Tag: The Power of a Praying Wife

National Day of Prayer

In America, today we celebrate the National Day of Prayer.  This annual observance is held on the first Thursday of May.  Since 1952, it has been designated as a day when people are asked to pray and meditate.

I’ll be honest with you.  Sometimes I struggle with my prayer life.  It is much easier for me to read and study the Bible.  Sitting quietly and praying is more difficult.  Meditating is even harder.  Honestly, it is easier for me to fast.

Here are some techniques I have found helpful:

  • Every day I pray for my husband and children.  For my husband, I use the book “The Power of a Praying Wife”.  See this blog post for more.  For my kids I have daily things I pray for – their friends, their faith, their schooling, their future husbands, their choices, etc.

 

  • I keep a journal with list of what to pray for based on the day of the week.
    • Monday – My husband’s family
    • Tuesday – My church (the staff, elders, ministry partners, any prayer requests I’m aware of from the church body)
    • Wednesday – My family
    • Thursday – I ask God to show me things I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness for. I also pray for my “enemies” (this ranges from people who have hurt me to terrorists)
    • Friday – God’s direction and for wisdom
    • Saturday – Elected officials
    • Sunday – My ministry to others and for God to fill me with love

 

  • Pray through the news headlines:  Take the newspaper or news headlines and pray for the top issues facing the world.  For example, looking through today’s news here are prayer ideas:
    • Prayer for elected officials to have wisdom while making decisions on America’s healthcare.  Prayers for our elected officials to seek God’s will.
    • Prayer for peace in Venezuela
    • Prayer for Syrian refugees and peace in Syria.  Prayer for Christians in Syria.

 

  • Praise: Make a list of all your blessing and everything has God has done in your life.  Go through the list one by one and thank God for what he has done and praise him.

1 Sam 12-24.jpg

 

Praying for my Husband

Several years ago I purchased The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian at the Goodwill and it was one of the best purchases I’ve made.  I love this book.  It helps me direct my prayers for my husband and each prayer is so personal and powerful.

I especially loved today’s prayer that started more for me than my husband:

“God, I proclaim You Lord over my life.  Help me to seek You first every day and set my priorities in perfect order.  Reveal to me how to properly put my husband before children, work, family, friends, activities and interests.  Show me what I can do right now to demonstrate to him that he has this position in my heart.  Mend the times I have caused him to doubt that.  Tell me now to prioritize everything so that whatever steals life away, or has no lasting purpose, will not occupy my time.”

This is my prayer for today – and hopefully every day.  I want to prioritize everything in the order it should go and keep my time and energy focused on what matters most.

P.S. One slightly embarrassing, though related, side-note:  when I was a kid we had Stormie Omartian “Exercise for Life” workout tapes.  Not VHS tapes.  Actual cassette player tapes.  I’d get my leg warmers on and do these tapes every day.  I found a YouTube copy of the cassette.  Just listing to this 80’s Christian techno makes we want to workout!