There is a common saying that a family that prays together, stays together. Praying together with your spouse is one of the most powerful ways to build soulful bonds spiritually and uphold each other’s faith.
The whole idea of praying together as couples transcends mere family routine, Julian of Norwich maintains that “The whole reason why we pray is to be united into the vision and contemplation of God to whom we pray.” Praying together as a couple is an enjoyable exercise, especially for those who have made it a daily exercise.
It is recommended in every family that couples pray together, more than just being a symbol of unison it is also comforting, soul-stirring, and encouraging.
There are immense benefits with strong spiritual connotations when spouses make a habitual practice of praying together daily, while we may not be able to consider a whole lot let’s consider a few of these benefits.
Why should couples pray together?
Prayin together as couples;
- Brings about intimacy between couples
- Fosters unity between couples
- Helps to navigate challenges together
- Helps to cultivate mutual support
- Inviting God’s presence
- Reduces the chance of divorce
- Brings about healing in marriages
For Intimacy
When couples pray together; a strong bonding process is ongoing; the holding of hands together and taking turns in requesting the creator is very effective in strengthening their spiritual bond and cultivates a deeper level of connection with God as the divine head of the family.
It is a time when couples together seek the face of God for forgiveness in areas they’re lacking, this in itself is an incredible act that builds intimacy. The place of praying together is one where couples jointly bare their souls to God, it is a very vulnerable and humbling process and forms the epitome of what couples are called to as far as the holy matrimony is concerned.
It can first feel awkward for couples who are new to this, but as you keep going you come to understand that these moments of sharing each other’s heart before the Lord exude a profound experience that enlivens your marriage.
One of the mistakes many young Christian couples are making today waiting first to build their intimacy out of the place of prayer before they start praying together, not knowing that praying together contributes hugely to the intimacy they are seeking to build.
The earlier couples start praying together in their marriage, the better they can confidently expect their marital journey to be. A couple’s prayer time can strengthen the chords of friendship not just with each other but also with God the Father; both parties have the freedom to express their heartfelt concern to God without discomfort and without minding being vulnerable to one another, seeing themselves as both children in the hand of the almighty.
As Ephesians 4:3 reminds us, it says we are to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” The best place and way to keep the spirit united in love and peace is to pray closely together every day.
Fosters Unity in Faith
Through the life-changing experience of praying together, couples connect in alignment with God’s will in unison of faith. This amazing togetherness is a bedrock spiritual principle that serves as a strong anchor for couples during trying times. Couples through prayer receive graces that help to build strong resilience that weathers the storm and most essentially grow in their love for constant fellowship with the Father.
Navigating Challenges Together
Prayer is an equipping tool for couples at times of heartache. Couples who depend on God are not short of the divine strength and wisdom needed to navigate challenges and any conflicts that may ensue in their marriage.
Couples must make it a habitual thing to Seek God’s guidance together in prayer, it brings about a sense of cooperation and togetherness, empowering them to overcome obstacles with grace and humility.
Scripture says in the book of Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Cultivating Mutual Support
Understanding and love in marriage are built on the foundation of mutual respect in marriage. Joint Prayer for Christian couples is a potent way to demonstrate commitment and responsibility to the spiritual and emotional need of each other.
By lifting each other’s concerns and burdens before God, couples can create a safe and nurturing environment where both partners feel valued and cherished. Philippians 2:4 further expatiates this when it urges believers to “not only look to their interests but each one to the interests of the other.”
Inviting God’s Presence
Couples who pray together acknowledge how much they need the presence of God in their marriage. This awareness brings about submission to the Lordship of the Lord as the all-sovereign. This is the very lasting source of peace, comfort, and assurance that surpasses human comprehension. Couples who either pray aloud or in silence together are powerful, the more they pray, they more powerful they become over the works of darkness over their marriage.
Reduce the possibility of divorce
Scriptures enjoin believers not to be ignorant of the devices of the devil (2 Cor. 2: 11). One way the enemy seeks to pervade families with its craftiness is by ensuring that couples see praying together as a practice that is awkward or ceremonial.
Couples who pray together hardly end up in divorce. Significant evidence shows that married couples who not only pray together but also engage in other spiritual exercises, such as studying scripture together and attending church together, experience higher satisfaction and happiness in marriage, thus reducing the chances of divorce.
A study conducted in the United States in 1980, as cited in Retrouvaille’s International Handbook 2005, maintains that married couples who attend church together weekly, read the Bible, or pray together every day have a divorce rate of approximately 1 in every 1,105 marriages.
Another study by the Institute of Family Studies (IFS) revealed that couples who regularly attend church together reported higher levels of happiness. Over 3 in 4 regular church-attending couples (78 percent) describe their marriage as “very happy” or “extremely happy”.
On another hand, Couples where neither partner attends church have a happiness rate of 67 percent, while only 59 percent of couples where only the woman attends regularly report being very happy.
Sociologist Brad Wright’s research indicates that while the overall divorce rate may be higher in evangelical-heavy states, couples who attend church are less likely to be divorced.
Among evangelicals, 6 in 10 who never attend church have been divorced or separated, compared to 38 percent of weekly attendees.
Lifeway Research found a correlation between decreased church attendance and divorce, with 7 in 10 regular churchgoers who divorce attending church once a week or more three months before their separation.
For those in healthy marriages, the rate of attending church once a week or more is 87 percent. Interestingly, the IFS study found that a man attending church alone is statistically as beneficial to the happiness of the couple as both attending, with a happiness rate of 78 percent for both.
The researchers speculate on reasons for this, suggesting that highly religious women may seek spiritual communion with their partners more than devout men, or that men benefit from religious instruction to care for their spouse and remain faithful.
The study also maintains that Church attendance is instrumental in jerking up a woman’s expectations of her partner’s behaviour, and when these expectations are unfounded in her less devout spouse, the relationship may be heading for a collapse
Heal your marriage
God can heal your marriage and redeem it from the brink of collapse, even when it has suffered abusive pasts. He has done it for countless marriages, and you cannot be an exception if you turn to Him for help.
Of course, God cares about our marriages and doesn’t want them to suffer any mishap. He says in His word that He hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). But there is a conscious starting point to experiencing God’s healing in your marriage. He wants believers and couples everywhere to enjoy threefold prosperity according to His will in 3 John 2, which says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” But most of the time, we end up focusing on prospering and less on the prosperity of our soul.
If our marriages are going to be fixed, we first need to fix our relationship with God. God wants us to spend quality time with Him and delights in it when we do.
Turning to God and nurturing and actively seeking to build a deep relationship with Him again is the foundation for healing and prosperity in marriage. By prioritizing our spiritual connection with God, we pave the way for divinely guided restoration and fulfillment in our almost-collapsing marriages.
