Praying With Your Wife

“Husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” (1 Pet. 3:7)

Today, let’s talk about praying with our wives! For many men, praying with their wife is something that almost never happens. Sometimes it is because we don’t pray in private and therefore talking to God in public becomes a difficult matter. It could be that we know our weaknesses and feel too vulnerable when we pray. Allowing God to grow you as you work through these devotionals should allow you to gain the confidence you need to better lead your wife and children spiritually. These matters are very important, especially since Peter writes that if we fail to be the husband we ought to be, it will hinder our prayer lives (1 Pet. 3:7).

Praying together is an opportunity for both of you to recognize that you cannot be everything you ought to be in a marriage unless you have Divine help. So here are some suggestions about praying with your wife:

Set a time when the two of you can plan to pray together.
Pray with Thanksgiving. Thank God for your wife. Thank God for all she does to make your home a pleasant place. Thank God for how she meets your needs. Remember that we are to come into His presence with thanksgiving (Ps. 100:2, 4).
Pray for help in your respective roles. Ask God for His help in your leadership and her willingness to follow. Pray that you will be a gentle and loving man. Pray that you will know how to lead in such a way that she not only can follow you, but that she will WANT to follow you.
Pray for your children. Talk to God about their weaknesses and about their strengths.
Pray for special needs. In our marriage, it seems that my wife and I are continually aware of special needs, via social media especially. Praying together is an opportunity to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Keep it simple. You don’t have to pray for an hour. You could simply hold hands and pray for a few minutes before you drop off to sleep at night or before you head separate ways in the morning.
Ask God to help you be mindful of “special” prayer opportunities. My wife will often mention something she heard or read, and I will listen and mumble some sort of comment. I find that there is something powerful when I stop and pray with her instead.