Wives as Spiritual Shields for their Husbands

There is a Scripture in the Old Testament that has baffled theologians and Bible teachers through the ages. It is Jeremiah 31 verse 22, “How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? For the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.” The word ‘compass’ in this context refers to a shield. The Scripture is alluding to a new role carved out for a woman in which she will act as a shield for her husband, who is the spiritual leader of the home.

        Trust God to use satan’t weapons and strategeies to destroy him and his demons! Everyone knows the role Eve played in the fall of Adam. She was the weaker link exploited by the devil to usher in man’s rebellion against God. It is fitting that God would also use a woman as a catalyst to destroy the kingdom of darkness. This was brought to the fore when God found Adam and Eve hiding among the trees after they committed the worst treason ever. Among the judgments pronounced by the LORD that day was a prophesy that the woman would bring forth the seed that would crush the head of the serpent (aka the devil). It is therefore not surprising that Mary conceived of the Messiah without the support of a man; in fulfilment of this prophesy.  

          In effect, Mary served as a shield for Jesus while He was in her womb. She provided the protection He needed before He could come into this world as a child. She nurtured Him into manhood before the Father anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. It is also clear that she covered Him with prayers to ensure that He fulfiled the ministry that was revealed to her by angel Gabriel.       

From the foregoing, we understand that a woman has an onerous responsibility to help her man succeed as the spiritual leader of the home. Serving as his shield requires her to build his strength through prayer. She becomes his prayer warrior and intercessor while he is taking the battle to the gates of the enemy. These roles align with Proverbs 14:1, “Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down.” This tells us that the husband cannot function effectively as a spiritual leader without his wife’s blessings. 1 Peter 3:7 explains that a husband’s prayer can be hindered if he fails to give his wife loving care. If his wife reports him to God under such a circumstance, he is in big trouble, especially if her own obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:6 talks of “having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your own obedience is complete.”

The wife’s role as prayer warrior is the most critical. According to dailyeffectiveprayer.org, a female prayer warrior stands for freedom, power and peace. She is a trailblazer with her faith in God. She is also an emissary of His love for her family and everyone around her. Like Deborah in the Old Testament, the prayer warrior wife needs to have great wisdom, revelation and discernment. This will help her to know the times and seasons of the Lord.

        Another important role accorded the wife by God is that of an intercessor. An intercessor is someone who stands in the gap for another person. In marriage, the husband blesses his wife and in turn, she intercedes for him. Her prayer for her husband is critical for his and their general well-being.  As an intercessor, she will be privy to the Lord’s strategic battle plans for as long as she is fellowshipping with Him. She is also expected to step out of her comfort zone to become everything the Lord has called her to be. Note that God prepared Deborah in the secret place of her worship, which helped her grow in confidence in hearing His voice. As the wife goes deeper in relationship with the Father, He will guide her to clarity around her call for this season of kingdom work, which is to help her husband fulfil his mandate as priest and king in his home. Four things happen when the wife stands in the gap for her spouse:

1. Protection: Her intercession opens the door for divine protection for the entire family. Thus, she becomes a shield that protects her husband from temptations.
2. Provision: The wife’s intercession opens the door for divine provision for the family.
3. Preservation: Her intercession gives room for divine preservation, including the transformation of her husband by the Holy Spirit.
4. Positioning: The wife’s intercession opens the door for divine positioning. This enables her husband to fulfil destiny by meeting the right people in his life journey. If he derails, her intercession will also move God to re-align him.

For effective intercession as a wife, especially to non-cooperating husband, you need to do the following:

1. Do not pray from a place of judgment: Praying for him like you are a saint married to a sinner will get you nowhere with God. When Daniel was interceding for Israel in Daniel 9:1-19, he aligned himself with their transgressions;
2. Remember that you are not the Messiah! This means, do not build your entire faith on praying for him and you miss out on other things God is doing for you. It is not your responsibility to save your husband. Only God is the Saviour;
3. Always start from the place of thanksgiving. This will prevent you from entering God’s presence with complaints and murmuring, which He hates;
4. Watch your words while you are praying. You cannot call your husband useless, irresponsible and other derogatory words, and expect God to honour you by answering your prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray aright;
5. Remember that God loves him more than you do. This will help you to surrender him to God and allow Him to do what only He can do to transform your husband from the inside out;
6. Grow while you intercede: Remember that you need God too. Allow Him to change and transform you as well; and
7. Shun bitterness, malice and unforgiveness in your relationship with people. It is counter-productive to pray for people you harbour grudges against. Deal with such issues first through confession and repentance.

***** Other materials sourced from Deborah: Embracing God’s Call, https://www.faithforward.org; The Wife as Her Husband’s Intercessor by Victor Salamba, https://m.facebook.com