Perhaps one of the most difficult things to do in a marriage is pray together as a husband and wife. It’s not that the action of pray itself is difficult, although it can be at times, it’s just something we tend to be uncomfortable with, especially as we begin to practice this discipline together.
However, it is easily the most important thing you can do together.
My wife and I have become better at doing this as the years go by. We have a long ways to go, but we are gaining ground steadily in this area. What we have discovered is that this is the single most important factor in developing closer and closer intimacy in our marriage. If only we had realized this sooner!
We had every excuse you can imagine, and in this post, I want to look at a few of them, and how you can eliminate them.
Excuse Number 1: Conflicting Schedules
We have a large family. As a result, we stay pretty busy. My wife runs the home, and I work at the church. Many times, she’s much more tired than I am at the end of the day. Because of this, she often will stay in bed until the kids are up and catch as much sleep as she can. On the other hand, I will be up and headed to the office early. Our daily schedules aren’t always in sync, and when they are, a lot of times it’s only for brief moments.
One way around this is to make prayer a part of the schedule itself. We sit down weekly to compare our calendars, why not sit down together daily to pray? Even if it’s only for a few moments, it will help keep your relationship strong.
Excuse Number 2: Fear
Fear can be the biggest factor that prevents us from praying together. Perhaps it’s because we feel like our faith isn’t where it should be, compared to our spouses, or maybe it’s because we haven’t stepped up to the plate in this area, and we feel guilty. Whatever the reason, we feel intimidated. And let’s face it, praying together is a very intimate act, and one that can be very uncomfortable until we begin to practice it regularly.
The answer to this is to simply begin to pray together, and then to continue. As you grow together, this will become more comfortable, for both of you.
Excuse Number 3: Spiritual Forces
The enemy does not want you to pray. He does not want your marriage to be strong and rooted in faith. Growing in our faith is a spiritual battle, and the enemy will do whatever it takes to keep us from growing closer to the Lord. And when we feel attacked, or when it feels like everything is opposing us, it’s easy to give up.
In that moment, don’t give up! Stay strong! You need this connection through pray with your wife, she needs it with you, and you both need that connection with God. Keep it up!
Excuse Number 4: A Lack Of Faith
This may not be an excuse we verbalize, but it’s one nonetheless. Very often we avoid prayer when our faith is weak or lacking. If this is you, seek out a pastor or minister to help you make the decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Build your faith, and in so doing help boost your wife’s faith as well. Do it now!
These are some of the most common excuses for why we don’t pray together with our wives. I’m sure there are others, as well. Next, we will look at some simple strategies to strengthen your time together in prayer.
Be deliberate, men!