I have moments of feeling utterly defeated. As a man, those are some of my most vulnerable times. When you're at a low point anything (even harmful or stupid things) can look good and the idea of getting back up after being knocked down seems almost foreign. Its in those moments of feeling defeated that I am thankful for my prayerful wife standing in my corner. My wife sent me this (from crosswalk.com and author Jennifer O. White) to remind me of how she prays for me and stands with me in good times and bad. Use these in your marriage, write down a few prayers of your own if these spark some ideas in your head and pray for your husbands and your marriages.

Satisfaction in God Alone

I praise You, the God of all wisdom for husbands. Thank You, God, for knowing the longings of my husband’s heart far better than I do. You know why he hungers for ______ and ______. You know how these yearnings affect his decisions and how those decisions affect our marriage. You are the God who satisfies the longing soul. You fill the hungry soul with good things. Here is _____’s heart and soul, Lord. I lift him up to You and ask You to fill him with the good You know He needs (Psalm 107:9; Matthew 6:8). The world offers _____ so many things to temporarily satisfy his needs. Temptations abound, but You are his shield and his defender. Please train him to resist the devil (Psalm 28:7; Psalm 59:9; James 4:7). I celebrate that You triumph over every one of Satan’s schemes and the scars he has left on my husband’s heart. You are Jehovah Rapha, _____’s Healer. You are the restorer of his soul. Let the balm of Your perfect love and mercy touch the brokenness of his heart (Genesis 50:20; Exodus 15:26; Psalm 23:3; Jeremiah 17:14). You joined Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and when they came out unharmed, they didn’t even smell like smoke. Use their courage to inspire ____ to fear You only. I trust You to give him rest and satisfaction while protecting him from harm (Daniel 3:8–30; Proverbs 19:23).

A Man of Your Word

Father, Your Word amazes me. The world is looking for the next “perfect” solution to their problems, and You are always offering it through Your Word. You sent Your Word to deliver, nourish, and counsel us. My heart’s desire is for ______ to feast on Your Word and find It immensely satisfying (Psalm 107:20; Proverbs 3:8; Psalm 119:24; 103). With Your Word as His source of wisdom, I will rest secure in his leadership of our home. I trust Your Word to fill ____ with the insight he will need for our relationship, his work, and so much more (Ephesians 1:8,17; James 1:5). Your Word will unite his heart to Yours. His oneness with You will lead his pursuit of oneness with me. Your ways will become His ways. Your faithfulness to me will become His faithfulness to me (1 Corinthians 6:17; Mark 10:8; Galatians 5:23). Send him an abundance of confidants whose faith in You is bold and courageous. Let them be men who do not lean on their own understanding, but always acknowledge You and Your Word (Psalm 119:63; Proverbs 28:1; 3:5–6).

Humility: The Courage to Admit His Need of God

Thank You, Father for the gift of Jesus and His perfect example of humility. Jesus displayed His love for us with great humility and submissiveness to You. He denied Himself the comforts of heaven to save us. He chose to experience temptations, mockery, rejection, and even death. He rated our needs higher than His own. You require _______ to love me as Christ loved the church. With great love for ____, I’m asking You to empower him to do this (Ephesians 5:25). You know the pressure _____ feels to be successful and strong. You know how he is influenced to be self-reliant. You understand his fears and insecurities. He is simply human and at risk of denying his need for You, God. I do not want to see him destroy his life or our marriage because of pride (Proverbs 18:12). I bring ____ to You, the river of life, and ask You to anoint him with a supernatural portion of Christ’s humility. With it he will be a ready recipient of Your grace. He will be free to boast about his weaknesses to You and wait for You to satisfy his needs with Your strength (Psalm 36:8; James 4:6; 2 Corinthians 11:30, 12:9–10). You’ve promised that humility is rewarded with riches, honor, and life. Those are gifts I want for my husband, Lord. Help him to let go of any pride and false humility so that he can enjoy the abundant life Jesus died to give him (Proverbs 22:4; John 10:10).

Your Praise on His Lips

There is no one who compares to You, Lord. You are worthy of our spellbound attention (1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 16:8). Give ______ eyes to see that You deserve the highest praise. Let him personally experience Your grandeur and strength. Let him live with great conviction that Jesus has authority over all things on earth and in the spiritual realm (Psalm 145:3; Ephesians 1:22). You inhabit the praises of Your people, and I want ____ to enjoy the comfort and power of Your presence every moment. So, Father, please grant him an irrevocable gift of praising You. Let Your Spirit continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through _____ so that his lips always acknowledge Your name (Psalm 22:3; Philippians 2:10; Hebrews 13:15) Teach him to praise You in his lowest moments. Train him to exalt Your name during the trials and before the victories. Let his faith in You lead him courageously into our own promised land despite the ominous giants of fear and doubt. Use the psalmists to mentor him in lifting His head to praise Your faithfulness despite his present burdens (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Chronicles 20; Numbers 13–14; Psalm 43:5).

Transform His Wife

You have promised _____ that a wife is a good gift from you. I want to be an excellent wife to my husband, one who consistently brings him honor (Proverbs 18:22, 12:4). You know every one of my weaknesses and how they are impacting my role as ____’s helpmate. Lead me, Lord, to recognize the ungodliness hiding in my will, my expectations, and how I express my emotions. I want to surrender them to You for healing. Show me where I am investing my attention in things that will deteriorate my relationship with _____ (2 Corinthians 12:9–10; Luke 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Ephesians 1:8,17). Let the power of Your Word transform my motives. Coach me relentlessly to be a wife who respects her husband in word and deed. Cause Your tenderness, gentleness, kindness, and humility to become my own (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 5:22–24; Colossians 3:12). I want to be a content wife who does not harass my husband with quarrels and fretfulness. Please use me to create a peaceful home for him. Use me to encourage him, bear his burdens, and reflect Your extravagant love for him (Hebrews 13:5; Philippians 4:11–12; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 3:18–19). May our souls feast on only on You (Psalm 63:5).

I pray these things with complete confidence in Jesus and Your Spirit at work in our marriage. Amen. [tweetthis twitter_handles="@wayafternoons"]5 Powerful Prayers Every Wife Needs to Pray Over Her Husband. [/tweetthis]