SBC Author's Prayer Tips for a Deacon Wife

Some Practical Prayer Tips for a Deacon Wife

Stop, drop, and pray.
A church member stops you in the ladies room to share a need or concern. Stop right there, drop what you’re doing, take her hand, and offer a prayer on her behalf. Prayer changes things. God’s listening!

Pray during church.
Have you ever seen someone check her watch during worship? That won’t happen to you if you are busy praying. Pray silently during the service for the guests, the sermon, child-care workers, ushers, even the announcements.

Pray before you speak.
Whether it’s to teach a children’s Bible lesson or to talk with your best friend on the phone, say a prayer before you speak. Why? Because “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34 NIV).

Get caught praying.
Teach your children to pray. Pray with them for specific requests. Prayer walk at the church building with them on Saturday morning. Allow your children to see you and hear you pray. Pray on the phone. When someone calls about a need or problem, voice a prayer before you hang up. Pray aloud, right there on the phone.

Pray during deacons meetings.
Why not begin a new practice of praying when your husband attends a deacons meeting at church? While your husband meets with the pastor and deacons, you have a meeting with God. Pray for wisdom and discernment for the deacons and staff. God’s listening. Remember what you prayed.

Have you ever kept a prayer journal? It’s an ongoing list of prayer requests you have brought to the Father. Add requests each day to your journal, highlighting answered prayers. Your journal will soon be full of yellow! Steve and I had wanted to have a baby for seven long years before God blessed us with our first son. Years later I found my old prayer journal. Precisely nine months before our son’s birth, I’d written a petition to God, asking Him to bless us with children. And we had three in a row! Oh, I already knew those children were from God, but my written journal and its precise timing reminded me that God was actively listening.

Pray for your favorite deacon.
Your deacon husband needs your prayer support. Pray for God’s wisdom and strength as he serves as a deacon. Remind him of your prayers.

Say it.
Pray faithfully for church staff, deacons, teachers, and other leaders. Tell them you’re praying. Send a note to remind them of your prayers.

Pray by name.
Use a church directory to pray for church members from A to Z. Check off names with a colored pen. When you’ve prayed for the entire list, get a different color pen and begin again.

Pray when you minister.
Delivering a casserole? Say a silent prayer before you ring their doorbell. When you make an outreach contact or visit the homebound, hospitalized, or bereaved, voice a prayer for them before you leave.

Pray on your way.
I know! I know! You’re a busy woman with family, work, church, chores, and ministry. Some days you may feel there is no time left to talk with God. How can you possibly find time to pray? During everyday moments of life, talk with God. Look for minutes when you are exercising, shopping, driving, waiting, or walking.

Shower power.
My daughter, who works with youth in her church, has a unique prayer plan. She made a list of her youth and youth workers, put it inside a plastic report cover, and taped it on the wall in her shower. Every day she prays for each of them. Tape your list by your makeup mirror, ironing board, or computer screen.

Sunday prep prayer.
Begin a new habit. While you’re dressing for church each Sunday, pray. Pray for the pastor and leaders as they prepare. Pray for church members. Think about each thing that will occur in God’s house today and pray. A deacon wife in our church brought her children to the church building every Saturday morning for a few minutes. They walked past each classroom and pew, praying aloud for the people God would touch there on Sunday.

Celebrate answered prayer.
When God answers a specific prayer for a member of your church, invite her for coffee or lunch to celebrate!

Material taken from Deacon Wives: Fresh Ideas to Encourage Your Husband and the Church by Diana Davis (B&H Publishing Group, 2009). Do not alter text.
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