Sustenance #7—Unrestrained Prayer

Husbands, assign your wives the honor they are due as fellow heirs of the grace of life, so that your praying will not be hindered. 1 Peter 3:7

This one is mainly for men, but mutatis mutandis … Honoring our mates prevents obstacles from rising that prevent us from praying. Since they are members of the Lord’s family, they have received the same gift as every other member, namely, the power of God’s Spirit working to bring us into eternal life! Our Father desires that we enjoy this gift together. Not honoring our mates hinders our prayers because such disrespect originates in a proud heart. Proud people are unlikely to admit their need for assistance from anyone. This pride hinders us from asking God for help. Not honoring our spouses insults the Lord. How could we expect him to answer our prayers for more gifts if we do not honor the gifts he has already given and the recipients he has honored with his gifts? What are some ways we can honor our wives? Wherever we are, we can speak well of them to those around us; sharing our delight with others reinforces it in us. We can hold their memory sacred by not looking at images that would turn our desires away from them. We can communicate with them whenever possible, especially by sharing our love for them and our desire to be with them. We can remain faithful in attitude and action, knowing that everything we do while we’re not with them changes the person we’ll be when we reunite.

Living Lord, increase my delight in the life you’ve given me, so when I see it in my mate, I cherish and honor what binds us closer than we could otherwise be.