At a recent Build Your Marriage® conference we were asked, “What is the ONE THING you would advise couples to do to protect their marriage?” What would be your answer to that question? What do you do to protect your marriage? How would you rank the things you would do? What would be at the top of your list?
Without a moment’s hesitation we knew our answer. We believe the most important protection for any marriage is to pray together. In fact, studies have shown this to be true. In a 1997 Gallup poll sponsored by the National Association of Marriage Enrichment, they found that of the couples who pray together on a daily basis, less than 1% end up getting a divorce (1 out of 1,156 in their study)!
What’s fascinating is that most couples would rather do ANYTHING ELSE to protect their marriage than pray together. We don’t want to sound stupid, weak, or be embarrassed. We may think that our spouse is evaluating the quality of our prayer or the sincerity of our prayer.
Husbands and wives: make sure you both read this article! Then, sit down and have a heart-to-heart about building the habit of praying out loud together. Whatever your reasons are for NOT praying together, your marriage is TOO VALUABLE to miss the most important way to protect your marriage!
So start tonight and pray together. Your prayers don’t have to be long and involved. It just has to happen.
Over time you will find that praying together will:
- Unify you in spirit and purpose
- Draw you both closer to Jesus
- Keep Jesus at the center of your marriage
- Bring greater vulnerability and intimacy in your marriage
- Surround you with greater protection from the Enemy’s attacks
- Build your legacy as your children learn of you praying together
- Invite God’s wisdom into your decisions
- Increase your trust in one another
- Give you more tenderness toward one another
- Grow you both in faith and hope as you trust God together
As you pray together you will bring the best protection of all–God’s protection–as a covering over you as you build your marriage!