The method of prayer is not important. What is important is that we come to God together. There is something about the experience of praying together that unites as great potential for spiritual intimacy as praying together.

You will also want to pray for each other daily in your private prayers. Be specific in your prayers. Pray for some of the concerns your spouse has shared with you. Discover some of the prayers in the Bible, and pray these prayers for your spouse. The Psalms can also aid you in praying for your spouse. Read each verse and say a prayer for your spouse based on what that verse brings to mind.

If you commit to regular prayer with (and for) your spouse, you’ll see a big difference in each other and in your relationship.

Take some time to pray individually or as a couple. If your partner is not yet comfortable with praying together, ask the Lord to help him or her see the benefits in it. If you are praying together, ask the Lord to bless your prayer time and help you use it wisely.

If you have more time, discuss together or reflect on these questions:

In what ways are your prayer habits and styles different?

How do you complement each other when it comes to prayer?

When would be the best time for you to schedule a regular prayer time together?

Consider these passages for further study on prayer.

Matthew 6:5-13

When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.

But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything will reward you.

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.

Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us the evil one.

Ephesians 1:15-23 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere

I have not stopped thanking God for you, I pray for you constantly. Asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called- his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else – not only in this world but also in the world to come.

God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Philippians 1:9-11

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation – the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ – for this will bring much glory and priase to God.

Psalm 63:1-11

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

¹ You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

⁹ Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
¹⁰ They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.

¹¹ But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Prayer is a part of our lives. Take it seriously, and we will find a new life with Christ. Great thoughts of Gary Chapman. Keep prayer spontaneous and regular to see amazing results.

In a remarkable dialogue in Genesis, Abraham pleaded with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of fifty, forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, or ten righteous people living in the city. God agreed. When ten righteous people were not found, God delivered Abraham’s nephew Lot and his two daughters (see Genesis 18:16-19:20).

After the Israelites worshiped the golden calf; God in His holy anger was poised to destroy them. Moses interceded, pleading for mercy, and God relented (see Exodus 32:7-14, 30-25),

Covered in burlap and ashes, Daniel pleaded with God, confessing his sins and the sins of Israel, begging for God’s mercy after the Babylonian captivity (see Daniel 9:1-19)

Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith would not fail under testing (see Luke 22:31-32), and Jesus even interceded for us (see John 17:20-22).

The model of intercessory prayer appears throughout Scripture, showing us the power of humble, loving prayer for others.

Spend more time with God in intercessory prayer. Assume a humble posture. Express your dependence on Him. Plead on behalf of another who desperately needs His work of healing, restoration, or transformation in his or her life. Like Joshua, humbly listen for God’s response.

Take more time to reflect on these questions:

1. What does the story of Achan’s sin reveal about God?
2. Why is intercession an act of love?
3. At some point in your life, who has interceded on your behalf? For who have you interceded?

Consider these passages for further study on Prayer:

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

I Timothy 2:1-5  I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,

James 5:13-16 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Joshua 7:1-16

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things^[a]; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri,^[b] the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

³ When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” ⁴ So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, ⁵ who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this, the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring these people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, and they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

¹³ “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

¹⁴ “‘In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord chooses shall come forward clan by clan; the clan the Lord chooses shall come forward family by family; and the family the Lord chooses shall come forward man by man. ¹⁵ Whoever is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the Lord and has done an outrageous thing in Israel!’”

¹⁶ Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was chosen.

I pray for others every day. In fact, my family comes first usually in my prayers. I pray for the safety of my daughter and for her to heal from her missing tastes. She has trouble tasting some of her favorite foods like cheese and chocolate and prays she will get her senses back one day. I pray for the health of my boyfriend, Vincent, so he is healed of his kidney disease. I pray for my health that I can go back to my healthy weight as well. I pray for the health of my parents and that we always make wise choices that keep our love for Christ first. Always keeping others first helps me stay aligned as well. Who do you pray for?

Regardless of how much experience you have praying together, try this learning exercise. Prayer takes many forms, but this exercise develops conversational prayer. In conversational prayer, the husband and wife take turns talking to God about a specific matter. They may each speak one or more times about the same subject. When neither has further thoughts, one of them changes the subject, and they repeat the process, much as they would in a conversation with friends. Consider this brief example of a conversational prayer.

Husband: “Father, I want to thank You for protecting me on the way home from work today. I was so close to an accident when the truck ran the red light in front of me. I’m grateful for your protection.”

Wife: “Father, I too thank You for protecting Vincent. Sometimes I take Your protection for granted. Along with protection, I want to thank You for our health, and I pray for my dad, that You would renew his health.”

Husband: “Father, I too pray for my father-in-law. Please guide the doctors in this series of tests, and give Dad peace of mind during this time of uncertainty.

Wife: “I also ask that You would comfort my mother. Remind her that You are with her and Dad through this experience…”

Couples may pray as long as they like. Some couples like to have a time of conversational prayer immediately after a meal. Others prefer the comfort of the couch. Still others prefer praying before going to bed or before starting the day. Find the time and place that you like best.

Take time to practice conversational prayer together as a couple.

Discuss and reflect:

When is an ideal time and where is an ideal place for you to pray together?

How could praying together more regularly grow you as individuals and as a couple?

More passages on prayer:

Psalm 145:18 The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.

Matthew 18:19-20 I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.

Acts 1:14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.

Luke 11:1-13

One day Jesus was praying^(C) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,^(D) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,^[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom^(E) come.^[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴ Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.^[c](F)
And lead us not into temptation.^[d]’”^(G)

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.^(H)

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;^(I) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[f]a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

How will you implement conversational prayer today?

Devotional thoughts from Gary Chapman.