“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”

that your prayers may not be hindered

“That” introduces a result clause. “With the result that your prayers may not be hindered.” If there is bitterness in the marriage, God will not answer their prayers.

“Prayers” is in the plural, indicating that this is family worship. 

Do you know what the word “hindered” means? It means to cut into, to thwart. God will thwart our prayers. God will cut in on our prayers. The whole point is that the husband and wife must be in harmony if God will answer their prayers. If they do not have communication with each other, they cannot have communion with God. If they are in domestic strife, they can pray from now until doomsday, and God will not answer their prayers. If husbands do not honor their wives, God will not answer their prayers if they do not live in harmony with their wives.

We may illustrate this by telephone. The husband begins praying, “Hello God. I appreciate all you have done for me this past week. Thank you for blessing my business. I have a need. I would appreciate it if you will hear my petition?” At this point, he hears clickety-click. God hangs up the phone on him. He has not dealt with a central issue – his relationship with his wife. “Lord, I cannot hear you,” but the phone is dead. While husbands try to talk to God, they have a problem with their wives. God will not hear him as long as that domestic problem is there. First, get right with your wife, then come to God in prayer. Then God will answer your prayers.

PRINCIPLE:

A broken relationship in marriage will hinder our prayer.

APPLICATION:

An irate husband says to his wife, “Light bill! Water bill! Gas bill! When are you going to stop this wild spending!” Happy marriages depend on happy people. If you are a miserable person, then your marriage cannot be happy. If you are a happy person, your marriage has at least a 50% chance of being happy. 

Are you fulfilled in your marriage? God’s design is that each marriage partner fulfills the other. They can only do that if they are mature as individuals. Mature marriages depend on mature people. If you are a miserable person, then obviously, your marriage cannot be mature. If you are mature, then your marriage has a 50% chance of being a mature marriage. Marriage can be holy wedlock or unholy deadlock. 

A woman telling of her marriage said, “I knew my husband 18 months before we were married, but I did not become acquainted with him until I asked him for money.” That is the story of many marriages. Few People know each other before marriage. There is an attraction to certain things about each other, but people rarely know each other before marriage. Maturity can see below the surface.

Young couples should set up a family altar on their first day of marriage. When children come, they understand that a family has a family altar just like you are supposed to eat, take a bath or go to bed. Spirituality is part of a godly family.