Husband

August 2, 2023 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

Just Be Available to God

Just Be Available

If you want God to work in your life, then just be available! Be available AND believe He will move on your behalf. You have to believe this. If you don’t believe in a BIG God with BIG dreams there’s no use being available. When you learn to trust God completely and trust in His dreams, THEN you can also trust Him to lead you down the right path. Let me tell you how I know!

Fifty-two years ago, there was a woman about to give birth. She was young and didn’t know how she could afford a child without her parent’s help. She hadn’t talked to her former boyfriend in months–she didn’t even know how to reach him. How could she tell him she was having his child?

This young woman attended church some, yet her dialogue with God was stilted. How could God let this happen to her? What would her life be like now?

A baby girl was born, and upon holding her child this young lady knew things would be okay. Perhaps this baby was a gift, not a burden as she supposed. So this woman raised her daughter the best she could, and while she wanted to give her child more than she had…

History has a way of repeating itself.

When the daughter became a young woman she found herself in the same situation—living at home, pregnant, scared. The daughter knew she could raise this child. After all, her mom had done it. But what would her life be like? How could God let this happen to her?

If you haven’t guessed already – I was the daughter.

I was born to a single mom, becoming a single mom myself as a teenager. At age seventeen, God gave me a son. My boyfriend was out of the picture, and I faced raising a child alone with little education, no money, and – maybe, according to the world – little hope for my future.

Now if you take this story at face value, I am nothing more than a statistic.

According to government research, most daughters of young mothers go on to be teen mothers themselves. They face lives of hardship, living on welfare for the most part—becoming a burden rather than an asset to society.

Yet, I am not a statistic. And you know why I’m not a statistic? Because God doesn’t do statistics.

Did you hear that?

God doesn’t do statistics. In fact, He likes to blow them out of the water.

You see, God has a history of seeing something that no one else does. Like seeing a king in a shepherd boy named David, seeing an apostle in a young zealot named Paul, and seeing a mighty warrior in a frightened nobody named Gideon.

God has X-ray eyes that see right through any outward characteristics or any national statistics. His X-ray eyes scan down to the heart.

And what did God see? He must have seen something worthwhile. Because . . .

At age 52, I’m a multi-published author of magazine articles, Bible study notes, curriculum, and many books. My book for teenage mothers was nominated for a prestigious award. I’m a national speaker, traveling to share God’s good news.

While in my twenties I helped to launch a Crisis Pregnancy Center, helped start numerous abstinence programs, and launched support groups for Teen Moms.

Just Be Available

Now, if I were not a believer, all these would be things I could really tout. But honestly, I can say that it doesn’t have to do with me at all.

It’s about:

A BIG God with BIG dreams.
A God who has made an agreement with me that is eternal, final, and sealed.
A God who is constantly looking after my safety and success.
A God who is strong in my weakness.
A God who sees the future sees the past and has a perfect plan for me.

Well, I guess the whole truth is that I do have something to do with it. It’s only a little something, but I guess it makes a pretty big difference.

See, God can be all those things in my life, but only if I let Him.

There is one thing I must do . . . and that is Be Available. Of course, I didn’t just wake up one day and say, “Here I am, God – use me.” I didn’t just clear my schedule and wait for God to show up.

Rather, the steps toward my availability were a work in progress. They started on the day I was six months pregnant and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I like to look at that as Day One.

In those 34 years from then to now, I’ve learned a lot.

Lesson #1: Sometimes being available means stepping away from the status quo.

For me, that meant moving 1,000 miles away. Seriously, 1,000 miles. You see after I gave my heart to the Lord, I birthed a beautiful son. Not too long later, God gave me an amazing, Christian husband and two more children. Then He asked us to move . . . (in a roundabout way.)

First, God put us into a community of like-minded people. Our friends longed for a simple life away from the hurry and worry in California.

Next, He placed a desire in our hearts to raise our children in a better place – a place called Montana. We’d talked about it with our friends, we’d dreamt about it, and hoped that many someday it would come true.

