Want to pray for your wife, but not sure where to start?
Do you find yourself praying 'Dear God, please bless her' before getting stuck?
If so ‘Water of the Word’, 10ofthose Publishing’s new book written by Andrew Case, may just what you’re looking for.
I was sent a free copy to road-test over the summer and it has been a huge blessing, both for me personally and as I’ve prayed for Carolyn, my wife, giving depth, variety and biblical richness to my prayers.
It’s essentially a book of well over 200 prayers, covering every area in which you would want to pray for your wife. Each prayer is no more than a page long and interspersed between them are helpful and thought-provoking quotes on prayer from great Christian figures from the present and the past. I have found it immensely helpful as I have sought to pray for Carolyn.
Here are a few of the reasons (in no particular order) why I think every husband should get this book and use it...
The prayers are beautifully written.
For some the more formal language used will perhaps seem a little flowery. It is certainly not written colloquially in the sort of contemporary conversational style many of us use when we pray. To be honest, this took a little getting used to. However, I quickly came to see that this adds a certain gravitas to the prayers that I grew to appreciate as I prayed for my wife. This also fits well with the authors use of scripture within the prayers.
The prayers are, above all else, Biblical.
Each prayer is based on a passage of Scripture. At the end of the book there is an index of Bible passages used and it is extensive. The authors approach in each prayer is to paraphrase a Bible passage and turn it into prayer. The result is a depth and richness that would not have been the case otherwise.
This is a great way to pray for anyone, but I found that there was something particularly special about praying in this way for my wife. This excerpt from the start of a prayer based on the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 is a good example:
‘Dear Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. Please keep Your Name holy in the life of my beautiful wife. Cause her to consider it reverently in her mind and heart, treating it as sacred by her words and conduct...’The prayers honour my wife.
Time and time again, the prayers refer to ‘my wonderful wife’ or ‘my beautiful wife’ or ‘my dear wife’ or ‘my treasured wife.’ There is a lovely tenderness in the language used to refer to her that constantly reminds me that I am to cherish her. They model the Christlike attitude I am to have towards her: tender, passionate, selfless and desiring her growth in grace above all else. Here is true Christian romance in action: praying for your wife!
The prayers teach me about my role as husband.
Woven throughout the prayers are the responsibilities I have to nurture my wife’s spiritual life and lead her towards Christ. I found they were therefore helpful both as a rebuke and as a reminder. Often I found myself put in my place in a helpful way. We men have a way of thinking of ourselves far more highly than we should, however when you pray as in the excerpt below you are reminded of how you should see yourself!
‘Grant her continual patience and forbearance to live with me, a wicked husband. For I have sinned against You; I have acted very corruptly against You by forsaking my responsibility to lead my home in righteousness and fear of You... Give her boldness and wisdom to rebuke and exhort me when I am unfaithful to Your Word, when I neglect prayer, fail to redeem the time, speak carelessly, walk foolishly, fail to hope in You, seek great things for myself, became anxious about tomorrow.’The prayers cover every aspect of life.
One of the great blessings of this collection of prayers is how all-encompassing they are. They cover every area of life. However, because they are rooted in Scripture, the focus in each is growing godliness and Christlikeness.
The prayers will have a long shelf-life.
Because they are so beautifully rich - both in language and content – these are prayers that can be prayed over and over again. This book has all the hallmarks of a Christian classic that will not date and will become well used by many husbands who want their wives to grow in grace.
Apparently 10ofthose are working on a similar book of prayer for wives who want to pray for their husbands. WIVES: look out for it.
In the mean time HUSBANDS: Lead by example and buy (and use) this book!
You can buy it HERE
UPDATE:
Just discovered you can get a FREE e-version of Water of the Word HERE on the author's website in a variety of formats including kindle and Nook.
On the same website you can also get FREE e-versions of a book of prayers for wives wanting to pray for their husbands and parents wanting to pray for their children.
