The Bible assumes that God will be a part of every marriage. In most instances a man needs a wife for love and companionship. Ordinarily a wife needs a husband. But both of them need God. That’s why prayer is such an essential part of a good marriage.
The apostle Peter recognizes this when he urges husbands and wives to live together in a harmonious relationship, “that your prayers be not hindered.” Poor relationships between husbands and wives are a hindrance to an effective prayer life. And an ineffective prayer life often results in an unhappy marriage.
I once heard an outstanding speaker say that praying with his family was the hardest thing he ever tried to do. I suppose that’s because our mates know us better than anyone else. In the marriage relationship there is no hypocrisy or pretense. And it is very difficult to treat each other like the devil and then kneel down and pray together. You will either change the way you treat one another or stop praying. You don’t need a preacher to tell you which one you ought to do.
The Bible says. “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). In most instances marriages fail because people fail, and people fail because they try to live without God. Marriage at its best is not a duet between a man and a woman. It is a trio between a husband, a wife, and God. If we will build our lives and our marriages upon the rock of prayer and commitment to Jesus Christ, they are less likely to wind up upon the rocks of divorce.