Then, we decided to pray. My husband and I got on our knees and prayed that IF it was God’s desire He would make it clear. John had just graduated from college, and I was raising three small children under the age of 5.

We knew we’d be leaving our families, leaving our friends, leaving everything we knew. We had no job in Montana, no money to move; in fact, we’d never even been there before! Still, we had a desire. One we couldn’t shake.

At the time, my husband sold computers on commission in a small store. He’d usually sell 1-2 a week. He went to work the next day after our joint-prayer, and sold 11 computers! Enough to pay off our current bills with enough left over to move and live on. It was the confirmation we’d been looking for.

So we did it. We packed up our three kids and moved. Our families thought we were crazy.

They were sure we were joining some commune or something. We saw Kalispell for the first time as we drove in with our stuff. Within the week, we were renting a house. Within three weeks, my husband had a far better job than he had in California. And within six months, we’d purchased our first house. In less than a year, we were plugged into an amazing church and ministering to children in ways we’d always dreamed of.

We serve a BIG God with BIG dreams.

You have to believe this. If you don’t believe in a BIG God with BIG dreams there’s no use being available. But when you trust that fact. Trust God completely. Trust His dreams, THEN you can also trust Him to lead you to the right path.

Seeing God at work and what He did with our lives when we were available made me hungry for more. I wanted to experience God at work like that again.

Henry and Mel Blackaby say, “Watching the activity of God from a distance can never compare with the thrill of being fully involved in the Spirit’s active work.”

You have to want God. Not just want to work for Him or learn about Him, but truly want Him. You have to want to experience Him at work in your life. You have to be hungry for what only He can give—a hope and a future.

Prayer

God, I want to trust you. I want to be available for the big plans you have for me. Lead me to the right path. I am hungry for a hope and a future.

What BIG DREAM is God whispering into your heart? Maybe, like me, you feel God pulling you towards words, towards writing and speaking and sharing His message. If that sounds familiar then maybe you need to join me in the Write That Book club!

Making your writing dreams become a reality is tough. You have ideas but you wonder if any of them are good. You have no idea how to connect with agents and editors, and what in the world is book proposal anyway?

I’m here to help, and I’ve invited some of my friends to help you, too. They are professional agents, editors, authors, and marketing and publicity team members. They’re the best of the best in the Christian publishing industry. Together, we want to help you reach your dreams.

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October 9, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 5 Comments

30 Cheap & Fun Date Ideas

Have your date nights turned into a routine dinner and a movie? Remember how much fun you used to have when you first started dating? I asked friends for suggestions and came up with a list of 30 great date ideas.

Spice up date night with a few of these ideas! @TriciaGoyer

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Download and print the checklist!

Click here for the .pdf

Here are some ideas to bring fun back into your dates — without going broke!

1.

My husband and I do bike dates. After riding our bikes for an hour or so, we stop at KFC and get it to go. Then we ride to our local park where we eat and play Yahtzee. It’s alot of fun. ~Suzanne

2.

You can put a different twist on the ho-hum dinner date by having one spouse kidnap his/her mate. I did this one time—kidnapped my hubby from work (I set it up ahead of time with his boss). Made him get into the car and I started driving. He didn’t know where we were going. We drove for well over an hour and pulled into a lovely lake-side park (I had scouted out the location weeks earlier). Then I pulled a picnic basket, packed with all his favorites, out of the trunk. I even stuck in a loaf of day-old bread for feeding the ducks. ~Connie

3.

Sometimes we like to send our kids to the grandparents, and get our favorite take out and watch movies at home. ~Erin

4.

Geocaching ~Betsy

5.

Star gazing. Watch websites like space weather or NASA’s Hubble pictures for a good event coming up. Plan ahead for a clear night, get blankets, binoculars, and, perhaps, a picnic basket of yummies and spend an evening under the stars with your love. ~Robert

6.

A local arboretum has night hikes once a month & then go for coffee & donuts. ~Lisa

7.

