“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NASB 1995)
My husband, Monty, and I are so very different. When we were newlyweds, I loved those differences. But through the years, they've caused frustration … arguments, slammed doors, and words that can't be unsaid.
Sometimes, unkind thoughts and words fill my heart and spew from my lips. Thoughts that linger, taking root. Words that cut deep.
I quickly take offense. I asked him to do this. If he cared about me, he would. I shouldn’t even have to ask.
I get annoyed. He’s late for dinner … again. Couldn’t he call?
I mentally replay the hurt until it consumes me.
Don’t get me wrong — I love my husband deeply. But sometimes I also struggle to live out that love in a God-honoring way.
Then I remember the truth of God's Word:
“Give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:20-23, NASB 1995).
This warning from Proverbs 4 convicts me to change what fills my heart. It directs me to go to God’s Word and find words of life for my marriage and my husband.
So I’ve committed to pray God's Word over my husband. Today, I’m sharing four of the prayers I pray, and I invite you to join me:
1. Father, give my husband a discerning heart to know Your great love for him and the great plans You have for him and our family — plans to prosper and not to harm, to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
2. Father, give my husband the mind of Christ; saturate him with godly wisdom. Help him to take every thought captive that is not obedient to Your Word, and in so doing, protect him from pride and temptation (1 Corinthians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 10:5).
3. Father, open the eyes of my husband’s heart to understand Your Word so that he won’t be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of his mind. May he know Your good, acceptable, and perfect will for his life and our marriage (Romans 12:2).
4. Father, help us to live together in perfect unity by loving, honoring, and respecting one another and serving each other for Your glory, honor, and praise (1 Thessalonians 5:13)!
When we replace our unkind thoughts with the precious Word of God — and then pray those words — we pray Truth that is living and active, capable of changing hearts and minds. We pray the mind and will of God, as revealed in His Word, into our marriages!
So let us pray with hope, boldness, and confidence! God will be faithful to honor His Word.
Father, replace my unkind thoughts with Your life-giving words. Teach me to pray those words over my heart, husband, and marriage. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Did you know Proverbs 31 Ministries has a podcast called Therapy & Theology? It’s our way of helping you work through what you’re walking through. Lysa TerKeurst, Jim Cress, and Dr. Joel Muddamalle approach each conversation with biblically sound wisdom and therapeutic insight. Whether you're learning how to set boundaries, dealing with guilt, or walking through the heartbreaking reality of divorce … Therapy & Theology will meet you where you are. Find what you need on YouTube here!
Connect with Wendy Blight on Facebook or Instagram, and find out more about her Bible study on solitude, silence, and prayer, Rest for Your Soul, here!
Matthew 12:34c, “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say” (NLT).
Isaiah 55:11, “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (NASB1995).
Over the next week, if you’re married, pray one or two of the above verses boldly and confidently over your marriage, and write down how God works in your heart and family.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
© 2025 by Wendy Blight. All rights reserved.
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