Book Review: Prayers of an Excellent Wife

If you are married OR if you know anyone who is, raise your hand. Yup. That covers just about everyone. And, in that case, you should hear more about this book, because you would either be benefited to read it or be a blessing to share it. Christmas is just around the corner.

When we're honest with ourselves, praying for our husbands, our pastors, our friends, our children... um for ANYONE can leave us too-often-tongue-tied. "Please help my husband today. Thank you for my kids... Bless so and so." We know that there is so much more that we could/should be praying for them, but either feel bound by time constraints or, if you are like me, don't know where to start in the vast ocean of things to potentially ask. Not to mention the constant temptation to laziness, pride (too independent to be depedent, which prayerlessness reveals), etc.

This is where Andrew Case's book is extremely helpful. Prayers of an Excellent Wife is basically a carefully compiled series of Scripture-SATURATED prayers for wives to offer up on their husband's behalf. Each one is taken from a different passage or good chunks of a passage of the Word. Each prayer fits on one page, and my (new) habit and goal is to pray 2 pages - left and right - each day.

Here are some examples, taken from different days, so it loses the flow of one, cohesive prayer focusing on one passage or theme. But, it will give you a taste of the book, and then you can go snag your own copy!

"Perform your good pleasure in him - use him as a vessel to magnify the beauty of your Son. Give him this day his daily bread, providing for his physical needs, for You are a loving, merciful Father who gives good gifts to His children. Teach him to trust You, being not anxious about whether he will have enough for tomorrow."

"Please cause him to say, "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

This next one's convicting!

"Grant him continual patience and forbearance to live with me, a wicked wife. For I have sinned against You; I have acted very corruptly against You by forsaking my duty to help my husband lead our home in righteousness and the fear of You; I have not kept your commandments."

"O Lord God, make him continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that he has heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven. Keep him! Keep him! Keep him in the love of Christ."

My first thought in reading this book, a few prayers in, was initially and wrongly somewhat critical. It went like this - Who needs this book if you have a copy of the Bible? You can open up the Word and pray through it like this. My following thought was broken and corrected. More like this - Um... but I don't do that. The more I read it, the more I realize how much I need a guide like this.

My hope is that through reading/praying through this book, maybe several times over, perhaps one day I won't need it as a launching pad for my prayers as a habit has been formed. But, for now, it's helping strengthen those weak, weak spiritual "prayer muscles" (if you will) and guiding me in what to pray, stirring my heart for the Lord to be constantly at work in my dear husband for His dear Name.

Click HERE to find out how to obtain your own copy!
Thanks, Andrew Case, for this terrific and needed resource.