Praying God's Word for Your Husband: Book Review

    Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker who reaches thousands of wives each year. She is the author of three books and has been a guest on several national radio programs, including Focus on the Family. She and her husband have four children and live in California.

Praying God's Word for Your Husband:  What's it all about?

    Women often offer up polite prayers to God without any real hope of seeing change in their marriage, their husbands, or themselves. Kathi Lipp, author of Praying God’s Word for Your Husband, directs women to Scripture and shows wives how to pray God’s Word boldly and in full confidence of seeing God-sized results.

    With a light touch and an approachable style, Lipp shows women what a blessing it is to pray for their husbands, addressing specific concerns, like praying for his:

• parenting
• career and finances
• relationship with God and others
• emotional health
• future
• and more

    Lipp shows readers how to stop feeling helpless and start making a difference in their husbands’ lives through bold, expectant prayer, whether they are new believers or have been walking with God for years.

Was this book helpful to me and my prayer life . . . and ultimately, to my husband?

    I don't lean toward reading non-fiction books very often.  I've never been a huge non-fiction book reader.  However, because I do pray for my husband regularly, and I can testify to the power of prayer for my husband and others, I was interested in reading Praying God's Word for Your Husband. 

    I was expecting more of a lecture-style book, typical of non-fiction books.  I was pleasantly surprised to find touching and poignant illustrations and true retellings of events in the author's life scattered throughout this book. 

    What I love about Praying God's Word for Your Husband the most is how I can look up a specific topic, like joblessness/employment, or depression or a husband's relationship with God, and I'll find specific Bible verses to go along with that topic, as well as heartfelt prayers and readings I can pray through, if I so choose. 

    I've heard some people say that they don't need a book like this to pray in a certain way, that they don't like to read through specific short prayers on specific topics.  That's fine!  They can avoid this book!  But I would like to say that even if this kind of thing isn't your "style", it isn't wrong or incorrect to try something new for yourself, that could possibly enhance your prayer life beyond what you are currently experiencing!

     I've been praying for my husband for many years now, even before we met!  I enjoy praying for him, and I even have a little "31 Day Plan/Praying for Our Husbands" page printed out next to my calendar.  Praying for my husband and others is very important to me!  Sometimes, though, our prayers can become stagnant and repetitive.  This book is encouraging us to pray through specific Scriptures for our husbands.  We can also find Bible verses that speak to our husband's (or our own) specific needs, and pray through those verses.  I've found this to provide more richness to my prayer time, and it has encouraged me to have more hope in what the Lord will do through my husband in the years to come. 

    Here's an example: 

Praying God's Word When He Is Overwhelmed at Work

     Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

    Lord, I know you go with my husband as he does his work.  You will never abandon him.  He is feeling overwhelmed today with the stress of life.  Calm his fears and give him strength and courage to face anything that comes his way.  Let him know you are holding him up so that he may persevere.

    He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  (Psalms 46:10)

    I pray that my husband can cease striving and know that you are the God of his life.  I pray that he would put you in the proper place in his life.

    From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.  (Psalms 61:2-4)

    I believe your Word, which tells us that You love us.  I know You see my husband's heavy heart right now.  I know You are the answer for His every need.  I ask you now to be his safe refuge, his fortress of strength.  Protect his heart from the enemy.  Encourage him and give him rest.  He needs you now, Lord, and I know that You will lead him to rest in You.  Thank you, Lord.  Thank you, Jesus.  Thank you, Spirit.

     I think that Praying God's Word for Your Husband is going to bless many wives and their husbands!  The concept of praying through Scripture is an excellent one, and the ideas presented in this book are very helpful and very applicable to everyone's lives.  I think you'll enjoy reading this book, because it will help you become even more excited about praying for your husband, your children, and others in your life!

Julieanne
Joy In Our Journey.com

Praying God's Word for Your Husband is available June 2012 at your favorite bookseller - from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Disclosure:  I received one paperback copy of Praying God's Word for Your Husband in exchange for my honest review of this book.  No other compensation was provided.

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