As recent newlyweds, the hubs and I have discovered that dates don’t have to happen exclusively at night. We combine a picturesque drive with either a picnic or a meal at a restaurant (often one from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives) depending on the budget and time constraints. We bring along the camera and take lots of pictures. Even if we only have a couple of hours, we make the most of them. ~Kathleen

8.

One time I surprised my husband by taking him to the local high school basketball game. It was winter and I just wanted to get out of the house without spending a lot—and the school was three blocks away. We had toddler children, so we aren’t plugged into HS sports at all, but it was fun to watch the antics of the high school kids and cheer on the school that my girls will eventually go to HS at. He totally didn’t see that one coming. ~Tabitha

9.

Barnes and Noble. Read to your heart’s content. ~Trisha

10.

A ballroom dance class. Bowling. Museum. Arcade/billiards. One of those ceramic paint-it-yourself places. Live music (usually free at parks in the summer). ~Sandra

11.

One year, I had talked about wanting to take ballroom dancing, but our funds were really low. My husband downloaded a bunch of free music into a playlist and found dance steps online, printed them, and put them in my stocking for Christmas. Free and thoughtful! Can even do it after children are in bed if you can’t pay babysitter! ~Sarah

12.

Our inexpensive take on dinner-and-a-movie dates has been fast food and then browsing through the free stacks of movies at the local library for a fun show to take home. Popcorn and chocolate milk round out the night with a fun but inexpensive treat! ~Arlene

13.

You know i’m super girlie and I know this sounds so redneck but going to a shooting range. Sometimes doing something boyish isn’t so bad. They have pretty guns to choose from and they have targets that you can play games on like battleship or hangman. ~Liz

14.

We often play miniature golf. Loser buys ice cream! ~Carrie

15.

A walk, that’s what I want, a nice long walk and some conversation. ~Jennifer

16.

Riding 4 wheelers or horses. And my son just got a Rzr, which is really cool. ~Pam

17.

We usual will go out to eat and then go to a local park with walking trails and we walk together and talk. ~Beth

18.

Going to the gym then hanging out in the pool & hot tub. ~Naila

19.

Can’t do this everywhere . . . but one of my favorite dates in the winter is a day on the snowmobile with my husband! It’s so beautiful and peaceful. I love it!! ~Denice

20.

Rent snow shoes and go for a walk! Beautiful, peaceful and a great form of exercise. ~Jane

21.

We’ve gone to a Home & Garden Show and then had dinner and talked about what we dreamed we could do; same with going to an RV/Camping Show and talked about “when we retire.” ~Cindy

22.

This takes some advance planning/saving: Take your piggy bank that’s been collecting loose change for a few months, empty it into a Coinstar machine, and collect the cash. The challenge is to do on your date something fun that will be covered by whatever amount of money you came up with…no more. One time we went to Walmart and each person had to choose the most random, funny item that cost half the amount of money we had. We compared, then the winner got to choose a place for dessert or some other small treat. We still have a couple of the items we’ve found! ~Alison

23.

Hubby and I will just jump on the motorcycle and take it somewhere new on a sunny day. We have also (when we were younger) taken the car and driven through some residential developments and “dream” with each other what our favorite house would be. ~Kelly

24.

We love looking around in flea markets and antique stores together, so sometimes we’ll each take a small amount of money (like $5 each) and we’ll pick something out for each other. We have to be sneaky while we’re shopping so the other person doesn’t see what we buy (kind of like Christmas!) Then we drive somewhere else and swap gifts–maybe over a cup of coffee or a shared dessert. You can end up with some really random stuff this way (and some fun memories!) ~Jayna

25.

We like to go to local museums and use the coupons out of the entertainment books. ~Celena

26.

Oh, that’s easy—something active. Like tennis, racquet ball, biking the Big Dam Bridge, or working out together is fun and can be quite romantic and physical. Always a hit with Jon and I. ~Jennifer

27.

My husband and I have great fun when we each take a digital camera and head outdoors for a photo shoot of nature, architecture, etc. In fun, we compete for who can take the best shot. We spend little or no money, and in the process, we find new ways to look at everyday things–including our marriage. ~Diana

28.

