“And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught also his disciples.’ So he said to them, ‘when you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one’ ” (Luke 11:1-4, KJV.)
Fully convinced that it is not only necessary to stir up people to pray but also to help them to know what to pray about, we have written the next two books in this series. The books are, Practical Helps for Praying Believers, Volume One, How to Pray for Yourself; and Volume Two,How to Pray for Your Local Assembly.
Below is a chapter from Volume One on the part, “Praying for Your Family.” Pray through them and see if they help you to be more fulfilled as you pray for your mate. Praise the Lord!
DAILY PRAYING FOR A WIFE
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Thank the Lord for her in a general way.
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Thank the Lord for
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His goodness to her yesterday: protection, needs met, and so on.
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the things that He enabled her to do yesterday.
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Pray that
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the Lord should enable her to keep to the plan that she made the day before for today and that she should refuse to be distracted from it by any indiscipline.
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Pray that she should take time to plan the activities of tomorrow today and that she should write down the plans.
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Pray for her time of meditation today. Ask the Lord to enable her to have it as the priority of priorities for the day. Pray that she should actually encounter the Lord during that time and that she should receive a touch of the Lord that will leave an impact on the whole day. Pray that she should obey the Lord in the things that He spoke to her about.
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Pray for her prayer life:
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Ask the Lord to open her eyes to the priority of prayer.
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Protect it from attacks by the Enemy.
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Ask the Lord to enable her to keep to the planned prayer time.
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Lord, grant that she would enter into communion with You in prayer.
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Lord, show her what to ask in prayer.
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Give her faith to believe You as she asks things of You.
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Lord, enable her to mix her asking with thanksgiving.
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Pray that she should be burdened to pray more.
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Thank the Lord for her job and her professional life. Pray that she should work hard. Pray that the Lord should be exalted and glorified in her profession that day. Protect her job from attacks by the Enemy that day.
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Pray for her relationship with her husband that day. Pray that:
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she should love him,
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she should submit to him and obey him,
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she should be sensitive to his needs,
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she should meet his needs,
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she should be a good example to others,
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her husband should be satisfied in her and with her,
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he should encourage her,
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she should be fulfilled as a wife.
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Pray for her attitude to food! Pray that:
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a) she should settle with God what she is to cook that day,
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b) she should cook well without waste of time,
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c) she should serve the food graciously and in Spirit-controlled quantities,
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d) she and all she serves should not commit gluttony,
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e) she should keep her kitchen clean for Your glory.
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Pray for her attitude to money throughout the day. Pray that:
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she should consecrate all the money to be used that day to the Lord,
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she should seek God’s will in the use of all money throughout the day,
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she should record all expenses clearly,
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she should be fully aware of the fact that she will soon appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account of how each franc was used.
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Pray for her attitude to visitors throughout the day. Pray that:
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she should receive all visitors with joy and warmth and with prayer that God should guide and overrule in all that will transpire between her and the visitor,
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God should give her a capacity to put each visitor at ease in her presence,
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she should discern the needs of each and meet them,
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she should be disciplined and honest with each visitor so that none stays more than is absolutely necessary for his needs to be met,
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she should witness to the unbelieving visitors and reach out in a ministry of exhortation to the believing ones.
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Pray that the Lord should strengthen her in the points of her great strength, which include:
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Pray that the Lord should reach out to her and help her to overcome her principal weaknesses which include the following:
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Pray that the Lord should prepare her to encounter the unexpected events of the day with joy and much self-control. Pray that she should not become impatient or angry when things do not go the way she planned or the way she wants.
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Pray that she should be delivered from the following sins that plague many people in the household of God:
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moods,
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complaining,
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gossip,
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discouragement.
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Pray that she should be given a genuine conviction of sin if she falls into any of these sins, so that she should repent, confess them, turn away from them, seek and receive pardon from God, and carry out the necessary restitution.
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16. Pray for her physical health:
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Protect it from every attack by the wicked one.
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Ask the Lord to heal her of any and every disease that she may have.
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Ask that she should not only know divine healing but that she should know the Lord Jesus as her perpetual health.
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Pray that she should live the whole day in the Lord’s presence, desiring and hastening the return of the Lord by:
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her attitude in ministering to the Lord,
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her attitude in ministering to the saints,
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her attitude in ministering to those without Christ,
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her attitude to the devil,
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her attitude to the world,
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her attitude to the flesh,
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her attitude to the self in her.
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Pray that she should put all that she has and all that she is into the day for the glory of the Lord; since that could be her last day on Planet Earth. Pray that she should not hold back any good thing that she could do and should not postpone doing it.
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Pray that she should live the whole day in the knowledge that she has the assurance of one of two possible appointments and either of them could be that day, namely:
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the sudden return of the Lord for His own,
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the sudden arrival of death.
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