There are so many things we need to pray for and people who need prayer. How often do we pray for our spouse? Do we pray quick prayers for them? Perhaps ask God to fix ll the things that annoy us? Do we use Scripture to pray for them or just whatever comes to mind? In this small book, Michael and Melissa Kruger guide you through 21 specific ways you can pray for your spouse. Nancy Guthrie wrote in the preface, “There is a great deal each of us can do for our spouse. But there is so much that only God can do”, so much that only he can develop” (8). There are urgent needs that we can pray for, but we also need to be able to pray more broadly.
This book is a guide. Each chapter has five points. You could pray through a chapter a day and finish the book in 3 weeks, you could pray through one point a day on weekdays, or you could pick it up when you want to pray over a specific area in your spouse’s life.
Michael and Melissa divide the book into four sections:
- Praying that God will…
- Praying that we will…
- Praying that my spouse will…
- Praying when we are…
They then take a Psalm, some proverbs, or a few verses from the New Testament (and Joshua and Deuteronomy) and then divvy them up into five prayers. You may pray that God will produce spiritual fruit (Gal 5:22–23), that you both will serve God with your gifts (Rom 12:3–8), or open up your home to others (Rom 12:13–18). You may pray that your spouse will honor God when they work or in anything difficult they do (Col 3:22–4:1), that they would be joyfully content (Phil 4:1–13), or able to endure trials (Jas 1:2–4).
After each point and the accompanying Bible verse is a text that you could base your prayer on (which I summarize in the example below). Perhaps you want to pray that God would help your spouse endure trials. You might begin by praying, “Father, in the midst of trials help my spouse…”
- Trust your purposes (v2): Pray your spouse would not see this as a random trial, but one purposed by God for their good.
- Have joy (v2): We can have joy because we trust in the God who stands behind the trials.
- Increase faith (v3): Pray that the Lord would use this trial to increase your spouse’s faith (and yours too!).
- Be steadfast (v4): Pray that God would give your spouse endurance to run the full length of this trial.
- Grow in maturity (v4): Pray God would make your spouse to be more like Christ.
Recommended?
I really like this series. I’ve reviewed on book on praying for your child, and we own a few of the others in this series. Whether you’re newlyweds, retirees, a mechanic, a doctor, a pastor, you would benefit from this book. Why should you buy this book? Every married person should be praying for their spouse, and this book will help you to have varied prayers so that you pray for your spouse in different ways.
Lagniappe
- Series: 5 Things
- Author: Michael and Melissa Kruger
- Paperback: 96 pages
- Publisher: The Good Book Company (January 31, 2022)
- Read a sample
Find it on Amazon and The Good Book Company!
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Disclosure: I received this book free from The Good Book Company. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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