Biblical Teaching on Prayer
1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
Pondering Point
For those of you married (or dating), Peter acknowledges that mistreatment of one’s wife can be a hindrance to a husband’s prayer life. One might imagine that poor treatment by a wife might create similar results. Consider this teaching a good reminder not to bother trying to compartmentalize your spiritual life from the other parts of life.
Malachi chapter 2 carries a similar message where the prophet points out that God is impacted by how one treats a spouse. God shares there that He sees how we interact, and that our actions serve as a testimony to our faithfulness or lack thereof.
As an aside, if you’re getting hung up on the Apostle Peter’s words about women being defined as the “weaker partner,” consider the language used in Eugene Peterson’s The Message, where he speaks of women as those who lack some of the advantages of men. That has clearly been the case in many patriarchal societies.
Prayer
Father God, if my prayers are being hindered by my sinful lifestyle, please show me that I may take measures to correct them. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Prayer Thoughts
Chapter 49
Commitment
Most couples walk into this unity with very little understanding, guidance and help. One thing I found out for certain: a successful marriage takes work with good communication. Permit me to share a few views and thoughts of what I think my wife and I believe it takes to have a romantic and happy marriage union.
Let us count the ways using the Bible passages from Philippians 2:2-3, our wedding text: Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
- “like minded”: The more a couple begins their marriage and continues to have shared values from the same cultural background, same faith, same ethics and same attitudes less problems will arise. Problems are surmountable but they can cause huge family and marital conflicts.
- “same love”: Love, to us, is finding the needs of your spouse and serving them. It is great to be trying to out serve the other person. Try to do everything possible to make the other person successful.
- “being one in spirit and purpose”: Couples thrive when spouses focus on what is good and true in each other. Positive trust and expectations exert a tremendous force or spirit to the marriage. From this comes a joint purpose and vision for the future.
- “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit”: Change your middle names to “Flexible” and learn to change actions or goals. Most successful couples experience crisis in their marriage and adjustment becomes necessary. This often involves times to repent, saying “I’m sorry,” which means asking for forgiveness.
- “but in humility consider others better than yourselves”: It is important to define roles and responsibilities within the marriage. There need not be a struggle for power or status. Considering your partner better is not that your spouse is superior or more talented, but that your love sees the other person as worthy of special treatment.
Got his book? Read pages 219-222 in Keep Me and Keep All, Smith.
Also check out Pastor Bob’s answer to Prayer Question #18 on
p. 258: “Does it really help to pray?”