Pray with Each Other
I’m fortunate to be married to my high school sweetheart. She was my first date when I was fifteen. I remember it vividly. We met at the local movie theater – our parents driving us, of course. We saw The Preacher’s Wife. There must have been nothing else showing that weekend.
All that to say, we’ve known each other for more than 20 years. Yet, I could probably count on my fingers how many times in our relationship we’ve prayed, out loud, together. I’m not talking about before meals or bedtime prayers with the kids. I’m talking about husband and wife, joined together in prayer before the Lord.
It’s one thing to silently say a prayer for your spouse while lying in bed before you go to sleep. That’s a pretty simple thing to do. If you’ve never prayed with your spouse, it’s a completely different challenge to commit to praying together.
Recently, through a small group at church, we were presented with the 30-Day Oneness Challenge from FamilyLife. In the challenge, you commit to praying with your spouse every day. They will send you prompts if you need them. According to FamilyLife (and I now agree), “One of the greatest investments you can make in your marriage is praying together daily with your spouse.” That’s why a tool like this is so necessary.
As we went through the challenge, I found myself becoming more connected to my wife than I had ever been. I’m not a “vocalize-my-feelings” type of guy. The 30-Day Challenge forced us into sharing more as a couple. We had to talk about what was on our minds, things we wanted to pray about and things that were concerning us or stressing us out.
What was truly remarkable was watching – together – as God answered. Praying together as a couple grows you closer to God and closer to each other. It made me realize what I’ve been missing for 10 years of marriage. I had been missing the joy that comes in a more intimate relationship with God and with my wife.
Too often, prayer is an afterthought or a last-resort lifeline when we’ve exhausted every other option. When it comes to my marriage, I hate to admit it, but prayer had taken a back seat. It had been lost in the daily routines and schedules. What I’m learning is that when we commit all of ourselves to God, including our marriages, He is waiting to show us things beyond our imaginations. It starts when we make a commitment to pray for and with our spouses.