My hubby and I may go on an eagle sighting excursion … maybe something similar in the great outdoors. ~Ellen

29.

Community theater is great (and usually free if you volunteer to usher or help with concessions!). Also, a neighborhood coffee shop with (or without) board games. ~Helene

30.

My husband and I love to go to a pottery painting place and make mugs for each other (with hidden messages) or paint project that takes contributions from both of us (we made a turn table with several tiles) and we’ve made all kinds of things. It’s relaxing, we can talk while we do it, yet it’s not face-to-face which is WAY more up a masculine alley! ~Carla

Prayer

God, thank you for the ones I love. Give me the creativity to spend time with them and creatively invest in those relationships.

More Resources

Little Book of Great Dates: 52 Creative Ideas to Make Your Marriage Fun (Focus on the Family Books) by Erin & Greg Smalley

Generation NeXt Marriage: The Couple’s Guide to Keeping It Together by Tricia Goyer

Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard

Moms! I recommend Treasury of Bible Stories so much, I want to gift one of my readers a copy!

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October 1, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 3 Comments

Staying Sexually Pure (Printable!)

Staying Sexually Pure

I had a young woman recently write me through my website. She’s eighteen and a university student and wanted to know how to stay pure. She said that people give advice to guys, but they’re not the only ones who struggle with sexual desires. I’m glad she pointed that out. I agree! This is what I wrote her. Maybe it will help you, too:

Dear Casey,*

Thank you so much for your note. I love that you’re asking this question. The first thing that popped into my head was … stay away from boys. Don’t go on any single dates. Ask friends to keep you accountable! 🙂 All those things are good things, but there’s a deeper issue and that’s the desires of our hearts.

You’re so right, girls do have sexual desire. We want to be held and kissed and be intimate. It’s not just the guys who are thinking about those things. Girls also want to be loved, appreciated, and made to feel they’re attractive. We want to see a sparkle in a guy’s eye when he looks at us.

The truth is… that never stops. Ideally when we get married all our desire is to be toward our husbands, but I’ve even struggled with wanting to feel attractive to other men too … we all want to be adored!

The thing is, what we do with our bodies starts with our minds and hearts. We think it. Then we dwell on it. Then we want to act it out. When I struggle with something, it’s because my heart isn’t where it should be. My first priority is to love Jesus with everything in me–to ask Him to satisfy me. To realize that I may be “missing out” but in the end I’ll get the best. Those rules are good boundaries, but too many times we set them and then we like to dance on the line. We like to stick our toes across and see how far we can get.

Instead, it’s better to ask Jesus to show us His way. After Bible reading, prayer, and counseling with adults you respect (and who live righteous lives) your decisions will be just that… your decisions and boundaries.

Pray and ask God to change you from the inside out. Pray Psalm 139:23-24 and ask God to search your heart. If you find your mind wandering where it shouldn’t be, pray 1 Corinthians 2:14-16. Ask for God to give you the mind of Christ.

Also, remember the God who created the universe can strengthen you (Isaiah 40:28-31). He can help you through this! Finally, pray for your future husband.

Pray for his purity, his strength, and his desires to be saved for you. I guarantee that if you’re praying for him to be strong it will encourage you to do the same. I have a book I co-wrote with Robin Jones Gunn, Praying for Your Future Husband. Hopefully it will be a good guide to help you until you marry “The One.”

Praying for you,

Tricia

(*name has been changed)

Print These Out!

(as many times as you want! Right-click on the image to download the .pdf)

Printable Prayer Journal for Your Future Husband

Download – Praying For Your Future Husband Printable – TriciaGoyer.com

Printable Scriptures for Praying for Your Future Husband

Download – Printable Scriptures for Praying for Your Future Husband – TriciaGoyer.com

More Resources

Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer

Lady in Waiting: Becoming God’s Best While Waiting For Mr. Right by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones

When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric Ludy and Leslie Ludy

To celebrate launch of The Lulu Tree Boutique, I’m doing a giveaway!

