The following is a bonus addition to 5 Things to Pray for Your Spouse. This was submitted by a thoughtful reader. We are grateful to publish her piece for those readers who will be praying for their spouse's salvation along with the other prayers shared in the book.
Father God, you alone can save. Please enable my spouse to…
“'…what must I do to be saved?'" (v30)
We see the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 asking Paul and Silas surely one of the most important questions a person can ever ask. Pray that the Spirit would be at work in your spouse, causing them to seek the answer to this question. Pray that their heart would be spiritually restless until they respond rightly to the Lord Jesus.
“They said, 'Believe...'" (v31)
Take a moment to remember that faith in Jesus is ultimately "not from [ourselves], it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)—allow the reality that it is not in your power to do the work of the Holy Spirit to free you from any burden that you may be carrying. Come before God's throne of grace and ask him to bless your spouse with saving faith.
“…in the Lord…” (v31)
It may be that your spouse likes the idea of Jesus as Savior, but they don’t want him to be their Lord. Perhaps you can think of one thing in particular that they want to be in charge of—which means they are unwilling to submit to Christ’s Lordship. Pray that your spouse would come to see that to follow Christ is true freedom—it’s what we were created for.
“…Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (v31)
Praise God that Jesus is both Lord and Savior—the reason he was given the name Jesus was because he came to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). When faced with our need of rescue, maybe your spouse’s regular response is: “I’m basically a good person.” Pray that God will give your spouse an opportunity to stare at their sin. Pray that the result would be that they run to the cross, finding full forgiveness in Jesus’ sacrifice.
“He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” (v34)
Give thanks that we know what it is to have joy—true joy—because we know the One who gives it; indeed, he is our joy. Pray that your spouse would come to know him, too. Pray that one day soon they will be able to say with the psalmist, “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6)
Rachel McIntosh lives in the north of England with her husband, Jon. They belong to All Saints Church, Preston, where Rachel is involved in women’s ministry. After graduating, Rachel served on her church’s staff team for a couple of years. She’s now a busy mum of three children—the best, and hardest, job she’s ever had!
