How I Pray for my Filipina Wife-Fil-Am Marriage
Praying for my wife is something I need to do but also enjoy doing. I think it is very important for a husband to pray for his wife and I hope you will understand why after watching this video. Subscribe to Love Beyond The Sea for help in many areas of a marriage, I have been married to my Filipina wife for nearly five years. Leave a comment and don’t forget to get notifications for upcoming videos.
Here is a quote from an article I will link in the description box-
“You’ll never love your wife more than when you pray for her. Humbling yourself before an all-powerful God and asking Him to do what only He can in her life – that’s a level of intimacy beyond anything the world has to offer. Praying for her makes you realize how much of a treasure she is, the woman God gave you. You’re pouring yourself into her complete physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.” (end of quote)
One of the things I must do to help ensure the health of our marriage is pray for my wife. I believe the Bible when it says if we ask for anything that is God’s will, that we will receive it. That means I need to pray for things that are consistent with the Bible. I pray for her at work when I walk past certain points in the building, like I do multiple times a day. That is like my hourglass, my reminder to pray for my wife. I pray for her as soon as I pull out of the driveway on my way to work.
Since this is something that helps your Filipina wife, I would be remiss to exclude prayer from something that needs to be done for her and for you. Here are some things I pray for her, and I am probably going to forget to mention something, but generally, it goes like this: (Please feel free to comment as I go).
Wellbeing-Spiritually-I pray for her spiritual growth. While it is necessary to be at church as often as we can, she needs more spiritual stimulation than that. There are times I talk to her about something spur of the moment, or I might elaborate on the Sunday sermon, but I need to pray that she has a hunger for the Word of God and is curious to learn.
I pray for her to be able to know where the Bible says certain things, that she would be absolutely convinced of its truths, that she would be able to see how it applies today. She needs to believe in absolute truth, not relative truth. I need to pray for her to be discerning. I need to pray for a strengthening relationship with God.
and Physically-I pray for her safety all the time, especially now that she is driving. She is a very good driver considering it is relatively new to her, but frankly, it is the other drivers around her that I am concerned about, because they might not be as alert as she is, being a new and conscientious driver. I see some drivers just darting around, who knows who is texting while driving, or is intoxicated when she drives to work early in the morning?
Since she is younger than me with no apparent health issues, I don’t always think to pray here but I really should start praying for good health for her. I encourage her to go to the doctor regularly and get certain tests done. Certainly I am praying for protection from the coronavirus.
Salvation for her family-Her family ismy family, I pray God would draw them to Himself and give them faith, confession and repentance. Since your wife’s family is so very important to her, I want to pray for them, which is one of the reasons why I ask my wife to keep me informed of what is happening in their lives.
Wisdom-I often pray “Lord, please make her to be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove.” It is possible that her being in the United States will expose her to more madness and spiritual wickedness than in the Philippines. I want her to not be fooled by people trying to take advantage of her. This country is replete with shootings and sexual assaults that I would prefer she never leave the house, but we know that isn’t possible, or even best.
She needs wisdom for how to deal with refractory coworkers, with being married to me, being in a new country. She will need wisdom to know how to carry on after I die. It is always on my mind that I don’t want her to be swayed or influenced negatively by friends who do not have her good in mind, so I pray for good friends.
Protection from harm-Spiritually and Physically-I am very happy to be at a strong Bible believing church that understands God’s word to be infallible and relevant today, and always. Our pastor is strong in the word. People are capable of falling for anything when it comes to the spiritual realm. There are plenty of churches that will tell you what you want to hear. There are pastors who do not know Christ, there is much wrong teaching. People get “itchy ears” the Bible says, to believe whatever they want.
I need to teach my wife that the truths of the Bible extend throughout the end of time. If something is important for us to know, the Bible addresses it and she should know it. Basically, I am praying for discernment for my wife, to know the difference between truth and error and between good and better. Since I have had a longer spiritual life it is incumbent upon me to be a good teacher to her, but that includes teaching her how to interpret the Bible. I don’t just tell her that something is wrong, I need to show her where and explain why.
Relationships-This area is one that I started praying about long before she arrived, and probably right after she accepted my on-line proposal. One aspect is that she has strong spiritually-minded women as friends to help her grow. I do believe she has been given a couple of them but one of them just moved to another city nearby. I need to keep praying for this. Another aspect is that she be able to influence some women who are not Christians, to show them God’s love and help them make sense of the world.
A key relationship I don’t think she has found yet is someone to mentor her. I get this from Titus 2:3-5 where it says “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becomes holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
It is a little unnerving to see “to love their husbands, to love their children” there but I take it this is the best person to hear it from-another woman, one who has been through more of life, instead of a husband who she might think is biased or self-serving in what he says.
I have had someone to mentor me for many years, different people at different times. One comes and goes and another one enters the picture. Currently it is my pastor that I go to for help with my spiritual walk, my marriage, when I need wisdom. Titus 2 also describes what the older men are to teach the younger men, this is mentoring to me, and an older, godly woman to mentor my wife is something I know is part of God’s will, so I need to pray for that.
Forgiveness/Confession/Repentance-I pray that my wife ask God for forgiveness, that she confesses her sins to Him, and repents of them.
