Q: What roles do reading the Bible and praying together have in a marriage? Any suggestions on how to begin?
A: We will say often that spiritual intimacy improves so many areas of your life, not just that spiritual area. Believe it or not, it can also improve your sexual relationship, your romance, your conflict resolution, even your parenting. Don’t believe it? Listen to Martha:
“We have been married for thirty-five years and only in the past couple of years have we prayed together in a real strong and meaningful way. It has added such fullness to every area of our marriage. It had kind of been my heart’s desire for a long time, and I think what made the difference was my husband turning his life over completely and 100 percent to the Lord. We now spend Saturday mornings studying the Bible and we pray around the world almost. It’s my favorite time of the whole week. We just pray and study and talk about our week. It’s just been an absolutely delightful. This has made us feel like newlyweds again. I know that the reason is because of the intimacy that prayer brings into our married life.”
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash
We want to encourage you to take that first step and just do it once. Read the Bible together once. Pray together once. Then do it another time. Then do it another time. Don’t set yourself up for failure by saying you’re going to read the Bible together every night between 7:15 and 7:30. Just start. Take the leap. Then let it go from there.
Here’s another story of spiritual intimacy to encourage you:
“My husband and I got married five years ago. We really appreciate how God brought us together. Every morning for the last five years, we put a pillow beside the bed and kneel down and pray and lift each other up. We read our Bibles for fifteen minutes every morning. We’re reading all the way through the Bible. It’s just been a blessing for us. It’s such a safe place to begin each day. One benefit from this is hearing my husband lift me up in prayer. He’ll pray for me about something tough coming up that day. And when I get to that spot in my day and have to face it, I remember that I’ve been prayed for. It makes me feel so loved.”
So jump in! Don’t wait! Take time today to sit down with your spouse, pray, read scripture. Whether it’s 10 minutes or 2 hours doesn’t matter as much as just taking the leap and letting God lead.
For more practical marriage advice, check out The Great Marriage Q&A Book. It's available in our online bookstore!