Ten winners will receive a copy of my book“Life Interrupted.” One grand prize winner will receive “Life Interrupted” and a Lulu Doll! Only those in the U.S. are eligible to win. Winners will receive an email and be announced next week! a Rafflecopter giveaway

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July 15, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

27 Ways to Show Your Husband Respect

When John swept into my life, I was a teenage mom, and I saw him as a godly man who worked hard and made good choices. I could tell he loved God and cared for people. I looked up to him with respect.

Then came marriage . . .

It wasn’t that I stopped respecting John, but I saw more of his flaws. I also had more expectations. As the years passed, I was quick to point out John’s faults instead of his strengths.

We’ve had tough spots in our marriage. . . and I’ve learned that the harder I work to show my husband respect, the closer we become.

I don’t show my husband respect to manipulate. Instead, I respect my husband because I love him. And I know that the more I care for him in ways he feels respected, the more love is returned.

27 Ways to Show Your Husband Respect

Ask about his job. Listen to his joys and struggles at work. Thank him for working so hard for your family.
Invite some of his co-workers over for lunch. Get to know some of the people with whom your husband spends his day.
Attend company gatherings with him.
Ask your spouse about his dreams. What would he like to do? Where would he like to travel?
Offer to run an errand for your husband.
Send him encouraging texts throughout the day
Talk positively about him to others.
Don’t interrupt him.
Give him time to think. Don’t expect an instant answer.
Talk over your family schedule with him.
Work as a team to guide and discipline your kids. Keep a “team front” in front of your kids, and talk to your husband in private if you disagree.
Pray for him.
Give him time to wind down after work.
…

The remaining ways to show your husband respect can be found on For The Family, another blog for which I am honored to write.

I’m excited about my marriage. I love what God is doing with us. I love giving my husband the respect he deserves. Every day I pray and ask God to show me more ways to show my husband respect. Maybe by this time next year I’ll have a list of another twenty-seven. I hope so!

I’m excited about my marriage. I love what God is doing with us. @TriciaGoyer

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More Resources…

If you liked these ideas, you might enjoy reading the following resources:

Lead Your Family Like Jesus: Powerful Parenting Principles from the Creator of Families by Ken Blanchard, Tricia Goyer, and Phil Hodges
Praying for Your Future Husband: Preparing Your Heart For His by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer
Mom’s Night Out novelization by Tricia Goyer
Life Interrupted: The Scoop on Being a Young Mom by Tricia Goyer

I have a few books on sale right now! Generation NeXt Marriage is $2.99. You can also get my four World War II novels in the Liberators Series for $13.99.

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January 21, 2014 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

Make Room for Daddy

OK, ladies, this one is for you. As Gen Xers we’ve grown up to believe we can have and do it all. We learned if we just try hard enough or want it bad enough, we can accomplish anything. As young girls we were told to be assertive and independent, to show our power. And the young men? Well, they were trained to let us.

For example, when I had my son, I discovered I had a much easier time letting my husband be my husband than letting him be my son’s dad. As the mother, I spent the most time with our son and pretty much figured I knew what was best for him. I wanted things done my way and I wasn’t afraid to tell my husband which way that was!

As a mom, the control we think we want is actually a conflict of interest. @TriciaGoyer

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Even though “mom in charge” seems natural, I’ve learned by experience that the control we think we want is actually a conflict of interest. When it came to raising our three kids, I thought I knew best. But after a while, I resented my husband for not taking more of a stand and leaving all the work to me.

Have you ever felt that way?

I can’t tell you the number of times I prayed for my husband to be the spiritual leader of our home and interact with the kids more. Then one day as I prayed, I felt God saying, “Well, then step back. Stop trying to run the show.” And you know what? As I stepped back, my husband stepped up to the plate and I’ve been thankful ever since.

Want your husband to be the spiritual leader? Step back! @TriciaGoyer

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Dads may do things differently than moms would, but different is OK. No, wait—different is exactly how God designed it!

Did you hear the good news? My new book Balanced is available now via Amazon and Barnes & Noble for only $2.99 (digital only)!

