Prayer is an essential part of life as a Christian that directly connects you to God. Incorporating regular prayer into your marriage is a powerful way to deepen your relationship with Him and with one another. It’s a tool to increase intimacy and grow spiritually.

The Power of Prayer

Prayer works! God listens to our prayers, answers prayers, and responds to us when we pray.

James 5:16-18 says, “…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” 

It’s almost like breathing air, except it’s a conscious decision. The only training necessary is very simple: share your heart with God.

Each time you and your spouse pray for each other, great things happen. Prayer is truly powerful. But when you pray together, that power increases tremendously, and so do the results. 

Pray With Your Spouse

Jane and I were driving on the interstate many years ago, and she was explaining to me why what I said “last night,” with a group of friends, was so wrong and how badly it made her look and feel. She was hot and wanted me to know it.  

For some reason, I responded, “let’s pray,” and with gritted teeth, she said, “ok.” I prayed aloud about one paragraph worth. I didn’t know what else to say. This stuff was new to me. Well, it worked! Her anger went away, and we finished the conversation without hurting each other. That was different. We found out prayer works!

From then on, whenever the enemy starts pushing and shoving and trying to stir up something, we both pray. Or maybe the enemy is not even in it. We pray out loud, together, a lot. It helps us both know where the other is coming from. We have never played games with each other, and you sure are not going to when the other listens as you talk with God.

Praying as a couple brings you closer to each other and closer to God. It can become a vital part of your faith walk together.

Creating Time For Prayer

Life is not easy. We all live in a broken world, and Satan is working full time to interrupt our time and mess our lives up. We know how difficult it can be to take time for daily prayer on your own, and how much more challenging it is to incorporate your equally-busy spouse into that routine.

Your spouse is a gift from God to come alongside you and work with you, not against you, to get through life. Use your prayer time to receive that gift, and let it be what God intended. 

• Praise God for the awesome God He is.
• Repent and ask His forgiveness for any sin you know of.
• Thank Him for wherever you see His hand in your life, even if it is His discipline.
• Seek His guidance for your daily life. By the minute, if it’s a tough day.
• Pray when you don’t understand–ask for His help.
• Ask for Him to intervene in other people’s lives. Especially your spouse and your kids.
• Pray for our government leaders at all levels.
• Ask for healing for yourself and others.
• Pray that you will be the godly man or woman He created you to be.
• Tell Him you love Him.

Pray anytime you feel like it. If you are driving the car, share your heart with God. But no, you don’t have to close your eyes. Cutting grass is a great time to pray. And listening or watching any source of news could generate a few prayers. There are plenty of small moments during the day to take a moment and thank God or ask Him for his grace. 

Start Praying Together Now

Make praying for and with your spouse a normal part of your life. 

This coming week, talk with your spouse about how, as a couple, you can create more time and opportunities to pray. Then, try incorporating moments of prayer into your daily routine.