How to Honor Your Husband: Wage Peace

by Marilynn Chadwick

Today’s world is busy and noisy. How can I lighten my husband’s load and his heart? Help him have fun? I’ve learned that simple habits, like taking a day off together each week, honor David by allowing him to be refreshed.

We were also intentional about family vacations. Doing so allowed us to sustain our many years of raising a family and church ministry. We learned we could then return to the fray strengthened and with renewed enthusiasm.

Peace should be a priority in our homes. A peaceful home refreshes and blesses our families. But sometimes, peace doesn’t come without a fight. If we are serious about “waging peace,” it helps to know our enemy.

I’ve discovered that the quickest way to rob peace is through worry. Anxiety can drain my energy and quench calm faster than just about anything. What’s more, it’s contagious. When the kids were small, if I became worried, they seemed to absorb my anxiety and become fretful.

Worry is also exhausting. I agree with a friend who coined this acronym for W-O-R-R-Y: Worry Only Robs Rest from You. Worry says loud and clear that I don’t trust God. But when I refuse to be anxious, when I trust God and remain peaceful, I create a climate of peace.

I have to confess I grew up as a world-class worrier. There were times early in our marriage when fear held me in its grip. Fear of storms, fear of intruders, fear of illness, fear of flying. You name it—I probably wrestled with it.

But I learned to be ruthless. Through the promises in God’s Word, lots of prayer, and putting my faith into action, I wrestled many of my fears to the ground. I’m not completely worry-free, but I can tell you I no longer feel like a prisoner to fear.

These twin invaders, fear and anxiety, can wreak havoc on a home and a marriage. God doesn’t treat fear and worry as small things. He tells us to “cast all our anxiety on him” because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7 NIV).

He commands us to “be anxious for nothing” (Philippians 4:6 NKJV). As with any stubborn problem, the first step is to confront anxiety head-on. Call it out for the enemy that it is. We may find that our repentance is soon followed by times of refreshing and revival. A peace that passes all earthly understanding. This is what happens when we “wage peace.”

This series is adapted from Marilynn Chadwick’s book, Eight Great Ways to Honor Your Husband. To download your free PDF copy of the book, please visit our website by clicking here!

How to Honor Your Husband: Pray Like You Mean It

by Marilynn Chadwick

A practical way to honor my husband is simply through the home environment I create. Our surroundings, daily routine, and health habits will either help build up my husband or weigh him down in defeat. Scripture instructs wives to be “keepers” of their homes (Titus 2:5 KJV).

The word keeper can be translated as “guard.” Not only do I pay attention to the physical surroundings of our home, but I am mindful of what happens here. What kinds of movies do we watch? What are our conversations about? Each family is different and so is each husband.

Surroundings do matter. However, if you were to ask me what’s the single most important thing you can do to honor your husband, I would simply say: Pray for him. Pray like you mean it. Pray like you believe God works through your prayers. And make prayer for your husband a priority.

I have seen many wives’ prayers encourage husbands who are already following Jesus. And I have seen prayer soften the hearts of men who have rejected God. I am mystified as to why prayer works when words fall short. I just know it does.

My dear friend Jane prayed for years for her husband to accept Christ. He continued to resist the gospel. My friend was wise. She refused to nag. But she set aside 15 minutes to pray for her husband every morning.

I don’t remember how long Jane prayed for him. But, a couple years later, I watched in amazement as her husband walked forward to accept Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade in our city. During the invitation, I happened to glance to my right. I was startled to see this man who had stiff-armed God! There he was, wife by his side, resolutely heading to the front of the arena where he gave his life to Jesus Christ once and for all.

The ripple effect of that one influential man’s devotion to Christ was powerful. The impact he had on his family and community is evident to this day. All because of the quiet witness and faithful prayers of a strong wife. Like my husband always says, “If you don’t love Jesus and you have a praying wife or a praying mother, look out—you’re toast!”

This series is adapted from Marilynn Chadwick’s book, Eight Great Ways to Honor Your Husband. To download your free PDF copy of the book, please visit our website by clicking here!

How to Honor Your Husband: Fight for Him

by Marilynn Chadwick

I’ve discovered that honoring my husband in today’s culture requires something of a fight. It helps to realize that we have an enemy. Not just of our soul, but also of our marriages. In addition to waging a war with the devil, our battle for a strong marriage is also a battle against our own selfish tendencies.

Honoring our husbands sometimes goes against the grain of our flesh. If we truly want to honor our husbands, we’ll find ourselves resisting a world that degrades and disrespects marriage.

I’ve learned I can best fight for my husband and honor our marriage most powerfully by interceding for him in prayer. I believe deep within the heart of every good woman lives a warrior. Her fierce love can make even the most timid woman do courageous things. Maybe you’ve learned what it means to fight for someone you love.

My friend Ange is from Rwanda. Gentle and soft-spoken, Ange is a shining example of a woman who honored her husband by fighting for him.

Ange was in high school when the horrific Rwandan genocide broke out in 1994. She and Emanuel fled on foot. Soldiers attacked their refugee camp. Ange and Emanuel got separated as they ran for their lives. She searched frantically for him, hiding in the forest with no clean water, food, or shelter.

Ange made her way to Kenya. She looked everywhere for Emanuel. Eventually she enrolled in Bible college while she continued her search. For eight years! Even her closest friends tried to persuade Ange to accept that Emanuel was dead—and to remarry.

But Ange sensed the Holy Spirit was whispering to keep on fighting and to believe that Emanuel was still alive. Her lifeline became, “We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV).

While listening to a radio program which helped find missing family members after the war, she heard the amazing news that Emanuel was alive. “It was like a dream!” she exclaimed. “I stayed up all night praising and thanking God!” After eight long years, Ange and Emanuel were finally reunited—all because of a wife who kept fighting for her husband.

This series is adapted from Marilynn Chadwick’s book, Eight Great Ways to Honor Your Husband. To download your free PDF copy of the book, please visit our website by clicking here!