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November 20, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

Your Husband Needs Respect

Amazingly, a hunger for respect is more right on than I ever realized. At work, my husband receives kudos for a job well done. His paycheck and bonuses verify his skill and dedication. John also works hard to provide and protect his family.
Respecting John is admiring his work, his character, and his care. It’s telling him I appreciate these things and admire him for the man he is. It’s not talking bad about him to my friends or even behind closed doors. It’s “talking him up” at home and in front of others and not second-guessing his ideas. It’s honoring his opinions and decisions (which is tough, especially when my opinion differs!).
Basically, it’s my job as a wife to go against society and their “liberated thinking” and figure out how to respect my husband unconditionally and honor him.

Do you respect your husband unconditionally and honor him? @TriciaGoyer #marriage

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But what does respect have to do with life-time commitment? Everything. After all, why would a woman want to stick with a man she can’t respect? And why would a man want to stay around when he is treated as the one messing up all the time? (Marriage is more than this, of course. We made a covenant before God, and God has called us to commit for life. We’ll talk about this too. But just think how we can transform our marriages, and our generation, when we strive to follow this principle.)
Of course God always knew what we’re just starting to understand. Check out Ephesians 5:33, “Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” (NIV).
Yet unconditional respect, it seems, is something that generations of women have forgotten how to do.
It’s not that we wives purposefully set out to sabotage our marriages, but this is what lack of respect does. We tell our husbands we want them to be spiritual leaders and the head of the house, but then we make all the decisions . . . or question the decisions they do make. (Ouch! I’ve done this too many times to count.)
If we’re going to strive for “forever,” we need to think of the ways we can make this thing last. This is part of the work and the planning. A good question to ask is: How can I show my husband the respect he desires?
In an effort to show my respect, I try to remind John I believe in his capabilities, take time to understand his point-of-view, and affirm his accomplishments. John appreciates it when I stop what I’m doing to give him a pat on the back when he’s manicured the front lawn, cleaned the garage, or built a set of bookshelves. When I first started doing it I felt like a mom talking to a three-year-old, “Great job, honey.” But from his smile, I quickly learned that he was energized by my praise.
The amazing thing is that when you do look for ways to show respect, and you do work at it, your needs are met, too. Because your husband is getting what he needs, he pours out his love in return.

Respect not only builds up your #husband but also meets your needs, too! @TriciaGoyer #marriage

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Emerson Eggerich, in his book Love and Respect, calls this the Energizing Cycle. “Her love motivates his respect. His respect motivates her love.” I can confess, being in this cycle is indeed energizing . . . and fun!
So why is respect still a foreign word even to those of us who know its power? This is a hard one, since many times we weren’t raised seeing it lived To put it in a more culture-friendly term, another word for respect is admiration. And this is how Dictionary.com defines them both:

Respect: -noun. Esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.
Admiration: -noun. A feeling of wonder, pleasure or approval.

What would a man give for a wife that respects and admires him? I’ve seen this lived out . . . his whole heart.
How can you show your husband that you respect him?

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Interested in this blog post? Check out others that are similar:

November 19, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 5 Comments

Praying for Your Husband Through Ephesians | Guest Post by Kimberly Campbell

I’ve lived in Little Rock over three years, and I’m thankful for the friendships I’ve made. Because of social media I’ve been able to connect with some amazing woman who’ve recently moved into town. I met Kimberly this way. She’s a writer, photographer, wife, and mom of two little guys. She also pours out wisdom, just as it’s been poured into her life. Kimberly recently wrote a prayer guide for women, praying through Ephesians . . . and she’s offering it to you for FREE. Here’s Kimberly’s note and more information about her free ebook, Prayers for the Journey: Ephesians Edition. By the way, be sure to connect with Kimberly over at her website or on Pinterest!

