I recently mentioned, in Part 3 of Enhancing Your Marriage, that keeping our relationship with God priority helps keep us out of the wacky zone.

As we get a handle on our relationship with God, we can then begin intentionally praying over our marriage more effectively.

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

(James 5:16b)

I’m reminded of a hard season early in our marriage when I had become complacent and less intentional. I started to see a lot of things that I once admired about my man turn into aggravations.

The health of my marriage was deteriorating, and I realized I needed to see him through God’s eyes and heart.

I desperately needed the power of prayer to show up in my heart and my marriage.

Are you desperate for that, too?

• Maybe you have fallen out of love.
• Maybe you have no respect for him.
• Maybe you have been tempted to find happiness with someone else.

Prayer is our most effective path in seeking help for our troubled hearts and marriages.

The Bible offers so many scriptures about prayer.  Today, I want us to focus on just a few.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” (James 5:13a) 

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26)

 “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

The point is that when we are in a right relationship with God, He is faithful to hear our prayers.

Whatever troubles you may be experiencing within your marriage God cares about them and desires for you to be forthright with Him.

He can handle anything you bring to Him. 

Tell Him everything you are feeling and experiencing and don’t leave out the details. He is in the details, too.

I found that through my prayers God began changing my heart and attitude. I started becoming less self-centered and more God-centered, which opened my heart for my husband, once again.

I like how Tim Keller says it,

“The Spirit’s work of making the gospel real to the heart weakens the self-centeredness in the soul.”

Get creative with how, when, and where you pray.

• Write prayers on 3×5 cards and carry them with you to pray through when you have a break.

• Apply the armor of God while doing laundry. Connect each piece of the armor with the clothes you are folding.

For example: As you fold his shirt pray the breastplate of righteousness over your man.

• Use Stormie Omartian’s book, “The Power of a Praying Wife,” as a resource for specific prayers.
• Pray before your feet hit the floor in the morning.
• Pray while driving.
• Journal your prayers.
• Use a prayer app on your phone. I found one on 31dayprayerchallenge.com.
• Set your calendar for reminders to pray.

If you are not praying for your spouse, who is?

As God changes you through drawing closer to Him, your husband will begin seeing that something is different about you.

After being with the Father, you will be filled with joy, peace, and hope. As your husband sees the change that prayer has made in you, your prayers will start to impact him, as well.

I love how 1 Peter 3:1-2, 4 conveys this:

“In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. But let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”

Ensuring we remain close and clean with Christ helps us to be less self-centered and more God-centered. Therefore, God creates in us a respectful behavior towards our husband.

Intentionally enhancing your marriage is a must because complacency is the Enemy’s playground! He will use it to hinder your marriage from flourishing.

Stay alert and pray always (Colossians 4:2)!

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In case you missed it here are the other 3 Parts of Enhancing Your Marriage:

Part 1 Audio

Part 2 Audio

Part 3 Blog

I pray that this series has blessed you and encouraged you to take steps to enhance your marriage. I would love to hear from you by leaving a comment below.