and provider for us. Amen.
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." ~ Romans 8:28 NASB
DAY 3
Lord, thank you for blessing me with a man like Paul whose relationship with you has bore fruits in his life. My heart is full of gratitude that you gave me the privilege to see these fruits first-hand. Lord I pray that you keep him humble, that he be quick to agree with You about any sin in his life and be tender towards Your voice of instruction, command and rebuke. May he always love righteousness and hate wickedness of the culture and be able to pass it on to our children. Amen.
"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commandments!" ~ Psalm 112:1 ESV
DAY4
Father, I thank you for blessing me with my better-half Paul, indeed he is the better half between us. Thank You for the transforming power of Your Spirit in him. In his tranquil love and and in his daily battles, I see him find his courage and draw his strength from You. Father, continue to shower him with friendships that sharpen and encourage him. Grant him a heart of thankfulness that transcends every season, unceasingly giving thanks to You in all circumstance. Make him sober-minded, vigilant, covered with your protective armor, armed with Your weapon that he may be able to stand firmly against the schemes of the evil one. Amen.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" ~ Ephesians 3:16 NIV
DAY 5
Lord, I thank you everyday for my husband Paul. May Your Word dwell in him richly and work in him mightily. May it penetrate deeply in his heart, bring life and health in him and in his body. May he stand firm in faith and conviction in You. May he conform to Your will in every purpose, thought and action. Amen.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV
DAY 6
Lord, I praise You for the works You have done in the life of my husband Paul. It is only by Your grace that he is the man that he is now. Father, flood his heart with your light that he may see Your plans and fill it with wisdom to discern Your will for him and our family. May his roots go down deep into the soil of Your amazing love and grace. Lord, use him to reflect Your love to our children and to the people within our circle of influence. Guide him to lead our family according to your design; to love, nurture, cherish and honor me so his prayers may not be hindered; to raise Jam and Cicc in the tender nurture and training, discipline, counsel, and admonition of You, Lord. Amen.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2 NIV
DAY 7
Thank You, Father for the gift of Jesus and the gift of my husband Paul. With Your Word as the source of his wisdom, I have rest and security in his leadership of our home. Lord You know the desire's of his heart far better than I do and understand his fears and insecurities more than I ever could. Father, I trust You to give him rest, satisfaction, protection and security; that Your Word will deliver, nourish, and counsel him. Fill him with insights and wisdom he needs in his relationships and work. May his ways be Your ways and his thoughts be Your thoughts. Bless the work of his hand and let it bring honor to Your kingdom. Let his life be a powerful testimony to the people he comes across. Help him to let go of any pride and false humility so that he can enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for to give him. Anoint him with a supernatural portion of Your son's humility and may he exhibit the same grace You have shown and extended to him. Give him a faith, bold and courageous. Use me to encourage and motivate him, bear his burdens, and reflect Your lavish love for him. Amen.
"I have found the one whom my soul loves..." ~ Song of Solomon 3:4 ESV
PS I would love to hear stories, feedback and testimonies on this. Let's share our walk and be encouragers to others :)