Relationship with God-I want her to have the kind of relationship with God that God wants her to experience. I want her to trust him, to know that he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, that He answers prayer, that He wants an intimate relationship with her and of course, that he is the Savior of the world.
Prayer-I ask God to help my wife to know how to pray and to pray regularly. Imagine how a husband can grow if people are praying for him! Yes, she should pray for me to be the type of man God wants me to be. If you Google it, the link I will show you also has a companion article about 17 ways to pray for your husband, if you are a woman.
Service-God has given each believer at least one spiritual gift at the moment of salvation and I want my wife to exercise her gift to the fullest. I am not sure she knows how she is spiritually gifted at this time.
Here are 17 ways to pray for your wife from the article I referenced earlier. In it you will find an explanation of each and a Bible verse it is derived from:
1. Increase Her Faith
Give her a rock-solid confidence that your incomparable power is always wielded for her absolute good in Christ. (Romans 8:28–30)
2. Increase Her Passion *Me-I want her to hunger and thirst for God, not me
Arouse in her a hunger and thirst for you Lord. Give her an appetite for the Word and a rekindling of her affections upon you. Give her a fresh and renewed desire to seek you and serve you with all that she is. (Matthew 5:6)
3. Empower Her With Boldness and Courage
Intensify her faith to step out of her comfort and into your supernatural working. Give her the tenacity to do what you are asking of her. Help her to fight against the devil, against terrors and troubles, temptations, attractions, darkness and false lights, against tears, depression, and above all fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)
4. Intensify Her Joy *Me-I don’t want her to mistake happiness for joy. Joy is independent of circumstances
May she know that the joy of the Lord is the source of her strength. Protect her from growing discouraged of doing what You’ve called her to do each day. (Nehemiah 8:10, Galatians 6:9)
5. Fill Her With Your Spirit *Me-This is the key to a God-pleasing life and to fulfill our role in marriage
How thankful I am for the seal of the Holy Spirit on her life and Your deposit in her heart that testifies that she is truly yours. But today I come asking for more. Fill her afresh with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
6. Allow Her to Hear You (God) More *Me-I want her to know where to find certain truths in the Bible
Amplify your Word in her heart. (John 10:27, 28)
7. Bless Her Friendships *Me-She needs other friends but I am her main friend. I am to encourage other friends
Surround her with friends who love you and will bear her burdens. Give her reason to feel refreshed by their encouragement. (Isaiah 40:31, Galatians 6:2, Philemon 1:7)
8. Soften Her Heart
Rescue her from cynicism and make her tender to your presence in the most complicated details of tasks and a multitude of other needs you’ve called her to meet. (Hebrews 1:3)
9. Give Her Wisdom *Me-This is where I stress the Bible as absolute truth and God as the source of wisdom
Help her see dimensions of reality that she would normally overlook. Grant her the ability to discern issues and decisions she faces. (James 1:5)
10. Sustain Her Health
Guard her from sickness and drive away from her all forms of pain and disease. Restore strength to her body and joy to her spirit, so that in her renewed health, she may bless and serve you. When she feels tired, Lord, renew her strength. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
11. Multiply Her influence *Me-I pray she can help younger women with her maturity, and gain more maturity over the years. I think she can be a leader at work.
Encourage and deepen the impact she has on our friends, community, church and children. Give her sweet glimpses of it. Pour her out in love for others and spark creative ways to engage them for Jesus’s sake. (John 12:24)
12. Overcome Her With Jesus *Me-This is where the power for her life is
That she is united to him, that she is a new creature in him, that she is your daughter in him — no longer in Adam and dead in sin; now in Christ and alive to you, forever. (Romans 6:11)
13. Affirm Her Beauty *Me-I must shower her with praise for her inner beauty
Give her the eyes to see herself the way you see her. As a father looks at his precious daughter and delights in all that she is. (Psalm 139:14)
14. Guard Her Identity-*Me-My love for her should reflect God’s love for her
Holy Spirit, make known to her the reality of who her Father is, and who she is in Him. Lord, thank you that she is precious, pursued, honored, dearly loved, wanted and cherished by you. I declare that she is a child of the light. Remind her that she is your daughter and she is of royalty and nothing and no one can prove differently. (Galatians 4:4-7)
15. Protect Her from Comparison-*Me-I should not compare her with other women
Protect her from coveting possessions or people, talent or influence, relationships or prestige. Keep her heart from being anxious for what she doesn’t have and make her thankful for the numerous gifts that you have already given. Fill her with the joy and satisfaction of contentment in Christ. Help her to be content in any situation and to quickly reject the idolatry that dwells beneath the surface of her coveting. (Philippians 4:12)
16. Shower Her with Peace and Hope *Me-One day I will no longer be able to influence her so I need to set her up to always rely on God.
You are the source of calm and the central peace of this universe, grant to her such a consciousness of your indwelling and surrounding presence that she may rest in your sanctuary. Increase her optimism that nothing is impossible with you. (Philippians 4:7)
17. Renew Her Mind
Please send forth your Holy Spirit to renew her mind and cleanse her thoughts. Let your Word saturate her thinking and transform the way she perceives life. (Romans 12:2)
That’s how I want to pray for my Filipina wife; my Love Beyond The Sea.