READING: Ezekiel 27-29, 1 Peter 3
“. . . so that your prayers will not be hindered.”
1 Peter 3:7
No matter how long I’ve been married, I continue to learn about the importance of being a good husband. For years, I’ve watched Christian men around me to see what a godly marriage looks like. I read books on Christian marriage. I think I’m growing as a husband, but I have a long, long way to go.
Today’s New Testament reading reminds me that I must give myself to my wife, surrendering my needs in order to meet hers. She is a “weaker vessel” (1 Pet. 3:7)—not emotionally or spiritually so, but physically weaker, and it’s my responsibility to understand her, take care of her, and provide for her. At the same time, she’s my sister in Christ who is a co-heir “of the grace of life.” God loves us both, died for each of us, and has granted us both life. Both Pam and I will share eternity together. In God’s unique and gracious plan, that brother/sister relationship is the foundation for a marriage that most honors Him—and I must respect and love Pam first as one created in the image of God.
Moreover, I’m reminded today that my relationship with my wife has a direct effect on my prayers: “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered” (1 Pet. 3:7). If I don’t have a strong relationship with my spouse, it’s impossible for me to have a strong relationship with God. I cannot best honor Him if I don’t honor the woman He gave me. Not loving my wife as Christ loves the church is sin – and sin always gets in the way of effective praying.
The point is this: I cannot separate my relationship with Pam from my walk with God. One always affects the other.
ACTION STEPS:
- If you’re married, love your spouse well today. Pray with your spouse today, trusting that God hears the prayers of godly couples.
- If you're not married, love others with the love of Christ today.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to love others well today. Let me do nothing that hinders my prayers.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Ezekiel 30-32, 1 Peter 4
