The Power of a Praying Couple

By Pastor Darren Bennett

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”—Ephesians 5:25 (ESV)

You might be asking, “Darren, how does Ephesians 5:25 apply to married couples who pray together?” The answer is actually quite simple. Husbands are to imitate Christ in their marriage. 

Christ epitomizes what it means to intervene and intercede on behalf of a loved one. How do we intercede for others? Through intercessory prayer. Moses modeled this by interceding for the Israelites (Exodus 32:30–33). The cool thing we can see from this Scripture is that Moses ultimately points us to a greater intercessor: Christ. Jesus Himself demonstrated what it looks like to pray for those you love as He prayed for His disciples (John 17).

Are you seeing it now? Husbands, if we’re to love our wives like Christ loved the Church and we are to imitate Christ, then praying for our wives and with our wives is paramount. It's been said that a family that prays together stays together. Well, I would go further and add, a husband that prays with his wife will have a peaceful life. Think about it. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit to correspond with us more intimately. According to Philippians 4:6–7, the Holy Spirit has the unique ability to take any moment of tension or anxiousness and bring about peace. There have been numerous times I’ve been in tense moments with my wife and have paused to pray, and the tension lifted as peace prevailed.

Prayer also helps us hear what is truly going on in each other's hearts. The Scriptures encourage us to have the Lord examine our hearts (Psalm 139:23–24). As husbands and imitators of Christ, we ought to examine our wives' hearts. We do this so we can minister and care for them regarding their concerns. 

For my wife and me, this idea plays out through prayer. For example, my wife and I pray together out loud at 3 p.m. daily. This intentional time of prayer was vital when we were exploring the idea of church planting. Initially, my wife wasn't on board and didn’t have peace with me leaving my role in the youth ministry to plant a campus in our community in North Miami-Dade. We continued to pray about the opportunity. Eventually, as I listened attentively to examine her heart, I heard my wife pray a prayer that literally confirmed she had received peace from God about us taking such a huge step. I might not have ever gotten that confirmation if I wasn't intentional about praying with my wife regularly. 

So, there you have it, husbands. Make it a point to pray with your wife as much as possible because a husband that prays with his wife will have a peaceful life. 

Pause: Think for a moment . . . when was the last time you prayed with your spouse?

Practice: If you aren't praying together consistently, then start a healthy rhythm today.

Pray: Father, in Jesus' name, we ask that You help our marriages foster an intentional rhythm of prayer together. Help us to see the benefit, but also the importance of praying together. Amen.