Praying for Your Husband Through Ephesians

We all need mentors in our lives. Some might call them life coaches. Some might call them discipleship partners. Some might just call them friends. But, everyone needs a mentor.
I had such a mentor and friend. She taught me the importance of a daily habit of praying for your husband. And she taught me the powers behind that habit of prayer: the Word and the Spirit.
That is why I wanted to write these prayer journals. Prayers for the Journey is a journal of prayers I’ve prayed for my husband, and by sharing with you these prayers and Scriptures, I can hopefully encourage you to build a habit of praying through the Word for your husband.

Do you #pray for your #husband? Here’s a #free ebook about it! @TriciaGoyer

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Marriages are a journey—one of the most important you’ll take in this life. And our marriages are often one of the most attacked relationships you will have. Prayer is one of the best ways to grow your marriage in the hope of the gospel.
Here’s where these Prayers for the Journey started: The first year of our marriage was a tough one. Job stress, giving up of my dream job, a potential move (which happened the beginning of the second year of our marriage), and a baby. My husband and I sat down and memorized James that year. I read through each chapter of James every day and prayed whatever verse stood out to me on that particular day. I gave those prayers to my husband later as a way of encouraging him. I found great cohesiveness in praying through one particular book. There is much richness in the Scriptures and that came out in spending so much time in one epistle.
That is why I wanted to pray through another book, Ephesians. Prayers for the Journey: Ephesians will take you through a month of prayers for your husband based on the book of Ephesians. Praying God’s Word back to him is powerful, and I pray that you also will see much fruit from it.

Why not use the #Bible as a guide to #pray for your #husband? @TriciaGoyer

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Each day I’ve given you a Scripture passage, a prayer that I’ve prayed for my husband, a space to journal your own prayer, and additional helps such as verses and quotes. This is meant to be a help to serve you in growing in your prayer life for your husband.
What’s next? Prayers for the Journey through Nehemiah. This one is about to be sent to the editor. I’m beginning Colossians now. I also am working on prayer guides for parents.
These books have tremendously helped my prayer life. My husband and I wish for them to be a free resource, so we’ve included them on my website free for the download.
May you be encouraged.
Kimberly
Romans 8:11, 26

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August 20, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 11 Comments

How to Pray for Your Future Husband: Understanding

I started praying for my future husband when I was 17 years old and pregnant with my son. I wanted someone who could love both me and my child. I wanted someone who loved God. God brought me an amazing man. John and I have been married for 23 years now. We had two more biological children, and we’ve adopted three more . . . making that six kids total! God has done more than I’d ever hoped or imagined.

My friend Robin Gunn and I wrote Praying for Your Future Husband a few years ago. The fun part is getting photos from some of the young women who prayed—wedding photos!

Of course there are women who are still praying and waiting, and we’ve gotten letters from them, too. They tell us they are drawing closer to God as they wait . . . and that is exactly what we hoped for!

In the moment, though, it’s hard to understand the wait. It may be hard for your future husband to understand, too. The best thing to do while you wait is to pray.

(And if you’re a mom, grandma, aunt or friend join the young women you love in prayer! Also considering picking up a copy of Praying for Your Future Husband for the young woman in your life!)

There are many things to pray for, but one of them in Understanding. Understanding means trusting that God has a plan. It means being willing to be open-minded about past mistakes, knowing that God’s grace is available to everyone.

Teen girls: It’s never too early to begin praying for your future husbands. @TriciaGoyer

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Here are 6 ways to pray for understanding.

Pray for Understanding for Your Future Husband.

Pray God’s Word will flood his heart.
Pray your future husband will seek God and try to understand what God is doing in His life.
Pray he has a tender heart that will be understanding of your past mistakes.
Pray you will be understanding of his.
Pray that if he has his heart broken, he will be surrounded by good friends who will support him during the healing process.
Pray that in each of his relationships, he will develop an understanding heart and will always believe God has a different and better plan.

When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart. John Bunyan

Friend, God has good plans for your future. Keep trusting. Keep praying! And I’ll be excited to hear where He leads you!

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Want to read a sweet story about trusting and praying? My novella A Christmas Gift for Rose is a great place to start. Find it here!

For more, read a sample of Praying for Your Future Husband:

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